Adoption of Kurdish, Arabic signage in Jalabiyah in response to residents’ demands

Following a wave of public discontent in the town of Jalabiyah, Kobani region, over the absence of the Kurdish language on official signage at government institutions, municipal workshops have begun installing new signs in both Kurdish and Arabic.

7 May, 2026 09:48

KOBANI

The move came in response to residents’ demands after widespread criticism erupted over the exclusion of Kurdish alongside Arabic on identification signs at public institutions. Municipal teams in the town installed new bilingual signs for both the municipality building and the health center in Kurdish and Arabic.

Yesterday, residents of Kobani issued a public statement expressing their rejection of the new administrative decisions, appointments, and formations, arguing that they were implemented without consulting the will of the region’s inhabitants or genuinely involving them in shaping their future.

The statement also criticized what it described as the marginalization of the Kurdish language from the public sphere, particularly the writing of the name of Jalabiyah solely in Arabic without including its Kurdish name alongside it, a matter that sparked widespread dissatisfaction among residents.

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ANHA