'Parliament must take responsibility, social participation must be ensured'

  • actual
  • 12:26 13 February 2025
  • |
img

ISTANBUL - A Group of Muslim Intellectuals said that the Parliament must take responsibility for the solution of the Kurdish issue and emphasised the importance of the participation of the society and said, "If there is a strong participation and support, this problem will be solved."

A group of Muslim intellectuals recently made a statement on the discussions on the solution of the Kurdish issue in Istanbul. In the statement, Muslim intellectuals emphasised the constitutional guarantee for peace and listed items. Muslim intellectual writer Ümit Aktaş and Dr Fatma Akdokur, retired from Düzce University Faculty of Theology, made evaluations on the solution of the Kurdish issue and the construction of peace.
 
Stating that the Kurdish issue is Turkey's most important problem for a hundred years, Aktaş reminded that Kurds took part in the War of Independence on the side of Turks both in the parliament and at the front and established the republic together. Stating that after the establishment of the Republic, the dominant powers made strategic changes and excluded the Kurds, Aktaş said, "The Sheikh Said rebellion, which opposed this, was suppressed in a very bloody way. Again, Seyit Rıza rebellion and Dersim massacre took place. These were not enough, resettlement policies against Kurds were put into effect. Turks no longer accepted the Kurds as comrades on the path they had embarked on with the Kurds at the beginning of the Republic. This led to marginalisation, denial of the Kurds' language and basic rights, and even denial of their existence. This hundred-year period has been characterised by continuous conflicts."
 
'DENIAL IS AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS'
 
Emphasising that one of the most important responsibilities of intellectuals, writers and thinkers in Turkey is to eliminate the factors that cause the Kurdish issue, Aktaş said that the continuation of this problem is against human rights. Underlining that everyone who is sensitive to human rights should address this problem, Aktaş added, "The denial of a society is against human rights. While Turkey's resources are largely spent on the 'armed struggle' against the Kurds, the Turkish and Kurdish people are experiencing the distress, pain and losses together. The Kurdish issue is an issue of marginalisation and self-existence based on this marginalisation, which was assumed by the Kemalist ideology established at the beginning of the republic. This must be eliminated. Without this ideology, the society in Turkey would be able to coexist and live together. The only thing to do here is to eliminate these policies."
 
Emphasising that there is no problem between the peoples, but that the strategy produced by the official ideology to exist itself separates the peoples.
 
Aktaş reminded that although there have been attempts to find a solution to the Kurdish issue since the 90s, these have ended negatively and said, "In the 2012-2015 period, some negotiations were held again. Some people who were involved in a process initiated by the state, who made sacrifices, were arrested and some were tried without arrest. In other words, a law was passed at that time to prevent these people from being punished, but that law was not respected. Since Turkey is not a state of law, it is not governed only within the framework of laws. The state and political parties must also be involved in the process. Abdullah Öcalan also said in his statements that ‘political parties, parliament should be involved in this process, and most importantly civil society should be involved in this process’. The society itself must take on this situation and the Parliament must take responsibility. These problems cannot be solved only by laws and the state. They can only be solved with a great social participation. If there is strong participation and support, this problem will be solved."
 
Stating that the rights of Kurds, which have been usurped in the centuries-long process, must be restored, Aktaş continued, "The most important of these is that all kinds of restrictions on the mother tongue must be removed. The state must not be disturbed by the local governments writing the names of neighbourhoods and road signs in Kurdish."
 
'UNIQUENESS IS AGAINST THE NATURE OF GEOGRAPHY'
 
Dr Fatma Akdokur, a member of Muslim intellectuals and retired from Düzce University Faculty of Theology, noted that imperialist powers have been establishing nation states in the Middle East for centuries in the form of divide and rule and have been trying to design societies in this way and said, "It is against the nature of this geography to fit the nation state into a structure such as one state, one language, one religion. The people of this ancient geography endeavour to live together with their different religions, languages and cultures."
 
