Turkey bans writing of university dissertations in Kurdish

Pro-Kurdish demonstrators protest against Turkey's military action in northeastern Syria in Berlin, Germany, October 19, 2019. (REUTERS)
Short Url
Updated 31 July 2020
Follow

Turkey bans writing of university dissertations in Kurdish

  • Kurdish language departments previously received thousands of applications from university students who wanted to have their education in Kurdish but numbers have now dropped dramatically

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s Council of Higher Education has banned students studying Kurdish language and literature at Turkish universities from writing their dissertations in Kurdish.

All dissertations at Kurdish language departments will now have to be written in Turkish.

The move is a step back from the government’s previous efforts to provide Kurdish citizens, who make up about a fifth of Turkey’s population, with an opportunity to receive an education in their mother tongue. State schools have been offering Kurdish as an elective language for the past seven years in a country where Turkish is the only constitutionally recognized language.

Since 2013, Kurdish studies were introduced at universities during the fragile and short-lived “Kurdish peace process” that aimed to increase Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights but which ended suddenly in 2015.

Kurdish language departments previously received thousands of applications from university students who wanted to have their education in Kurdish but numbers have now dropped dramatically.

The decision will influence four universities in Turkey that are allowed to open Kurdish language and literature departments: Dicle University in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, Mardin Artuklu University, Bingol University and Mus University.

“The collapse of the peace process has resulted in such efforts to target Kurdish language whose use has turned into a political leverage and a means of criminalization in Turkey,” Roj Girasun, the head of Diyarbakir-based Rawest Research Center, told Arab News. “However, education in the mother tongue was one of the core campaign topics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2013 and in 2014 when he was reaching out to Kurdish citizens in the southeastern provinces,” he said.

Girasun wrote his undergraduate thesis in the Kurdish language and on the topic of Judaism in the Kurdish oral culture at Mardin Artuklu University. However, he is now obliged to write his master’s thesis in Turkish, which is not his mother tongue.

“As political tensions escalate domestically and regionally among Turks and Kurds, the crackdown on the universities is mounting. The government doesn’t appoint teachers to the Kurdish language departments of the universities, which naturally discourages citizens from applying to those universities due to the lack of qualified academic staff. What we are witnessing is the criminalization of the Kurdish language,” Girasun said.

Esat Sanli, a doctoral candidate at Dicle University, is another student who will be affected by the decision.

“The decision will directly target students willing to write history and culture-focused dissertations. On the other hand, it will also have international repercussions. Any dissertation that is written in Kurdish will be taken as a lack of capacity of the student in linguistic skills,” Sanli told Arab News.

According to Sanli, the decision will also be a disincentive for Kurdish students to continue their academic career in the Kurdish language.

“There was a significant interest in choosing these Kurdish departments simply for the opportunity to write academic dissertations in their mother tongue. But now these universities risk losing their appeal in the eyes of the students,” he said.

A recent study showed that only 18 percent of the 600 young Kurds surveyed — aged between 18 and 30 — could speak, read and write in Kurdish. The categorization of Kurdish language as an “unknown language” by the judicial system is another marginalization of the language, sometimes even criticized by government officials.

Max Hoffman, a Turkey analyst from the Washington-based Center for American Progress, said that the Kurdish language was another front in Turkey’s culture war.

“Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost most of their Kurdish support with the resumption of the PKK conflict and the accompanying harsh government repression. Since July 2015, they have only intensified the crackdown, including removing duly elected mayors from the HDP,” he told Arab News.

According to Hoffman, just as Erdogan drove the Hagia Sophia controversy in the hope that secular Turkey and the West would react — allowing him to pose as the defender of the faithful — he is trying to use Kurdish language and culture as another wedge to force the opposition to either defend Kurdish cultural rights, driving away nationalist voters, or abandon Kurdish cultural rights, driving away Kurdish voters.

“This move should be seen as a sign of political concern about his right-wing, as well as an attempt by the AKP to cause tension in the informal opposition electoral alliance,” he said.

