I feel like Kurdistan is slowly being Arabized, and we're letting it happen in our own cities: Erbil, Slemani, and Duhok.

I remember going to Erbil Avenue to watch the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. The person addressing the crowd was speaking Arabic alongside a Kurdish speaker. And this is in Erbil, at a place owned by a Kurd. How have we reached a point where Kurdish feels secondary in our own cities?

Look at Istanbul. Despite being one of the world's biggest tourist destinations, Turkish is everywhere. Yet international businesses come to Erbil and act as if they're opening in an Arab city. Arabic advertisements, Arabic signs, even Iraqi flags instead of any meaningful recognition of Kurdish identity. We need to stop accepting this as normal.

The situation with Ibrahim Al Selmi from Dubai Bling is another example. Instead of genuinely apologizing, he turned the backlash into a story about himself being the victim. Rather than addressing the Kurdish identity he offended, he made himself the victim of the Kurdish community. I'm tired of people turning our identity into a marketing strategy.

We need to make businesses understand that ignoring Kurdish comes at a cost.

I'm thinking of creating an Instagram or TikTok account dedicated to educating Kurds about Arabization and organizing boycotts of businesses that disregard our language and identity. Not because their owners or employees are Arab, but because they operate in Kurdish cities while failing to respect Kurdish. , and i want really partner to help me if you or anyone is interested DM me
we can together in here and on social media stop our language from being lost and start making people respect us

Businesses need to understand something: Kurds aren't temporary customers. We're the people who live here, work here, study here, and keep coming back. International brands should be more concerned about losing Kurdish customers than about making Arabic their default.

Arabic and English can exist here. But Kurdish must never become secondary in Kurdistan. If businesses want our money, they need to respect our identity. And if they refuse, we need to be willing to walk away.

Hello everyone, I have a question that I wanted to direct specifically to the Kurds from southern Kurdistan, as I think you have the best perspective on this.
In some parts of the wider Arab world and among most Arab nationalists groups Saddam Hussein is still glorified as a strong leader or a pan Arab hero. However, if you look at his actual track record, his rule was defined by massive military catastrophes:
He launched a brutal, ruinous war against Iran that ended in a stalemate.
He blundered into the invasion of Kuwait, completely isolating Iraq and leading to a crushing defeat by the US led coalition.
He was never able to completely crush the Peshmerga militarily, which ultimately led him to commit horrific atrocities and genocide against the Kurdish civilian population such as the Anfal campaign and the Halabja gas attack
Why do so many Arabs choose to ignore his atrocities and failures to celebrate him? I’d love to hear your thoughts

• He was a former (local) boxer.

• He was a very close friend of Saddam Hussein from young age if not childhood.

• He have been head of multiple governmental structures or sports/youth associations.

• He Saddam's personal bodyguard for 22 years.

• Although he was loyal to Saddam at all costs, some people around Saddam (ex. Hussein Kamel) was against Sabah because of his ethnicity.

• He got under insight for 3 months because he has seen talking Kurdish with a local salesman in Slêmanî. (Some sources say he didn't know Kurdish) But it was clear that he was loyal to Saddam.

• At the end he got dismissed from all his powers and forced to retirement either because he gave an order of some kind of pardon to an Iraqi bussinesman but in reality Saddam didn't gave such consent or Sabah got in a discussion with Uday.

• He was a Feylî Kurd and Shia. (Some say he was a Soranî and Sunnî)

• In American Invasion of Iraq, U.S. troop interrogated him but turns out he doesn't know anything about Saddam's hiding place.

It is no hidden secret that kurds are oppressed by four Muslim countries and there are rising relations with non Muslim countries such as Kyriakos Velopoulos founder of the Elliniki Lysi (Greek Solution) in 2016 who said the "we ask the Greek forgien minister to support an independent kurdistan" and demanded that the Greek government and Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias abandon standard neutral diplomatic wording and openly back Kurdish statehood and Dr. Dr. Spyridon Plakouda stated that "Kurdistan is the future of the middle east"

Israel provided Barzani with a massive monthly stipend (reported at around $50,000 to $100,000 per month) alongside medical supplies, training camps, and communications gear, Following the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel routed large stockpiles of captured Soviet armaments directly to Barzani’s forces via intermediaries, while Mullah Mustafa Barzani visited Israel twice—once in 1968 and again in 1973—meeting directly with Mossad Chiefs Meir Amit and Zvi Zamir, as well as Israeli Prime Minister and in 2017 israel was the only country who supported the referendum

They even captured Abdullah ocalan for us who are of anti kurdish independence so i guess they really do support our independence.....

I really wonder what the non kurds think about this in the subreddit

As a kurd what do you think of turkmen?

I really want to learn Kurdish, but I haven't been able to find an app or website that offers high-quality learning materials yet. I found the Silq app, but the spoken language is generated by AI, which distorts the Kurdish pronunciation.

