 Pay attention
Sooner or later
the Kurdish people will taste freedom in their ancestral home like
any other nation
Kamal
Artin
October 19, 2004
iranian.com
Dear members of the Kurdish American Education Society,
I would like to thank you for your vote of trust and confidence
and asking me to preside over the KAES. Kak Ardishir Kalhor, one
of the founders and the leaving president, has done a remarkable
job during the past few years in leading this organization. Consistent
with the objectives of KAES to educate our fellow Kurdish, American,
and Kurdish-American citizens about the Kurdish struggle for basic
human rights, he has brought our issues to the attention of many
people on local, national, and international level.
Kak Adreshir's
knowledge of, and dedication to Kurdish issues is very much admirable.
Despite his many other responsibilities, he has promised to be
around and share his expertise with us for making further progress
in KAES. As the new president of KAES, I would like to share my
views on Kurdish issues with you.
As the largest stateless ethnic group we have remained a minority
in four Islamic countries and witnessed various kinds of abuse
of human rights, betrayal, and deception despite public slogans
of our opponents that we are equal brothers and sisters. Some of
us have been courageous and fought back with various means.
Some
of us have accepted the status of powerless victims and remained
silent at home. Some of us have been privileged and escaped to
the free world as refugees and immigrants. As Kurdish American
we are among the latter who chose flight instead of fight; considering
our choice, we are in debt to people in Kurdistan for allowing
us to still claim our identity despite having left them for our
individual survival or goals.
We are also in debt to the people
in the free world in general and in the United States in particular
for welcoming us as free people who deserve equal rights without
any expectation aside from being tolerant citizens.
Although it is difficult to talk about Kurdish issues and remain
non-political, we rather remain non-partisan as members of an educational
society. We continue to extend the hand of friendship to people
from various parts of the world including from those countries
whose regimes have violated our natural rights. We understand we
have much in common with Turks, Arabs and Persians.
While we recognize
the identity of these ethnic groups, and appreciate the beauty
in their language and culture, we expect no less toward Kurdish
identity, language, and culture from them. Their governments
have used us against each other with Islamic and ethnic "brotherly"
slogans
and betrayed us after they have achieved their objectives over
and over. However, since our cause has been just, our movement
has never died despite its downfalls. Our involvement in KAES
is a contribution to our just movement!
 As an educational society the goal of KAES is not to change the
world but to take small steps with clear achievable objectives.
We have tremendous respect for progressive activists in the free
world; they are rightfully concerned about various issues of the
developed world that might be luxurious issues for a developing
world at this time. People in the developing world in general and
in Kurdistan in particular can not resolve any world issues if
they are deprived from basic human rights.
The educational objective
of KAES is clear and limited to obtaining and spreading information
about the struggle of the Kurds in securing their own survival
and the survival of their national heritage. Our tools for such
objectives might range from arranging educational and cultural
events to holding conferences and festivals and publishing news
and articles. Our goal is to bring Kurdish issues to the attention
of the public and policy makers.
Our history teaches us that
the regimes of our so called "brothers and sisters" in
the Middle East are not reliable. Unfortunately the gentle
approach of "Old Europe" was not working in a region where gentleness
is considered as weakness. For the first time our opponents
are
making small concessions because of the pressure of our "mightier"
ally, the US; I hope she remains our alley forever.
There are
rumors that we might eventually have other potential allies such
as
Israel,
Libya, and some European countries that would support our
right for self-determination if it reaches to the level of decision
making in the United Nations.
 I am optimistic that since our cause is just, sooner or later
the Kurdish people will taste freedom in their ancestral home like
any other nation. Let's hope that as KAES members we do our
share to help our people reach their dream of a free and peaceful
Kurdistan! Once there, we are free and with peace in mind can participate
in finding solutions for other challenges that the mankind is facing!
Thank you
Kamal Artin, Kurdish American Education Society, Orange County,
California
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