Massive march in Amuda demands constitutional recognition of Kurdish language

The residents and students of Amuda held a massive march demanding recognition of their cultural and linguistic rights within the Syrian constitution. Thousands gathered at the Women's Roundabout in the eastern part of the city, wearing their traditional dress and carrying banners with "Our language is our history; our rights must be guaranteed in the constitution; our language is our dignity; our language is a red line; and to guarantee the right to education and training in Kurdish, teachers and students will sacrifice their lives. Our language is our history; our language is the foundation of our future; our rights must be guaranteed in the constitution. No one can deny our language; learning in Kurdish is an inalienable right; and making Kurdish an official language is the demand of the Kurdish people" written on.

The march proceeded along the city's main street, with participants chanting slogans celebrating the Kurdish language, such as "There is no life without our language," and other slogans calling for the recognition of Kurdish in the Syrian constitution.

The march concluded near the Martyr Jihad Square in the center of Amuda, where the participants held a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs of freedom. Then, Hanaa Khalid; the spokesperson for the Amuda schools, said, "If we look back at our history, we, the Kurdish people, are an ancient people on this sacred land. We are the people of a rich geography, history, heritage, and language. Every people is known by its language, and the language of every people is its identity, culture, and existence. As Kurdish people, our language is the foundation of our existence, identity, and culture."

Hanaa pointed out that the Kurdish language is rich in its alphabet, literature, and poetry, and has been preserved through the efforts of hundreds of Kurdish poets, writers, and lovers of the Kurdish language throughout history, despite the vile attempts by the enemies of the Kurdish people to assimilate and erase it.

She added, "They wanted to end the existence of the Kurdish people, but this resilient people did not bow down. Thanks to the efforts and resistance made by Ahmed Khani and Mela Ciziri to Cigerxwîn and Celadet Bedirxan, this legacy continues today in the hands of these students. Despite the attempts at genocide, they said, 'We are Kurds, our language is Kurdish, and this is our right.'"

Hanaa pointed out that in the Rojava Revolution; the July 19th Revolution, the spark of the Kurdish language revolution was ignited. Despite the difficulties and limited resources, they started in mud houses, where they taught the Kurdish alphabet. With the anthem "Ey Reqîb," they said, "We are Kurds, and we will learn in our Kurdish language." She added, "Thousands of teachers and students were trained to teach in Kurdish, and for the first time in the history of the Kurdish people in Rojava, Kurds learned in their own language. We also published our own curriculum, which includes our history and geography, thanks to the efforts of thousands of teachers and the sacrifices of martyrs who gave their lives so that we could learn in our language."

She emphasized that no one today can deny the Kurdish language, which was achieved through immense sacrifice. She said, "Dozens of students took up arms and left their pens at home, declaring: 'We will protect our language. Learning in our mother tongue is a legitimate right, both legally, as UNESCO affirms everyone's right to learn in their own language, and religiously, as no religious law prohibits this right. We will not back down, and we will continue the struggle for the recognition of the Kurdish language.'"

The march concluded with chants celebrating the Kurdish language, "There is no life without language."

ANHA