 


What we know about Israel’s latest Gaza ceasefire proposal

Updated 8 sec ago
Follow

What we know about Israel’s latest Gaza ceasefire proposal

  • A previous ceasefire, initiated on January 19, resulted in the release of 33 hostages in exchange for about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, before it collapsed two months later

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Nearly a month after Israel resumed its aerial and ground assaults across Gaza to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages in the territory, the Palestinian militant group says it had received a new ceasefire proposal from Israel.
A senior Hamas official told AFP that the group would “most likely” respond within 48 hours.
The proposal was delivered to the group’s delegation in Cairo over the weekend by Egyptian officials, who are mediating in the ceasefire talks.

Another senior Hamas official told AFP late on Monday that Israel had proposed a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 10 living hostages.
In return, Israel would free 1,231 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and allow humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory, which it has been fully blockading since March 2.
During Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza, Palestinian militants abducted 251 hostages, 58 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
A previous ceasefire, initiated on January 19, resulted in the release of 33 hostages in exchange for about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, before it collapsed two months later.
The latest proposal also stipulates that any hostage release occur privately, in contrast to the previous releases involving public ceremonies in Gaza that drew widespread criticism in Israel.

The Hamas official said that the Israeli proposal calls for the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander on the first day of the ceasefire as a “gesture of goodwill.”
Alexander is the only living hostage to hold US citizenship.
On the second day, Hamas would exchange five more hostages for 66 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 611 Gazans detained during the current war.
On the third day, talks would begin over “day after” scenarios for when the war ends, including the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian factions in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas has insisted that preserving its arms is a red line.
In the second week of the ceasefire, Hamas would release four more living hostages in exchange for 54 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and another 500 Gaza detainees.
Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan 11, said that the proposal also stipulates that Hamas release the bodies of 16 hostages on the 20th day of the ceasefire.


Hamas negotiators visited Cairo last week where they received the proposal, Suhail Al-Hindi, a member of the group’s political bureau, told AFP on Tuesday.
The official who spoke to AFP the day before said on Tuesday that “Hamas will most likely send its response to the mediators within the next 48 hours, as the movement is still conducting in-depth consultations... within its leadership framework, as well as with resistance factions, in order to formulate a unified position.”
He said that consultations were ongoing, and that Hamas was “keen to end the aggression and the war” but would require guarantees from Egypt, Qatar and US mediators that Israel would uphold its side of the deal.
“Hamas has no issue with the number of prisoners and is ready to release them all at once or in batches,” he added.

Israel has remained silent on the latest proposal.
However, the campaign group Tikva Forum of Hostages’ Families, which represents a small group of families of hostages advocating for the continuation of military pressure, said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had confirmed that the country was indeed seeking the release of 10 living captives.
According to the group, Netanyahu spoke with Ditza Or, the mother of hostage Avinatan Or, late on Monday and confirmed that Alexander was among those included in the proposed exchange.
She responded by saying that “there is a moral obligation to return everyone together in one stage and on one bus,” the group added.
 

 


Protests erupts in Tunisian town after three died in school wall collapse

Updated 2 min 32 sec ago
Follow

Protests erupts in Tunisian town after three died in school wall collapse

  • For demonstrators, the tragedy reflects the deterioration of public service in Tunisia
  • Witnesses said protesters burned wheels, blocked roads, and smashed a government vehicle

TUNIS: Hundreds of Tunisians protested on Tuesday, demanding accountability, after three students died on Monday following a school wall collapse in the central town of Mazzouna, an incident that provoked widespread anger and accusations of negligence against officials.
The collapse of a dilapidated wall led to the death of three teenaged students preparing for their baccalaureate exams, and two others were seriously injured, the Civil Defense said.
For demonstrators, the tragedy reflects the deterioration of public service in Tunisia and the neglect of maintenance of the country’s aging infrastructure, amid a worsening economic and social crisis.
Witnesses said protesters burned wheels, blocked roads, and smashed a government vehicle. All shops and schools in the area were closed.
Protesters gathered near the National Guard headquarters in Mazzouna town, shouting slogans against social marginalization and demanding the dismissal of officials.
In Tunis, hundreds of young people also protested, raising anti-government slogans and demanding the government’s resignation, in a show of solidarity with the victims of the accident.
Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident. A judicial spokesperson said the school principal has been arrested.


