Turkish scholar: Kurds must at least demand autonomy in Turkey

ERBIL (K24) - Renowned Turkish scholar and sociologist Ismail Besikci said, in an interview aired live on K24 on Sunday night, that North Kurdistan (in Turkey) should become self-ruled and have a parliament.

Besikci (76) told K24 that Kurdistan has become an important issue in the Middle East. "It is not like any other question in the region, for Kurdistan is divided among different states," he said in reference to Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Besikci has penned more than 40 books related to social organization, modern politics, rebellions and defeats of Kurds in history, and the quest for recognition, unification and independence of Kurdistan. Most of his books were banned for decades in Turkey, before the relative liberalization and reforms by Turkish governments in the early 2000s.
The author insisted that "the most important thing" for Kurds in Northern Kurdistan is to speak and preserve the Kurdish language.

The veteran academician, who has been charged with more than 100 years by Turkish courts and spent 17 years in prisons for "repeated violations of indivisibility of the Turkish state and nation," asserted that 50 million strong Kurds have the right to statehood. He said there are dozens of independent countries with a population of one million or less in Europe and the Gulf region, but he advises Kurds to give priority to political struggle.

Besikci was for decades the only non-Kurd who stood up to the Turkish state's treatment of Kurds, which he said "was worse than Apartheid" for it denied the very existence of Kurdish people and language. He believes Kurds' position in regard to their status will determine the near future of the Middle East.

Speaking of the quasi-state status enjoyed in South Kurdistan (Iraqi Kurdistan), Besikci described it as a "huge significance in Kurdish history." He said world powers such as the U.S., France, and the UK that have relations with South Kurdistan should strengthen their ties.

"Kurds must have a common stance in their relations with the world and regional powers," he added. "Iran or Turkey are opposing Kurdish advances towards statehood but if Kurds remain united, they will get their goal," he explained.

Ankara-based Besikci is visiting Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, for the opening of the branch of Ismail Besikci Foundation. The foundation that aims to help students and researchers with their academic and scientific pursuits into Kurdish-related issues is headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey. It also has a branch in Diyarbekir.
The opening of the Erbil branch of the foundation will be held along with a ceremony on Wednesday.