Kurdish facts n°1-17
International society Kurdistan
Compte d‘auteur
Kurdistan: divided, mountainous country of +- 500, 000 km2 in heart of West-Asia. Principal cities: Bitlis. Van, Diarbekir, Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Kirkuk, Mehabad. Economics: Mountain peasant ry (some seasonal nomadism), tobacco, handicrafts, a beginning industry.
The International Society Kurdistan (ISK), founded 1. VII. 1960 in the Netherlands, is a non-party, democratic world-wide action group. Aims: Collecting & spreading facts about Kurdistan; alding Kurdish nation in its struggle for emancipation; promoting friendly relations between Kurds, their neighbours & all other nations. President: Silvio E. Van Rooy.
INTRODUCING A NATION
KURDS: Indogermanic (Iranian) nation in West-Asia; some 2,500 years old. Its coherent ethnic area (Kurdistan) borders that of Turks in the West, Armenians & Azerbaijani in the North, Persians in the East, Arabs in the South. Of +- 12 million Kurds, 6 live in Turkish Republic, 3, 5 in Iran, 1,8 in Iraq, 0,4 in Syria. Small Kurdish enclaves in neighbour-countries: Turkistan, Baluchistan. Culture: oldest K. lit.doc. dates from 834 A. D. Kurmanji dialects, spoken by 60,9% of K. resp.; Arab & Latin characters compete for nation-wide use. Religion: Sunnite Moslems; small Christian, Yezidi & other minorities"; Politics: In spite of long K. record against foreign oppression, assimilation, most K. are still deprived of basic rights. Tribal feudal traditions are giving way to modern, progressive forces, seeking self-emancipation along democratic lines.
A country
Kurdistan: divided, mountainous country of +- 500, 000 km2 in heart of West-Asia. Principal cities: Bitlis. Van, Diarbekir, Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Kirkuk, Mehabad. Economics: Mountain peasant ry (some seasonal nomadism), tobacco, handicrafts, a beginning industry.
An international
The International Society Kurdistan (ISK), founded 1. VII. 1960 in the Netherlands, is a non-party, democratic world-wide action group. Aims: Collecting & spreading facts about Kurdistan; alding Kurdish nation in its struggle for emancipation; promoting friendly relations between Kurds, their neighbours & all other nations. President: Silvio E. Van Rooy.
A paper
Kurdish facts and West-Asian Affairs (KF) is the world's only paper about Kurds & Kurdistan. Remit 22 sh., 12 DM or equivalent to "Intern. Society Kurdistan"(account-nr. 23686, Twentsche Bank, Amsterdam) for 12 months KF. Airmail is charged extra. Adv. -rates on request. ISK & KF's address: Da Costa-straat 25/I, Amsterdam-W.
Lacking international law on non-dominant languages
"I was --- struck by --- the stirring history and critical present situation of the Kurds Some remarks you made may well be applied to the situation of the West-Europ-can linguistic minorities, which have my foremost attention. So for instance your remark about the inadequate understanding of the Western press (and of the Western man in general) for the "motives behind". Since long Ihave the impression that people simply do not know what to do with "minorities"; characteristically in this respect is the fact that something as elementary as the right to one's own language is acknowledged explicitly neither in the Rights of Man nor in international law. "
(F. N., editorial secretary of "Ons Erfdeel", Raamsdonk, Netherlands)
Communist radio and Qassims colonial war against Kurds
"Jerevan radio and German Democratic Republic / radio / and Bizim radio said practically nothing about the uprising."
(W. R., Kurd, Vienna)
Dictators to go
"The news of Syria is most interesting and good also. Kassem will finish as dictator and so will Nasser. "
(I. C., Kurd, Lausanne)
KF/8: Cover on Turkey's Kurds
"It is strange to read that they have no education, no medical help and live in poverty. Let them come here and they'll have everything that any man can have: a good house, with radio, TV-set, refrigerator and so on. "
(T. O., Russian girl student, Ashkabad, Turkmen SSR)
KF thinks it is better to help Kurds to im prove conditions in their own country (Kurdistan) than sending all the 12 million Kurds to Soviet-Turkmenistan asking for the assets our Russian reader kindly offers backing them, Kurds will be able one day to shape their own future, like other nations.
Suspicion (I)
"About your Kurdish activities I am as suspicious as I was before. --- I never read something negative or critical in KF about the Communist Party or the Soviet Union. ---That you find such suspicion neither in the Anglo-Saxon countries nor in Austria nor in France is not important ---"
(J. E., teacher, Oldenburg, GFR)
KF: Why not read Yugoslav and Albanian press (Western voices being unimportant to you) for criticism of USSR? In finding ISK and KF "suspect" you are in high society: Shah, Guersel, Nasser; Qassim. Some people (not ISK) even think German activities for self-decision "suspect". It just depends.
Suspicion (II)
"When you can answer my question why instead of Kurdish) F(acts) not H(uman)
F(acts) and why not all those other matters are mentioned too, like Algeria, Angola, South-Africa etc. then you are welcome; but when you do not know an answer to this I'llbelieve 'The Times' and in secret help from abroad to the Kurdish revolt and in interests in North-Iraq and then, alas, I'll have to consider you one of those idealistic little money-wolves."
(J. M., graphic designer, Amsterdam)
KF: you are invited to take over the debts ISK made on behalf of oppressed Kurdistan. Then you can judge for yourself how it feels to be an "idealistic little money van Rooy wolf".
Suggestions:
"Couldn't you --- under "Introducing" always print the map (of Kurdistan, KF) perhaps in a small size? It might please many readers who are less familiar with the geographic conditions. Apart from that: what about extending the "Letters to the Editor"-rubric? Readers could get acquainted with one another this way. But I do…
International Society Kurdistan
Kurdish facts
and West-Asian affairs n°1-17
Compte d’auteur
Compte d’auteur
Kurdish facts
and West-Asian affairs n°1-17
Ismet Scherif Vanly
Amsterdam
1960 - 1961
Journals