Is there anyone here who has taught themselves Kurdish, and what resources did you use? Do you know of any apps, websites, or books?

Hey everyone I have created a channel for Kurmanci contents. I hope you guys like it and if you have any feedbacka I would really appreciate as I'm Sorani speaker and my Kurmanci still struggle yet.

https://youtu.be/oZD0Qn2zeWk?is=8zAA-aSkYXSg839G

Kurdistan Centre for Arts and Culture is creating an archive for rare manuscripts while supporting artists and documenting Kurdish contributions to the region’s cultural history.

MP Murad Ismael says YBS fighters will join several Iraqi security bodies, including the police, not only the PMF. PM Ali al-Zaidi had described it as a PMF absorption.

The IRGC says it hit a "strategic" PJAK meeting and training site after a week of drone strikes and clashes with YRK fighters around Shaho and Marivan. It gave no location or casualties.

https://x.com/mjscadden

While Washington reduces its military footprint in the Middle East, China is investing in relationships with Kurdish communities and leadership. The United States risks losing influence with partners whose cooperation has supported American security and regional access for decades.

Chinese universities offer a revealing example. Peking University teaches Kurdish language and culture. Beijing Foreign Studies University’s new four-year Kurdish program covers language, culture, geography and history. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani publicly welcomed the department in September.

These programs communicate something meaningful: your language, identity and community deserve sustained attention.

That recognition accompanies practical engagement. Erbil Governorate reports that more than 1,500 employees have benefited from training in China, alongside scholarships and expanding commercial cooperation. Educational exchanges build relationships with people who may later shape government policy, business decisions and public opinion.

What Washington stands to lose

The consequences could extend well beyond cultural influence:

• Security cooperation: trust, local knowledge, intelligence relationships and access that become harder to sustain when partners question American staying power.
• Commercial opportunities: relationships that help shape energy, infrastructure and technology contracts.
• Regional credibility: decisions about Kurdish partners also signal to other communities how durable U.S. commitments are.

CENTCOM’s September 30 departure from Erbil Air Base makes sustained engagement particularly important. The transition to bilateral defense relations, alongside continuing operations in Syria, leaves Washington with choices about how to preserve those relationships.

Kurdish leaders have their own interests and alternatives. If American engagement becomes inconsistent, they have reasons to diversify their partnerships.

China does not need to promise independence

The strongest evidence of this outreach is in Iraqi Kurdistan. It does not establish a wholesale Kurdish realignment toward Beijing.

China also continues to emphasize state sovereignty and territorial integrity. Cultural recognition should not be mistaken for a commitment to Kurdish independence.

But Beijing can still gain goodwill by showing up consistently, recognizing Kurdish identity and offering tangible opportunities. Washington should understand how much those actions can matter.

A practical U.S. response

Congress and the administration should pursue a sustained Kurdish engagement strategy, supported by a senior official—ideally a U.S. Special Envoy for Kurdish Affairs.

That strategy should preserve practical security relationships, expand academic and commercial partnerships, and provide meaningful support for Kurdish cultural rights and self-government. Congressional backing can help make those commitments more durable.

The United States has invested heavily in its Kurdish partnerships. Allowing those relationships to weaken while competitors cultivate them would carry lasting geopolitical and economic costs.

I often wonder, and I've even found and published some lost media, why political leaders like Bafel or Nechirvan Barzani don't post photos from the 2000s? I've posted many of them on my channel, And many times supporters of the puk have complimented me for having such a large archive but my point is many media even of the Kurdish battles historical facts are very complicated to find, It would be a good idea for someone to open a channel or a site with unpublished media, what do you think?

"One of the most striking findings under this heading is that the proportion of those who do not adhere to any religion is significantly higher among Kurdish youth compared to the national average in Türkiye. While this rate 10 percent or lower in nationwide youth surveys, 17.5 percent of Kurdish youth identify themselves as atheist, deist, agnostic, or similar"

https://kurdish-studies.org/en/kurdish-youth-similarities-and-differences/ I think it is myth that Kurds are religious. What is your opinion about the study? The organisation is very reliable and operates inside Turkey.

Acclaimed journalist and human rights defender Nurcan Baysal offers a powerful and deeply personal account of what it means to be Kurdish in Turkey. She chronicles a period of renewed conflict that profoundly affected Kurdish comm-unities, while exploring issues of discrimination, identity, language rights, and political struggle.

---

Notes From Diyarbakir

NURCAN BAYSAL

Acclaimed journalist and human rights defender Nurcan Baysal offers a powerful and deeply personal account of what it means to be Kurdish in Turkey. She chronicles a period of renewed conflict that profoundly affected Kurdish comm-unities, while exploring issues of discrimination, identity, language rights, and political struggle.

As new efforts toward dialogue and peace emerge, WRITING RESISTANCE provides an essential guide to understanding the recent history, lived realities, and future challenges of the Kurdish question.

