Kurdish Language Gains Official Recognition on Meta After Persistent Campaign

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a landmark achievement for Kurdish digital identity and cultural recognition on the world stage, a technology and cybersecurity expert from the Kurdistan Region has successfully concluded a more than year-long effort to have the global tech behemoth Meta officially add the Kurdish language to its user contact center.

Ali Jaf, a prominent figure in the region's cybersecurity landscape, revealed that this significant step, which will allow millions of Kurdish speakers to communicate with the company in their native tongue, was accompanied by a remarkable and telling acknowledgment from the corporation: whenever the name "Kurd" or "Kurdistan" was mentioned in their communications, the company's response was, "Yes, the country and people of President Barzani."

This powerful statement of de facto recognition in the digital realm, coupled with Jaf's extensive and often perilous work in defending the Kurdistan Region from cyber threats, including hacking and destroying ISIS websites, highlights the multi-front battle being waged by Kurdish experts to secure and protect their nation's place in the 21st century.

The successful initiative to integrate the Kurdish language into Meta's vast customer support infrastructure is a victory of persistence and a testament to the growing importance of linguistic representation in the global digital ecosystem. For over a year, Ali Jaf engaged in a sustained campaign of communication and effort with the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The result, he told the Kurdistan24 website, is a decision by Meta to add the Kurdish language to its contact center and to staff it with employees capable of serving the Kurdish-speaking user base.

"After more than a year of communication and effort with the global company Meta, they decided to add the Kurdish language to the company's contact center for people who are Kurdish and want to converse in Kurdish with the company's employees," Jaf explained.

The practical implications of this development are profound. It means that millions of users across the Kurdistan Region and the global Kurdish diaspora will no longer face a language barrier when seeking assistance, reporting issues such as hate speech or fraudulent activity, or navigating the complex policies of the world's largest social media platforms.

It is a move that enhances user safety, accessibility, and inclusivity, ensuring that the Kurdish community is not left behind in an increasingly interconnected world.

However, the most striking revelation from Jaf's engagement with the tech giant was the consistent and specific way in which the company acknowledged the Kurdistan Region's identity. The repeated association of Kurdistan with its most iconic leader provides a fascinating glimpse into how the region is perceived within the corporate echelons of a global powerhouse like Meta.

"Whenever we contact the Meta company, when we mention the name Kurd or Kurdistan, they tell us: Yes, the country and people of President Barzani," Jaf recounted.

This statement transcends a simple geographic or ethnic identifier; it is a form of political and national recognition, linking the Kurdish people directly to the leadership and the state-building project that has defined the modern Kurdistan Region.

Beyond his role as a digital diplomat, Ali Jaf has carved out a crucial and often dangerous role as a guardian of the Kurdistan Region's digital sovereignty. His work extends far beyond corporate lobbying and into the front lines of the modern cyber battlefield, where the threats are not just to data but to the security of the state and the well-being of its citizens.

"We have protected the cybersecurity of Kurdistan and its institutions from all threats," Jaf stated, summarizing a body of work that has been critical in an era where warfare and espionage are increasingly waged online.

Among his most notable and impactful actions has been his direct confrontation with the digital infrastructure of the Islamic State (ISIS). During the height of the terrorist group's power, it effectively weaponized the internet, creating a sophisticated "digital caliphate" to spread its violent ideology, recruit new members from around the world, and intimidate its enemies.

Jaf took the fight directly to this digital front. "I have hacked and destroyed several ISIS sites and websites that were a threat to the Kurdistan Region," he confirmed.

This work of digital counter-terrorism was not merely a technical exercise; it was a vital part of the broader war effort, dismantling the propaganda machines that fueled the group's reign of terror and directly protecting the people of Kurdistan from its toxic online influence.

Jaf's work in the cyber realm also has a profound and deeply personal human dimension. He revealed that his expertise has been instrumental in saving lives, intervening in cases where digital threats had pushed individuals to the brink of despair.

In a world where cyberbullying, online extortion, and digital harassment can have devastating psychological consequences, Jaf has stepped into the breach to protect the most vulnerable.

"We have saved dozens of people from suicide who were being subjected to cyber threats," he said.

This statement sheds light on the dark underbelly of the digital world and highlights the critical need for experts who can provide not just technical solutions but also a lifeline to those ensnared in online predation. It is a powerful reminder that the stakes in the field of cybersecurity are not just about protecting institutions but about preserving human life.

Recognizing that a truly secure digital society cannot be built on the efforts of a few experts alone, Ali Jaf has also dedicated himself to educating the public and building a broader culture of cyber awareness.

He is the author of five books on the subject of cyber threats, each one aimed at demystifying the complex dangers of the digital world and empowering citizens to protect themselves. He identified his most important work as the book about the investigation of criminal protection and cybercrimes. 

He described the book as a work that "discusses cyber threats and serves as an enlightenment for citizens and all those who work in the field of technology." This commitment to education demonstrates a strategic, long-term vision.

By providing knowledge and tools to the public and to fellow technology professionals, Jaf is working to build a more resilient society, one where every citizen is better equipped to identify, resist, and report the myriad threats that exist online.

Through his multifaceted efforts, Ali Jaf has emerged as a pivotal figure in the Kurdistan Region's journey into the digital age.

His work embodies a comprehensive approach to national security and identity in the 21st century: securing cultural and linguistic recognition from global giants like Meta, actively defending the nation's digital borders from terrorist organizations, compassionately protecting individual citizens from the scourge of cybercrime, and patiently educating the public to build a safer and more informed digital future. 

The addition of the Kurdish language to Meta's platform, and the company's poignant acknowledgment of "the country and people of President Barzani," stands as a powerful symbol of this broader struggle—a hard-won victory in the ongoing quest for the Kurdistan Region to claim and secure its rightful place on the world stage, both real and virtual.