Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Ignorance can be challanged by a simple answer

This week I stayed at work, which is fortunately library, to work on the assignments for my classes at Queens College. One of my co-workers is also from Turkey. To note, that I am from Turkey too, but I am from Kurdistan or North Kurdistan. In political terms it is termed as Pan-Kurdism—I guess. I do not understand it why it is called Pan-Kurdism if we have to call different parts of Kurdistan North, South, East and Southwest. Before Germany was united, the Germans were not called Pan-Germanists who were for the unification of GDR and BRD. I stopped by at my Turkish co-worker and she was with the employee who was outsourced by a company that serves libraries. She introduced me as Turkish even though I had tolled her that I am Kurdish when we first met a year ago. At the moment I did not want to correct her and left it the way it was. I did not think that she hurt my feelings and I am used to such remarks by Turkish intellectuals who still swim in the waters of Turkish chauvinism not seeing that there are other ethnic groups other than Turks in Turkey. My co-worker has a doctorate in education and still has fathomed the difference. Later on I wrote to her that I would like to correct her on the issue of being Turkish. I clearly delineated the difference between being Turkish and Kurdish. I reminded her that we both speak Turkish, which I was forced to learn. Known Turkish or other languages is a fine thing, but being forced to learn Turkish is raping the mind of other people. It is a psychological sickness to force other people to change their identity or culture. The enforcer is capable of doing everything, ranging from genocide to destruction of countries because the mindset is based on resorting to force that could be detrimental any time. If an intellectual who has taught at a university level and does not know the differences and has not accepted uniqueness of differences within a country, the normal layman could be much worse and ignorant of events happening in his/her country and around the world. This ignorance I thought would be only challenged by reminding them kindly of the environment.

No comments: