The
representative of KRG in the US, a junior diplomat, has written a defensive
but interesting article titled "Kurds and the future". It seems he needs to
pretend he is not a patriotic Kurdish unionist, but a separatist that
prefers Southern Kurdistan to be part of the artificial Iraq instead of
being a natural part of a Greater Kurdistan. He attempts to be politically
correct and not disclose his true feeling about his people's legitimate
rights; however, he cannot hide everything and states "Iraq's Kurds have
every right to pursue their national self interests". I believe if he was
not afraid of losing his career, he would have said the Kurds in the South
should declare independence now.
Regardless how this
junior diplomat sells his points to the powerful establishments in the Middle
East, he deserves congratulation for his courage to defend the Kurdish cause.
Many Kurdish patriots have defended what the KRG representative is trying to
defend in a trimmed and politically correct manner. What I found most
interesting in the article was that Americans blame Kurds for being "self
absorbed"! I think if the Kurds are truly self absorbed now, they need to be
congratulated for the lessons they have learned form their friends and foes.
I remember I once had an interesting discussion about genocide with a rabbi. I
told him what the Kurds have been going through since World War I, is similar to
what the Jews went through during the World War II. I pointed out how the
humanists of that time did their share to help our Jewish brothers and sisters.
I reminded the rabbi that it is now the duty of Jewish humanists to help their
Kurdish brothers and sisters to become free. The rabbi surprised me by stating
the Jewish community is in no position to help the Kurds; he expected me to help
his cause, and I did not blame him for being self absorbed.
Although Americans have served the free world well, we must be very naïve to
think they care about the national interest of non-Americans. Self absorption
has been the key to the success of Americans. We must be more naïve to think
that Turkish, Persian, or Arab regimes or even majority of their intellectuals
ever recognize or care about the national interests of the Kurds. Everything
they do is about making sure the Turkish, Persian, and Arab unity and culture is
protected, even if it means eliminating the identity, heritage, and the lives of
those who are different.
Of course the Kurds neither have been nor should become so self-centered to
violate the rights of others. At the same time, if the Kurds hope to have a
future, they can not be just at the service of others; they need to assure their
own existence through at least one Kurdish independent state, before they become
cosmopolitans and participate in a union that serves every individual and every
nation equally. At some point they need to have an answer of their question,
when will we be free or kay azad abeen?