Khamenei says Iran-US talks going well but may lead nowhere

Updated 35 min 55 sec ago
Follow

Khamenei says Iran-US talks going well but may lead nowhere

TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday he was satisfied with talks with arch-foe the US but warned they could ultimately prove fruitless.

Tehran and Washington are due to meet again in Muscat on Saturday, a week after top officials held the highest-level talks since the landmark 2015 nuclear accord collapsed.

US President Donald Trump, who pulled out of the deal during his first term, revived his “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign after returning to office in January.

In March, he sent a letter to Khamenei urging talks and warning of possible military action if Iran refused.

Saturday’s talks were “well carried out in the first steps,” Khamenei said, quoted by state television. “Of course, we are very pessimistic about the other side, but we are optimistic about our own capabilities.”

But he added that “the negotiations may or may not yield results.”

Despite having no diplomatic ties since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, both sides described the talks as “constructive.”

Iran insists discussions remain “indirect” and mediated by Oman.

On Monday, Trump again threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities if no deal was reached, calling Iranian authorities “radicals” who should not possess nuclear weapons.


Sudan marks two years of war

Updated 42 min 9 sec ago
Follow

Sudan marks two years of war

  • Officials from around the world are meeting in London to ‘agree a pathway to end the suffering in Sudan’

KHARTOUM: Sudan on Tuesday marked two years of a war that has killed tens of thousands, displaced 13 million and triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis — with no sign of peace.

Fighting erupted on April 15, 2023 between the regular army, led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, headed by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Khartoum quickly became a battleground. Bodies lined the streets. Hundreds of thousands fled. Those left behind struggled to survive.

“I’ve lost half my bodyweight,” said 52-year-old Abdel Rafi Hussein, who stayed in the capital under RSF control until the army retook it last month.

“We’re safe (now), but still, we suffer from a lack of water and electricity and most hospitals aren’t working.”

The army’s recapture of Khartoum marked a turnaround after more than a year of setbacks.

Many civilians celebrated what they called the “liberation” of the capital from the RSF, whose fighters were accused of widespread looting and sexual violence.

But now the RSF is seeking to cement its grip on the vast western region of Darfur, where it has launched a deadly assault on El-Fasher — the last major city in the region outside its control.

More than 400 people have been killed in the offensive, the United Nations said, with the paramilitaries having claimed control of the nearby Zamzam displacement camp on Sunday.

An estimated 400,000 civilians fled the famine-hit camp as the RSF advanced, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The army said on Tuesday that it had carried out “successful air strikes” against RSF positions northeast of the city.

In total, the conflict has displaced some 13 million people, 3.8 million of them abroad, according to UN figures.

In London on Tuesday, officials from around the world were meeting to “agree a pathway to end the suffering” in Sudan, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.

But neither of the warring parties attended the meeting, where the African Union and European countries called for an end to the war.

“We have got to persuade the warring parties to protect civilians, to let aid in and across the country, and to put peace first,” he said, adding that the international community “simply cannot look away.”

UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said Sudan had faced “indifference from the outside world.”

“The Sudanese are besieged on all sides — war, widespread abuses, indignity, hunger and other hardships,” he said, warning that “continuing to look away will have catastrophic consequences.”

Precise death tolls are not available because of the collapse of the health care system, but former US envoy Tom Perriello cited estimates last year of up to 150,000 dead.

Both sides have been accused of targeting civilians, shelling homes and blocking aid.

