The people of Gaza speak Arabic with impunity; the people of Diyarbakir, unless they want to be hermits, are forced to speak Turkish. But that is not how the Turkish prime minister sees the situation. Diyarbakir he dismisses out of hand. Gaza he wants to grab with ten fingers. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Turkey
Should There be an Independent Kurdistan?
U. S. Naval Academy Annapolis, Maryland (An older version of this statement was also delivered at Johns Hopkins University on March 21, 2005) Kani Xulam April 4, 2005 Imagine I were an American and lived some sixty plus years ago and said I am for the Japanese invasion of America, or a Russian who concurred… Continue reading
Of Kurds, Rats and Locusts
The Statement of Kani Xulam St. Cloud State University St. Cloud, Minnesota April 21, 2004 Before the current spike in violence in Iraq, I ran into an American friend at Dupont Circle, a bustling neighborhood in Washington, DC. After exchanging the customary pleasantries, he asked me how I felt about the newly passed Transitional Administrative… Continue reading
The Statement of Kani Xulam at San Mateo Unitarian Church
Sponsored by: San Mateo County Peace Action San Mateo, California May 1, 2000 I want to start by thanking Jerry Fuchs, Ron Zucker and Hamdi Ugur for inviting me here tonight. I also want to thank the board of directors of the San Mateo County Peace Action for agreeing to hear an address on the… Continue reading
A Glimpse at Evil in America
The Statement of Kani Xulam At Lucie Stern Community Center Palo Alto, California April 20, 2002 Late last year, I got an e-mail from a person who said he had seen the documentary, “Good Kurds, Bad Kurds: No Friends, But the Mountains” on PBS and wanted to know if I was safe from the threat… Continue reading
A Future of Hope for Turkey and one of Hope and Peace for the Kurds
HONORABLE BOB FILNER OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2000 Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution to ask for the freedom of Leyla Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan and Selim Sadak as well as the lifting of the ban on the Kurdish language and culture in Turkey. The… Continue reading
Representative Pallone on Helicopter Sales to Turkey
Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. Statement in the House of Representatives “Proposed sale of attack helicopters to turkey would destabilize region, threaten human rights” Thursday, March 9, 2000 Mr. Speaker, the Clinton Administration is currently considering a $4 billion sale of attack helicopters to the Republic of Turkey. I am here today, Mr. Speaker, to express… Continue reading
Turkey and the Charge of Genocide, July 31, 1999
A Submission to the Independent Commission for International War Crimes Tribunal Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, New York By Kani Xulam July 31, 1999 The ancient Greeks would define a man who immersed himself solely in his own private affairs as an idiot. At the International Action Center, I know, you have made it… Continue reading
Anti NATO Citizens’ Summit Rally
The Statement of Kani Xulam Anti NATO Citizens’ Summit Rally Friday, April 23, 1999 I want to add my own voice to those who have expressed gratitude for the organizers of this rally to de-nuke NATO and to urge for an end to its relentless bombing campaign over the skies of Serbia. I come to… Continue reading
The Kurdish Question
The Statement of Mehdi Zana On the Occasion of the Washington Kurdish Institute’s KURDISH CONFLICT RESOLUTION FORUM At the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Washington, DC July 28, 1998 First of all, I would like to thank the Washington Kurdish Institute, the organizer of this conference, for bringing us together here today for a solution… Continue reading