What have YOU done for Kurdistan TODAY?

[Anthea]

What have YOU done for Kurdistan TODAY?

Sadly I feel the answer in almost every instance is

NOTHING

[Anthea]

Do you share your pride in Kurdistan with non-Kurds?

Do you tell non-Kurdish neighbours about your homeland?

Do you share your culture/music/food etc with non-Kurds?

Do you listen to Kurdish music
or
Turkish/Arab music?

Do you watch Kurdish films
or
Turkish/Arab films?

Do you allow your children to watch Turkish TV?

Do you wear clothing in Kurdish colours?

Do you have a sticker of the Kurdish flag on your car?

[Anthea]

6 years I have been I have been posting on here

I have had Kurdish friends and students, from all parts of Kurdistan, for more than 40 years

I have been involved in the running of 2 Kurdish community centres

Many of my friends have died fighting for an Independent Kurdistan

I, like most of my friends, believe in:

ONE PEOPLE - ONE FLAG - ONE KURDISTAN

Sadly, many Kurds are actively working against Kurdish unity

Many Kurdish leaders are actively trying to keep Kurds divided

Kurds need new leaders who are more interested in uniting Kurdistan than in their own aggrandisement

UNITY IS POWER

The worst of all is the removal of Western Kurdistan

The Democratic Federation of Northern Syria does NOT tell the world that this area is actually the western part of the Great Kurdish Nation

Western Kurdistan, an area torn from Kurdistan and further separated by the implementation of the Arab Belt. An area on Kurdish land invaded by Syrian Arabs and used to house Arabs, often removing Kurds from their property in order to do so

Western Kurdistan has been fighting for independence for a great many years. Indeed during the time of Tony Blair's government, member of the Western Kurdistan Government in exile met with Blair in an attempt to declare Independence

Shame on those Kurds who have denied Kurds from Western Kurdistan the right to proudly call their country

WESTERN KURDISTAN

[Anthea]

What have YOU done to protect Hasankeyf???

When the destruction of Hasankeyf was being underwritten by UK funding, many Kurdish people for ALL parts of Kurdistan, along with a large number of supporters

We managed to obtain many famous supporters, obtain a lot of media coverage and remove UK support from the project

WE WON - WE STOPPED HASANKEYF BEING DESTROYED

But sadly, we were only able to prevent the building of the dam for a short time, until the Turkish government found other, non-UK funding

With all the MILLIONS of Kurds in Northern Kurdistan, it should have been simple to do what we in the UK managed to do with only a few hundred people

I find the lack of support from the Kurdish community in Northern Kurdistan to be SHAMEFUL

The fact is that Kurds are allowing Turkey to destroy the oldest, most famous and most bio-diverse area in Kurdistan, with a totally unique flora fauna

The entire dam project is barely legal under international law, as it enables Turkey to limit the water flow into neighbouring countries

I would like to point out that Hasankeyf, the oldest (12,00 years), continually occupied city in the entire world is being replaced by a dam with a lifespan of 50-60 years

WHERE IS KURDISH PRIDE ???

[Anthea]

What did YOU do for Kurdistan last year ???

Did you make an effort to learn more about Kurdistan?

It may sound a silly question to ask a Kurd BUT I am aware that most Kurds have little knowledge of Kurds in other parts of Kurdistan

If Kurds fail to learn their culture and language, they will be unable to pass any knowledge on to children/grandchildren

Shamefully, Kurds living inside Turkish borders are fast becoming Turks themselves

They even sit their children in front of Turkish TV

What madness is it that, here in the UK, Kurds having complained for years about not being able to use the Kurdish language, teach their British born children TURKISH not Kurdish

Kurds from West Kurdistan, South Kurdistan and East Kurdistan have a great deal more pride in their heritage than those in North Kurdistan

To those living in Europe and other countries, away from Kurdistan:

Have you made non-Kurdish friends?
Do you share your food, music and culture with your non-Kurdish friends/neighbours?
Have you given any friends or neighbours CDs of your music?

[Anthea]

Through the eyes of a friend
I saw the terror of war

I said to myself
Someone has to do something

Then I realised
I am someone

The person next to me
Is someone

We are
All someone

We must all
Do something

My name is Kurdistan

And I will be FREE

[Anthea]

SATURDAY 9 APRIL 2005

14 YEARS ON ROJ BASH KURDISTAN

CONGRATULATIONS PILING

I doubt that any Kurd has ever worked so tirelessly for the Kurdish cause, especially when one thinks of all the YEARS of hard work you dedicated to helping Kurds prior to joining this forum

You even learnt KURDISH, which is something very few Kurds (especially those from Northern Kurdistan) ever bother to learn

In fact your Kurdish is so good you have even translated Kurdish poems and manuscripts

To all the Kurds reading this, I only have one question:

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR KURDISTAN TODAY?