"We can easily build peace in this geography with our differences," said Fatma Akdokur and added, "Çlood and violence must end in this geography, We don't know when the rulers will stop enjoying themselves and bring peace, but as peoples we will always continue to be the defenders of peace. We say peace is now, whether they want it or not. We express our demand for the establishment of a basis where all peoples, especially the Kurdish and Turkish communities, can live together under equal, free and constitutional guarantees without any conditions.+
 
THE ROLE OF WOMEN
 
Underlining that women have an important role in peace processes, Dr Fatma Akdokur continued, "Peace itself is the focus of goodness and solidarity. Woman symbolises this. The opposite of peace is war and the effects of war directly destroy the lives of women. Women are the biggest victims of the war in the Middle East. In Syria, Yazidi women are the target of ISIS attacks. Thousands of women were subjected to migration. Therefore, we women have to object to war more than men. Peace must be an indispensable hope and way of life for our geography. We do not want to postpone this by calling it hope. On the contrary, we should include it in our own lives by calling it a way of life."
 
MA / Esra Solin Dal

View More Articles

18/07/2025
21:10 85-year-old ill prisoner Sıddık Guler releases
21:01 What decisions taken at Commission meeting?
19:55 Release of 30-year prisoner postponed for the 2nd time
19:03 2 journalists acquitted 1 journalist sentenced
12:05 Central Anatolian Kurds stand with the peace process
11:17 Parties gathered for the commission
11:07 Families of fighters at disarmament ceremony: The world saw Ocalan’s theoretical and practical power
10:41 Peace Mother: safe return path must be opened for the guerrillas
10:16 Salih Muslim: We reject surrender, a change in mindset is needed
09:51 Hundreds of women kidnapped in Syria
17/07/2025
10:48 Rojava Revolution marks 13 years: We will not give up our gains
16/07/2025
15:13 Imrali Delegation statement after meeting with Minister of Justice
12:57 Holloway: I am deeply honored to join voices supporting peace process
10:22 Saw his brother the historic ceremony: We want to see him among us
10:07 Partido Obrero supports 'I want to visit Ocalan' campaign
10:00 Witnessed the historic ceremony: Kurds should trust themselves, not the state
15/07/2025
16:57 Urgent demands from TTB for the process
15:10 Suwayda statement from Damascus: Ceasefire declared
15:03 Druze Spiritual Leader: The statement made in our name does not reflect our will
14:43 Damascus forces enter Suwayda: Curfew declared
14:38 Nagehan Avcil from OHD: Recognition of the ‘Right to Hope’ will contribute to the peace process
13:05 Newala Qesaba faces threat of concrete development
11:09 Lawyer following ceremony: Legal reforms must be implemented swiftly
10:04 Peace process is an opportunity to end attacks on nature say ecologists
09:26 Tells PJAK meeting: Freedom is only possible through national unity
09:13 Margaret Owen: No real peace process can until Öcalan is free
08:14 'Democratic Society Meetings' continue
14/07/2025
18:01 14 July resistance fighters commemorated in many cities
17:48 DEM Party Imrali Delegation to meet Minister of Justice
17:00 DEM Party İmralı Delegation's statement on 'meeting note'
15:48 Ahmet Özer released from 'urban concencus' case
15:25 Request of arrest to 3 people beaten for listening to Kurdish song
15:22 Clashes in Suwayda: 37 killed
13:23 High-level meeting between KDP and PUK
11:40 DBP, DEVA, SAADET: Commission and legal process should not be delayed
11:02 Palestine Action banned in the UK: An unjust legislation
10:51 Wan residents to state: We expect official confirmation, not just words
09:00 İmralı delegation's meeting date with political parties announced
08:49 'Democratic Society' meetings continue
08:33 CHP-affiliated Şile Municipality Mayor arrested
13/07/2025
22:13 Statement from DAANES on talks with the Damascus administration
15:58 The duty to build peace lies with all of us says DEM Party Group Deputy Chair
14:03 25 thousand people informed about the ‘Peace and Democratic Society Process’
12:43 People of Amed: We want freedom and equality
11:55 Two of her children joined the PKK: We all have a great burden on our shoulders
11:29 Mother sees her daughter at ceremony after 12 years: We want peace
10:52 IHD Co-chair who followed ceremony: The state has no more excuse
10:33 Women figth for national unity: Goal is national congress
10:03 DEM Party MPs: Parliament should play an active role in solution
09:47 Footage of forest destruction in Besta and Biliga