Seminar in Hasakah calls for recognition of Kurdish as official language

The Jazira Union of Intellectuals organized a dialogue seminar today titled “The Need to Upgrade Kurdish from a National Language to an Official Language” at the Reading Garden in the Tal Hajar neighborhood of Hasakah.

The seminar brought together intellectuals, academics, writers and community figures, with discussions focusing on the status of the Kurdish language and the need to recognize it as an official language.

The seminar opened with remarks by Kurdish language teacher Mustafa Farhan, who stressed that the Kurdish language represents an international right and that no party has the right to marginalize it. He noted that Kurdish mothers were the first defenders of the language, preserving it and passing it down to successive generations.

He said that Kurds took to the streets with their colors and flags from the beginning of the revolution, with recognition of their existence and rights, including recognition of their language, among their main demands.

“There are historical examples in many countries where peoples have succeeded in turning their languages into official languages based on specific conditions and criteria, including having a large number of speakers. Considering the size of the Kurdish population, we find that Kurds constitute a significant proportion, making the transition from a national language to an official language achievable under the standards applied in this field,” he said.

He added, “The experience of the Autonomous Administration has demonstrated the Kurdish language’s ability to enter institutions and be used across various administrative, educational and community fields, proving that it can meet the needs of society.”

Farhan criticized the decree issued by the transitional government concerning the teaching of Kurdish in schools, saying it does not meet Kurdish demands. He stressed that demands for its official recognition would continue, given that the language meets the conditions required for such recognition.

The discussion was then opened to attendees, who stressed that the transitional government’s decree allocating three classes to Kurdish does not meet demands concerning the language. They described Kurdish as an existential issue for the Kurdish people.

Participants stressed the need to continue efforts to secure recognition of Kurdish as an official language, affirming their commitment to the demand and their refusal to relinquish it.

a.k

ANHA