[Anthea]

6 years I have been I have been posting on here

I have had Kurdish friends and students, from all parts of Kurdistan, for more than 40 years

I have been involved in the running of 2 Kurdish community centres

Many of my friends have died fighting for an Independent Kurdistan

I, like my Kurdish friends, believe in:

ONE PEOPLE - ONE FLAG - ONE KURDISTAN

Sadly, many Kurds are actively working against Kurdish unity

Many Kurdish leaders are actively trying to keep Kurds divided

Kurds need new leaders who are more interested in uniting Kurdistan than in their own aggrandisement

UNITY IS POWER

The worst of all is the removal of the name Western Kurdistan

The Democratic Federation of Northern Syria does NOT tell the world that this area is actually the western part of the Great Kurdish Nation

The word Rojava does NOT tell the world that this area is actually the western part of the Great Kurdish Nation

Rojava is the Kurdish spelling of the word west - NOT west Kurdistan

WHERE IS KURDISH PRIDE

That any Kurd would allow the name Kurdistan to be removed from the country is a disgrace

Western Kurdistan, an area torn from Kurdistan and further separated by the implementation of the Arab Belt. An area on Kurdish land invaded by Syrian Arabs and used to house Arabs, often removing Kurds from their property in order to do so

Western Kurdistan has been fighting for independence for a great many years. Indeed during the time of Tony Blair's government, member of the Western Kurdistan Government in exile met with Blair in an attempt to declare Independence

Shame on those Kurds who have denied Kurds from Western Kurdistan the right to proudly call their country

WESTERN KURDISTAN

[Piling]

I translated 1 poem of Melayê Cizîrî.

[Anthea]

It has been a year since the death of my dear friend Sahin Agirbas

20 years ago my good friend Sahin Agirbas, used to put up signs in our community centre (sadly long since closed down):

What have YOU done for Kurdistan TODAY

Sahin Agirbas was only in his mid 50s much to young to die

I had known Sahin since he was a teenager

He always had time to help other people

From a young age, Sahin had a form of arthritis which caused him to be in constant pain but he never gave up and worked hard all his life

He was widely respected as a successful businessman, a leader of his community and as someone who was always willing to help others with both business and personal difficulties

Even through terrible personal tragedy Sahin never gave up

Sahin helped to open the Kurdish Community Centre in Croydon (the one now closed)

Sahin always dreamt of a FREE KURDISTAN

His perky voice as he said "hello my dear" still rings in my ears

I miss you Charlie

[Piling]

What happened to him ?

[Anthea]

Mouth cancer

[Anthea]

It has been many months since I last posted on this thread

I have NOT forgotten my dear friend Sahin Agirbas - nor have I forgotten the signs he used to put in the Croydon Kurdish Community Centre Mala Hevaltiy (sadly closed many years ago)

What have YOU done for Kurdistan TODAY?

So I ask again:

What have YOU done for Kurdistan TODAY?

You have a car: Do you have the Kurdish flag on it?

Do you wear anything: a tie, scarf, pin, badge, phone etc with Kurdish flag on?

Do you have a map of Kurdistan hanging on a wall in your home? (I have)

Do you share your culture, music and food with non Kurdish neighbours?

[Anthea]

If YOU do nothing for Kurdistan

There will be NO KURDISTAN

Take a few minutes to think about what that actually means:

Your children will have no homeland and all your decedents will be

Arabs; Turks; Syrians; Iranians; Iraqis

Forever subservient to the barbaric forces of Syria; Irak; Iran and Turkey who have all DELIGHTED in the slaughter of Kurds

The slaughter of Kurds (especially Yazidi Kurds) is ongoing

The destruction of Kurdish culture; homes; villages; farms; farm animals; forests; water supplies; flora and fauna etc is ongoing

The imprisonment of Kurds who speak out against such slaughter and destruction is ongoing

Remember also that by doing nothing for Kurdistan you are condoning said slaughter and destruction

By doing nothing for Kurdistan you are betraying all those who have been slaughtered and those brave people who died fighting for a free Kurdistan

Kurdistan is the largest Nation without a country of it's own

Let us ALL work for a

FREE UNITED KURDISTAN

[Anthea]

Those who would give up
Essential Liberty
to purchase a little
Temporary Safety
deserve neither
Liberty nor Safety

Benjamin Franklin