Tel Tamr Women’s Council: Kurdish Language is cultural, linguistic right

The Women’s Council of the Martyrs’ Families Council in Tel Tamr issued a statement to the public in rejection of the Syrian Ministry of Education’s decision to limit Kurdish-language instruction to three classes per week. The statement was issued with the participation of sons and daughters of martyrs, as well as members of civil society institutions and representatives of political parties.

The statement was read outside the Women’s Council headquarters in Tel Tamr by administrator Sana Hammoud in Arabic and council member Linda Younes in Kurdish. It stressed that language is not merely a means of communication, but an essential part of peoples’ identity, culture, and historical memory.

The statement noted that preserving, protecting, and developing the presence of the Kurdish language in educational, cultural, and administrative fields constitutes a cultural and linguistic right and a responsibility toward future generations, as well as a commitment to the sacrifices of the martyrs who gave their lives for freedom and dignity.

The Women’s Council called on educational and cultural institutions to intensify their efforts to improve the quality of education in Kurdish and to adopt the language across various aspects of daily and institutional life. It also called on international organizations concerned with human and peoples’ rights to support the cultural and linguistic rights of the Kurdish people and formally and legally enshrine them.

The statement also called on martyrs’ families and the Kurdish people to continue promoting the Kurdish language in homes, schools, and public spaces and to pass it on to future generations, reaffirming its rejection of any attempts to limit or marginalize the presence of the Kurdish language.

The statement concluded by reaffirming continued adherence to the Kurdish language and the defense of the right to learn it, as well as the preservation of the cultural and historical identity of the Kurdish people in honor of the sacrifices of the martyrs.

A-H 

ANHA