Kurdish Media, UK
Feb 16 2005
Ezidis: Ezidi children are forced to study Islam in Turkey
16/02/2005 Ezidis
The recent practice of Turkish state against Ezidis in
Viransehir-Urfa is evidencing the Turanist barbarism experience from
history.
As we learned through the press, Ezidi children are forced to study
Islam as a compulsory course in Oglakci village of Viransehir in Urfa
province. This fact is evidencing Turkish state’s assimilating policy
against other ethnic and religious groups in general and Ezidis in
particular. Although Turkish state has accepted “secularism
principle” in its constitution, it has been contradicting this
principle since the set up of this state and has been maintaining
Ottoman Empire’s politics of forcing everyone to be Muslim.
The existence of these practices is evidencing Turkish state’s
non-sincerity, ridiculousness, especially in a period of EU
membership discussions. Aziz Nesin – a Turkish intellectual, also
mentioned this fact. This practice and mentality should be exposed
and prevented through legal actions.
Under Ottoman Empire, Ezidis were accepted as “pagan”, therefore were
deprived of all their legal rights and exposed to massacres. Turkish
State is inheritor of such a barbaric heritage and hasn’t transformed
at all but has persistently accepted Ezidism as a religion and
therefore acted for killing, assimilating Ezidis. That is why; the
number of Ezidis is so few in North Kurdistan.
Turkish state is demanding many cultural rights for Turkish citizens
who are living in Europe including religion, mother language courses.
On the other hand, it is not allowing any rights for Kurds, Ezidi
Kurds, Alevi Kurds or any Christian groups living within borders of
Turkey. So, how can Turkish state integrate with the modern world?
Turkish state cannot even stand with freedom of nations within
neighbor countries and is trying to maintain the statuesque by making
threats. (Meaning freedom of Kurds in Iraq-NB) All these practices of
Turkish state evidences that it is not only a colonist but also an
actor of instability in the region.
Once more, we would like to thank to all our brothers-sisters from
Kurdistan who helped in pronouncing/publicizing this fact and
supported us by not leaving alone.
We strongly condemn this recent practice of successors of Ittihat and
Terakki who murdered millions of Armenians, Kurds and Ezidis from
Kurdistan. We declare that we will not give up our democratic fight
and call all sensitive-humanist people for collaboration.
On behalf of a group of Ezidi academicians:
Xemdar Sero
Eziz Hiseyni
Eli Hevdiyan
Xelef Dirêj
–Boundary_(ID_UvmVVSxr1Xf+DA0ZpPj/sQ)–