Diyarbakir Mayor: If only Kurdish women had been taught Turkish
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 13, 2006 11:09
Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, speaking on the second day of the "Kurdish Matter" conference currently being held at Istanbul's Kultur University, noted that "if the Turkish Republic had been successful at teaching Kurdish women Turkish, those sitting in this hall today wouldn't even know Kurdish, and we wouldn't have these problems."
Ozdemir spoke to conference attendees about memories from his days as a little boy on the way to primary school in Diyarbakir, recalling how when he started school, he didn't know a word of Turkish, saying "I cannot even articulate what a trauma this way for a child my age." Baydemir went on to say that he thought there should be more support for young children who attend school for the first years, who speak more Kurdish than Turkish.
Baydemir also told conference attendees that he remembered days in Diyarbakir when there seemed to be more ethnic and religious minorities: "There used to be many Jewish, Armenian, and Sureyani people living in Diyarbakir. Now there are very few left. As mayor, I understand very well the tragedies they have lived through. If we think about whether these former compatriots of ours have lost by leaving us, or whether we have lost because they left, I think we'll see that we are the ones who have lost. They made us a richer people, and without them, we are worse off. And I think if we look at the Kurdish situation like this, we can find a solution. If we don't however, the Kurds and the Turks will continue to grow apart, and this worries me. It is in the interest of everyone that Turks and Kurds live together in peace."
Baydemir also told conference attendees that he remembered days in Diyarbakir when there seemed to be more ethnic and religious minorities: "There used to be many Jewish, Armenian, and Sureyani people living in Diyarbakir. Now there are very few left. As mayor, I understand very well the tragedies they have lived through. If we think about whether these former compatriots of ours have lost by leaving us, or whether we have lost because they left, I think we'll see that we are the ones who have lost. They made us a richer people, and without them, we are worse off. And I think if we look at the Kurdish situation like this, we can find a solution. If we don't however, the Kurds and the Turks will continue to grow apart, and this worries me. It is in the interest of everyone that Turks and Kurds live together in peace."