Some 25 million people face acute food insecurity, and eight million are on the brink of famine in what the UN has called the world’s largest hunger crisis.

On Tuesday, the world body said 2.1 million people are expected to return to Khartoum over the next six months following the army’s recapture.

In central Sudan — where the UN said nearly 400,000 people had returned to areas retaken by the army by March — many have come back to ruins, preferring destitution at home to displacement.

Wad Madani, just south of Khartoum, has had “no electricity for a year and a half,” 63-year-old Mohamed Al-Amin told AFP, adding that only some water treatment facilities have been restored sice the army retook the city in January.

Zainab Abdel Rahim, 38, returned to Khartoum North this month with her six children, to find their home looted beyond recognition.

“We’re trying to pull together the essentials, but there’s no water, no electricity, no medicine,” she said.

According to Catherine Russell, executive director of the UN’s children’s agency, the war has “shattered the lives of millions of children across Sudan.”

UNICEF figures show 2,776 children were killed or maimed in 2023 and 2024 — up from 150 in 2022 — and the real toll is likely higher.

The Zamzam camp, which had been sheltering up to a million people, was the first place in Sudan where famine was declared.

Other nearby camps have followed and famine is expected to take hold in El-Fasher itself by next month.

On Monday, Guterres called for an end to “the external support and flow of weapons” fueling the war.

“Those with greatest influence on the parties must use it to better the lives of people in Sudan — not to perpetuate this disaster,” he said, without naming any countries.


Body of slain Syrian refugee boy in UK to be repatriated after fundraiser

Updated 15 April 2025
Follow

Body of slain Syrian refugee boy in UK to be repatriated after fundraiser

  • Ahmad Mamdouh Al-Ibrahim, 16, was stabbed to death in Huddersfield on April 3
  • More than £15k raised by local community to support his family

LONDON: The body of a 16-year-old Syrian refugee who was stabbed to death in the UK is being repatriated to his homeland following a local community fundraiser, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.

Locals in Huddersfield raised more than £15,000 ($19,800) after the killing of Ahmad Mamdouh Al-Ibrahim, whose family described him as “a very nice boy” who wanted to be a doctor.

He was stabbed in the neck on April 3 as he was being shown around the town center by his cousin.

Al-Ibrahim had only arrived in Huddersfield two weeks earlier after spending time at a Welsh immigration center and staying with his uncle’s family during Ramadan.

Funeral prayers were held at Omar Mosque in Huddersfield last Friday, with about 500 people attending.

Alfie Franco, 20, appeared in court two days after the killing. He was charged with murder and remanded in custody until a hearing in May.

The local fundraiser for Al-Ibrahim’s repatriation was organized by Maneer Siddique, who said he was “absolutely overwhelmed” by the response from the people of Huddersfield.

He had initially hoped to raise about £2,000, but the GoFundMe page has surpassed £15,000 and continues to climb.

“To generate that kind of money in such a short space of time is unreal,” said Siddique, who runs a tailoring business.

One benefactor delivered an envelope to be passed on to Al-Ibrahim’s uncle. “He started counting the money and there was £500 in the envelope. He was in tears,” Siddique said.

“He really wants to thank everyone. And I would like to also thank people personally because of the amount of money we’ve generated through people’s kindness.”

Al-Ibrahim’s body, accompanied by two relatives, will be taken to Damascus Tuesday evening.

They will then travel to extended family in Homs, where a second funeral will be held this week for Al-Ibrahim’s burial.

He had been injured by bomb shrapnel during the Syrian civil war, which he was fleeing when he came to Britain.

His uncle said Al-Ibrahim only knew family in Huddersfield, adding: “He was trying to make a friend, because he didn’t have friends here. I said to him, you have to go out into the town center to know (where everything is), to know where you can go shopping … plus, you’re going to make friends.”

Numerous cards were left at the site of Al-Ibrahim’s killing. Some contained messages addressed to “the lad I don’t know,” and were signed by “a stranger” and the “heartbroken Huddersfield people.”