Qamishlo gathering calls for constitutional protection of Kurdish

Popular activities and calls for strengthening the status of the Kurdish language and protecting it from marginalization and exclusion within the Syrian constitution have continued, particularly following a decision issued by the Syrian Transitional Government’s Ministry of Education on August 27, which limited Kurdish-language instruction to three classes per week. The decision sparked discontent among members of the Kurdish community, who continue to call for the protection of their mother tongue.

In this context, the Popular Initiative in the Jazira organized a mass gathering on Tuesday under the slogan “Our Language Is Our Identity,” attended by thousands of people from across the Jazira region. The gathering was held in front of the March 12 Martyrs Stadium in Qamishlo to demand the right to education in Kurdish and reject limiting Kurdish-language instruction to three classes per week.

Speaking to ANHA agency, participants reaffirmed their determination to continue calling for the protection of the Kurdish language and its constitutional safeguarding.

Hussein Ferho, a resident of Hasakah, said, “We joined this event today to protect our language and culture. We cannot accept limiting the Kurdish language to three classes in the school curriculum. Instead, we demand that it be protected under the Syrian constitution.”

He added, “We, the Kurdish people, are an integral part of the Syrian people. We are a people who have grown up with the Kurdish language, and safeguarding the existence of the Kurdish people means safeguarding their language.”

Ferho stressed that they were ready to continue their activities and struggle until their demands regarding the Kurdish language are accepted.

For her part, Nora Bashir Badli, a young girl from Hasakah, expressed her love for the Kurdish language and her desire to learn her mother tongue, saying, “Our language is our existence.”

Meanwhile, Khalisa Bashir, a resident of Hasakah who took part in the gathering, said that their call for the Kurdish language was a call to protect the Kurdish identity, as it represents their existence and dignity.

She highlighted the scale of the sacrifices made and the martyrs who have given their lives over the past 15 years in pursuit of their legitimate rights, particularly the Kurdish language. She reaffirmed their determination to continue their struggle and stand by their demands until the right to the Kurdish language is constitutionally recognized.

For her part, Nour Fidan Mohammed, a ninth-grade student from Qamishlo, said, “The decision to allocate three classes to the Kurdish language is unacceptable. We instead demand that the curriculum be taught in Kurdish. The Kurdish language belongs to a community and a people, and its status must be guaranteed constitutionally.”

ANHA