Some of us as internet authors have the advantage of being able to adjust our writings with time in order to make the same point with a more appealing or convincing wordings. However, I am wondering if Salman Rushdi was an internet author, would he have bothered to reformulate his thoughts on Satanic Verses to make the same point without having the challenges he faced! Last summer I wrote an article on Mesopotamia and its republics (while the US candidates were preparing for the election). In a review I noted it needed much improvement, like many other writings. Following is a modified version of the essay and a reflection on how ones thoughts on a particular issue might evolve or change with time.
Election years are good years to remind politicians to work toward noble ideals. Due to suppression of basic human rights, my identity as a previous citizen of Iran progressively became unimportant to me. Now as a privileged US citizen it will be unfortunate not to take advantage of free speech in this melting pot of free people.
Under the pressure of its opponents, the current American administration still seems to be ignorant in helping Kurdish people to fulfill their dreams, although Kurds, with their limited resources, have welcomed America the most in their adventure to eliminate tyrannies in the Middle East. I am deeply saddened that the Kurds in their homeland, divided by four artificial borders, have no national rights, despite having all criteria to be an independent country.
The “brave new world”, America, represents a significant component of the global civilization, a civilization that the West can no longer claim as its own exclusively. Although the Left and Right in this civilization have damaged humanity to a certain degree, they both have made great contributions to the evolution of our minds.
Usually one becomes a target of certain accusations by the Left or the Right for being or not being involved in some thing. Blaming others is the easiest way to deal with difficulties. I could blame the US military for not liberating Iraq first via welcoming Kurdistan with peaceful means. I could blame them for not pulling the troops back to welcoming Kurdish area for mutual protection, since many Shiites and Sunnis prefer Americans to leave.
I could also blame the US for not leaving the fundamentalists in South Iraq to go through evolutionary stages and like many Iranians and Afghanis learn from their mistakes, so they reach renaissance, make spirituality become only a private matter, and say no to mixing religion and state once and forever. I could even blame the US for giving the wrong message that it is fine that every country, regardless of history is, “indivisible and under god”. I could blame the US for forgetting the true meaning of freedom, justice, and equality.
However, if I ask a simple question of why events such as the Iraq War happened in the Middle East and not in another part of the world, only the Middle Eastern societies come to my mind to blame! With this in mind, I still think the Middle East would gradually become a better place because of what the US has pushed for! Putting it frankly, which other country could bring the chance for true change if it was not for the US, which has been described by some envious smaller Satans as the “Great Satan”?
Since the United Nations has currently proven itself as inefficient, or too biased by the influence of dominant ethnic groups, many Kurds have lost their faith in the world body and sided with the US during the peak of the conflict between the two. Now a true alliance with the free world, which by default is capitalistic and under the leadership of United States, is the hope of those Kurds, whose goals are freedom, independence, and membership in an unbiased United Nations.
This “brave new world” and capitalism may have an ugly side, but one of its reasonable ideals is to create an atmosphere for individuals to have opportunities to do their best in a free market economy! I am wondering why such an ideal that is legitimate for individuals should be illegitimate for societies. I am wondering why the perceived taboo of territorial integrity should not be broken, so that the suppressed groups of poly-ethnic countries could run their own affairs and flourish as equal and independent nations.
I am wondering why the US should not remain firm against all of those who violate basic human rights, and assure further changes in the Middle East-hopefully with peaceful means. To me the Kurds are entitled to have a free independent state comprising of all of their divided parts, or at least those in the Iraqi part where they have suffered enough; it is time they fulfill their dream.
I am wondering if a united Kurdistan is a still considered as a premature demand to many. Why shouldn't the free world accept an interim alternative for Mesopotamia to have a loose federation of six republics to include: a Sunni Arab, a Shiite Arab, an Assyrian, a Turcoman, and two Kurdish republics of Soran and Badinan? Since Soranis and Badinani are not rivals any more, together they seem to be able to function as one of the Republics of the federation.
Such a federation might stimulate other people in Arab countries, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. to strive for a greater Middle Eastern Federation that could unite with the rest of the world in the future and protract what the world civilization has achieved instead of letting it be destroyed by fanatics of all religions and nationalities.
About
Kamal H. Artin, MD, is a member of:
– Kurdish American Education Society
– Kurdish National Congress of North America
– Kurdistan Referendum Movement
