An Open Letter to Our President (Education in the Mother Tongue)

AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR PRESIDENT

Mr. President,

I am writing this letter in the hope that you will protect the languages and cultural existence of the Kurds and Zazas, two of the oldest and most deeply rooted peoples of these lands, which are increasingly facing the danger of extinction. Kurmanji and Zazaki, spoken for centuries in the mountains, valleys, and plains of Anatolia, are today included in the education system only as "elective courses." However, unlike foreign-referenced minority languages such as Bosnian, Georgian, or Albanian, these two languages are endemic languages that were born, developed, and have a chance to survive only within the borders of Turkey. Therefore, to view Kurmanji and Zazaki in the same status as other languages is a cultural injustice.

Unfortunately, however, the Kurdish issue in Turkey has for many years been defined solely as a "terror" problem, and public opinion has been shaped within this framework. As a natural consequence of this approach, the linguistic and cultural rights of the Kurdish people have been indexed to the actions of the armed organization called the PKK and, in effect, held hostage. The understanding still expressed in some circles today is this: "If the PKK completely lays down its arms, then education in the mother tongue in Kurdish can also be discussed." This approach is objectionable legally, morally, and in terms of human values. Because education in the mother tongue, a universal human right, cannot and should not be made dependent on the decision of any armed organization.

Despite Abdullah Öcalan's recent call for disarmament, the organization's failure to fully comply with these calls cannot be used as a pretext to erect more walls between the Kurdish people and their language, culture, and right to education. Such an attitude means collectively punishing millions of innocent citizens who demand their rights, and this is an unacceptable practice for modern rule-of-law states.

Today, Kurmanji and Zazaki are offered by the Ministry of National Education only as "elective courses." However, in practice, these courses neither have sufficient teaching staff nor are they supported by curricula based on scientific and pedagogical foundations. In many regions, even if courses are requested, they are either not opened due to a lack of teachers or are replaced by other courses. This situation is not only a token presentation of a right but also paves the way for the slow but systematic forgetting of these languages.

The inclusion of languages such as Bosnian, Albanian, Abkhazian, Georgian, and Adyghe in elective status is, of course, a richness. However, these languages have their own independent states, education systems, and external support mechanisms. Zazaki and Kurmanji, on the other hand, belong only to the peoples living in these lands, and their survival depends on the attitude that the Republic of Turkey will adopt. In this respect, evaluating Zazaki and Kurmanji in the same status as other languages is not equality, but the perpetuation of inequality.

Kurmanji and Zazaki today do not have official language status in any autonomous or independent region in the world. For example, in the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, the official language is Sorani, not Kurmanji. This means that millions of Kurmanji and Zazaki speakers do not have any constitutional order in the world where they can receive education in their own languages.

Therefore, Turkey bears a unique responsibility, placed on its shoulders by history, to keep these two languages alive and transmit them to future generations. Because no other state or region can or does assume this responsibility. The fate of these languages is tied solely to these lands. If the Republic of Turkey does not keep these two languages alive, Kurmanji and Zazaki are languages that will silently disappear from the face of the earth. This means the erasure of a part of humanity's cultural memory, not just that of a single people.

Mr. President,

For these reasons, as a citizen and an educator, I demand the following concrete steps be taken to protect, preserve, and transmit Kurmanji and Zazaki to future generations:

1. Constitutional guarantee of the right to education in the mother tongue for Kurmanji and Zazaki, and the establishment of schools providing education in these languages in PILOT REGIONS.


2. Development of models for the implementation of Kurmanji and Zazaki as languages of instruction at pre-school and primary school levels, and support for scientific studies in this field.


3. Opening of Kurmanji and Zazaki teaching departments in universities or strengthening existing departments in terms of capacity and quality; development of teacher training programs in these areas.


4. Creation of a standard curriculum for Kurmanji and Zazaki from primary school to high school, preparation of textbooks, and establishment of a transparent committee with the participation of civil society organizations, linguists, and the local population in this process.


5. Increase in Kurmanji and Zazaki content on TRT and other public broadcasting organizations, prioritizing programs for children and young people.


6. Development of social, cultural, and academic incentives for Zazaki and Kurmanji-speaking communities (e.g., local storytelling competitions, writing and poetry awards in the mother tongue, digital archive projects).


7. Preparation of national strategy documents for the protection of these two languages, which are on UNESCO's "endangered languages" list, and defining education in the mother tongue as a fundamental element in these documents.

I have written this letter not with a political agenda, but with a conscientious responsibility I carry within me. As a citizen of this country, I envision a future where our children and grandchildren can freely learn, speak, and write my mother tongue, Kurmanji or Zazaki. This dream is neither divisive nor threatening; on the contrary, it is an expression of faith in Turkey's pluralistic democracy, commitment to the sense of unity, and respect for human dignity.

As I write these lines, I remember my aunt Gurci: a wise woman who knew no language other than Kurmanji, but who could only tell her memories orally because she was forbidden to write in this language. I published her story in Turkish in a book titled "Benim Adım Gurci" (My Name is Gurci), and now I am translating the same book into English under the title "The Daughter of Ararat." But the same pain always remains within me: I wish my aunt could have written her memories in her own language (Kurmanji), with her own pen.

That is why I am writing this letter: not just for my aunt; but for all the people who remained silent without speaking, who passed away without writing, who bid farewell to life without even being able to dream in their mother tongue. Because the right to education in the mother tongue cannot be tied to the calendar of any armed organization or the ups and downs of political bargaining. Rights cannot be subject to negotiation; especially a people's language, identity, and existence cannot be associated with the actions or discourse of any organization. The denial of the right to education in the mother tongue to the Kurdish people today is not a result of terrorism, but a consequence of the state's avoidance of confronting its own conscience. No child in this country should grow up ashamed of their language, identity, or past; Turkey must reach a maturity that sees differences not as a threat but as a richness. As Zazaki and Kurmanji-speaking peoples, we are neither enemies nor strangers to this country. We are the roots, the voice, the breath of this land.

I leave you with the conscientious weight of this historical responsibility, and I hope you will accept this call as a silent cry rising from the heart of a people.

Sincerely,

Mücahit Özden Hun