Initiative launched to constitutionalize, officially recognize Kurdish language in Syria

Qamishlo witnessed the launch of an initiative to constitutionalize and officially recognize the Kurdish language in Syria today. The event was attended by teachers, students, intellectuals, legal experts, journalists, artists and other figures interested in the Kurdish language, as well as Qamishlo District Head Cihan Hissam.

The ceremony began with a minute of silence in honor of the martyrs, followed by the reading of the initiative's statement in three languages by Qamishlo students: Sulav Ali in Kurdish, Basna Omar in Arabic, and Memo Dibo in English.

The ceremony also featured speeches by several local figures. Qamishlo District Head Cihan Hissam opened the speeches by expressing her solidarity with the initiative. She noted that previous generations had preserved the language and passed it down to the present day, stressing that the responsibility now rests with the current generation to struggle for the Kurdish language and secure its official recognition in the Syrian Constitution.

Speaking on behalf of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), Fatima Lakto highlighted the importance of the initiative and announced the congress's support for it to ensure constitutional recognition of Kurdish. She stressed that official recognition is essential because the Kurdish language represents the identity and cultural existence of the Kurdish people.

Sheikh Hassan Farhan al-Tai, head of the Arab Tai tribe, emphasized the coexistence of Kurds and Arabs in Syrian society. He said the Kurdish people's demand to use their mother tongue is a natural right, pointing to the sacrifices made by the Kurdish people throughout the revolution. He also underscored the importance of education in Kurdish and expressed his support for the initiative.

Sheikh al-Tai also addressed attempts by certain parties to sow discord among the region's communities through social media, expressing confidence that national unity would ultimately prevail.

Speaking on behalf of the Armenian community, Imad Tetrian affirmed the right of all peoples in Syria to receive education in their mother tongue.

Journalist Zewar Sheikho, speaking on behalf of the Initiative to Constitutionalize and Officially Recognize the Kurdish Language in Syria, explained the initiative's importance and said it aims to secure official recognition of Kurdish in Syria's new constitution.

Sheikho announced that the initiative would continue its activities until Kurdish Language Day on May 15. He added that a conference would be held in Damascus, during which the initiative would work to convey students' demands for the inclusion of Kurdish in Syria's new constitution to the government's Ministry of Education.

Following the speeches, the initiative's founding statement was read before the attendees.

The statement read:

“Recognizing that Syria is a state comprising multiple national, cultural and linguistic communities, and that language is a fundamental element of identity, culture, collective memory and the transmission of heritage between generations, we affirm that protecting linguistic rights does not conflict with the unity, sovereignty or territorial integrity of the state. Rather, it strengthens a state founded on equal citizenship.

Drawing on international human rights principles, particularly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the two international covenants, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNESCO's international standards on multilingual education and mother-tongue education, and comparative experiences, foremost among them the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, we affirm that preserving a language and transmitting it between generations are integral to protecting cultural diversity.

In this context, recognizing Syria's linguistic and cultural diversity and developing legal safeguards to protect linguistic rights, including the right to use Kurdish and receive education in it, have become essential.

Accordingly, we announce the establishment of the Initiative to Constitutionalize and Officially Recognize the Kurdish Language in Syria.

This is an independent, peaceful civil initiative unaffiliated with any political party or entity. It seeks to advance linguistic and cultural rights through legal, civil, academic and cultural means, guarantee the right to mother-tongue education, and advocate for the inclusion of these rights in Syria's permanent constitution and national legislation, as well as their implementation.

The Initiative objectives

1. To advocate for constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language in Syria.

2. To call for the establishment of the Kurdish language's constitutional and legal status.

3. To work toward granting the Kurdish language official status in Syria.

4. To strengthen the protection of linguistic and cultural rights and guarantee the right to use Kurdish and receive education in it.

5. To contribute to establishing a constitutional and legal framework that protects linguistic and cultural diversity in Syria.

Initiative's means of action

The initiative is committed to peaceful, legal and civil methods, including:

1. Preparing legal and constitutional studies and research.

2. Submitting proposals to the relevant bodies responsible for drafting the constitution.

3. Organizing seminars, conferences and academic discussions.

4. Cooperating with universities, research centers and cultural institutions.

5. Cooperating with international organizations specializing in education, culture and human rights.

6. Preparing legislative drafts and proposals concerning linguistic rights.

7. Raising public awareness of the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity.

8. Documenting the state of education and linguistic rights, preparing studies and reports on these issues, and submitting them to the relevant authorities.

The initiative's demands

1. Working toward building a multicultural and multilingual state based on equal citizenship and equality in rights and duties.

2. Developing a constitutional model that recognizes linguistic and cultural pluralism as part of Syria's social reality and establishes clear legal safeguards for it, without compromising Syria's territorial integrity or sovereignty.

3. Recognizing the Kurdish language constitutionally and legally, working toward granting it official status, and guaranteeing citizens the right to use it in public spheres in accordance with constitutional and legal provisions.

4. Guaranteeing the right to mother-tongue education and developing educational policies that protect linguistic and cultural diversity in Syria.

Appeal to international institutions

The initiative calls on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and other relevant international institutions to:

1. Support studies on multilingual education in Syria.

2. Support efforts to protect and preserve cultural and linguistic heritage.

3. Encourage dialogue on the best international models for protecting linguistic diversity.

4. Provide the technical and academic expertise needed to develop educational policies and legal safeguards relating to linguistic rights.

In conclusion, in accordance with the vision adopted by this initiative, we envision Syria as a state founded on citizenship and equality that protects its territorial integrity and sovereignty while preserving the cultural, national and linguistic diversity of its society.

From this perspective, the call for constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language is not presented as a move to abolish or diminish the rights of others, but as part of building a modern constitutional system that protects the rights of all Syrians on the basis of equality.

Linguistic equality does not diminish anyone's rights, and cultural diversity is not a threat to the unity of the state. Rather, regulating both constitutionally and legally constitutes one of the solid foundations for building a state based on citizenship and the rule of law.”

A-H

ANHA