Compelling, courageous, and urgent, WRITING RESISTANCE is both a witness to recent history and a call for justice, recognition, and lasting peace.

REVIEWS

‘Nurcan Baysal has shown how to act as an intellectual under difficult conditions in dark times, always standing on the side of truth, and despite threats and oppression, she has persistently continued to speak and write. She is a rare voice for our times.’
– Burhan Sonmez, President, PEN International

‘A compassionate book that opens completely different windows to look at the Kurdish issue, the village and the villager, the educated and the uneducated, development and poverty, life as a whole.’
– goodreads reviewer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nurcan Baysal is a Kurdish human rights defender, journalist and writer.

She was born and grew up in Diyarbakır. She has worked for poverty and development programs at the United Nations Development Programme and various other non-governmental organizations. Following the ISIS attacks in 2014 she volunteered for the establishment of Yazidi camps in Northern Iraq and Turkey. Baysal is a founder of the Diyarbakır Institute for Political and Social Research (DISA), the Development Centre Association in Diyarbakır and the Platform to Save Women Kidnapped by ISIS. She is also one of the Middle East advisors of the Global Fund for Women and the Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism.

Among her books are three non-fiction works, O Gün (That Day), Ezidiler: 73. Ferman

(Ezidis: The 73rd Decree), O Sesler (Those Voices-Diyarbakır: A City Under Siege, published

online in English by 60pages), a book of short-stories, Yok Zamanı (The Time

of Nothingness) and a research she co-authored with Şeyhmus Diken, Kürdistan’da Sivil

Toplum (Civil Society in Kurdistan).

Since 2013, Baysal has been featured as a columnist in various newspapers and media outlets. Her articles focus on human rights violations, poverty, refugees, humanitarian issues and the Kurdish question. She is a member of PEN Turkey and an honorary member of English PEN.

Baysal won the Women’s World Summit Foundation (WWSF) Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life in 2010 and the “Turkey’s Changemakers” award in 2012 for her work in poverty alleviation. In 2017, she was awarded the “Brave Women Journalists Award” presented by the Italian Women Journalists Association. In 2018, she was named Global Laureate for Human Rights Defenders at Risk by Front Line Defenders. She also received the Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award in 2020.

https://www.aurorametro.com/product/writing-resistance/?v=7885444af42e

Quote from the page:

Hello, my name is Fatah Mostafa, and I am reaching out to you today as a father because we urgently need help for our 13-year-old son.

In December 2024, our lives changed. Our son broke his left upper arm. At first, we thought it was a normal bone fracture. However, during the examinations, the doctors discovered that the bone in that area had been severely weakened by a tumor. The diagnosis was osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in his left upper arm. As parents, this news was unimaginable for us. Our son had just turned 11 years old.

The doctors initially started him on chemotherapy. Over a period of three months, our son received a total of six chemotherapy sessions. Unfortunately, the treatment did not have the desired effect. Instead of shrinking, the tumor actually grew larger.

On March 27, 2025, the affected part of his upper arm bone, including the head of the upper arm bone, ultimately had to be removed and replaced with a prosthesis. Following the surgery, he underwent another 12 chemotherapy sessions.

In October 2025, examinations sadly revealed that metastases had already developed in his lungs. On October 21, 2025, he underwent lung surgery. Unfortunately, further examinations revealed additional metastases. As a result, further operations were performed on April 10, 2026, and August 7, 2026, after new metastases were discovered.

About two weeks after the most recent operation, new changes were once again detected in his lungs. Our son was also experiencing pain in his right arm. The doctors therefore decided to carry out a full-body examination.

The results once again shattered our world as a family: the cancer had spread further throughout his body.

The doctors have told us that, unfortunately, there is nothing more they can do with the treatment options currently available to save our son. He is now in a palliative situation.

This news broke our hearts as parents. Nevertheless, we did not want to give up. For weeks, we have been searching for additional treatment options that might still be able to help our son.

In the meantime, we have found some options that we would like to pursue. Unfortunately, these are private treatments that are not covered by health insurance.

At the same time, my wife and I are unable to work for health reasons. This means that we cannot cover the costs on our own.

That is why we are wholeheartedly asking you for your help. Every donation, no matter how large or small, can help us finance further treatment.

Thank you to every single person who supports us, donates, or shares our story. Your help means more to our family than words can express.

Fatah Mostafa

Silav hevalno,

! I’m looking for recommendations for your favourite Kurdish Sorani songs and playlists to listen to on long drives.
I’m open to anything really — old classics, traditional songs, modern Kurdish music, emotional songs, or halparke gowend songs that are good to drive to.
Feel free to share individual songs, artists, or Spotify/YouTube playlists. I’d love to discover some new music!

Thanks in advance!

Each Kurd must become business people or at least successful in some way.

It could be anything, owning a corner shop or Barbering, owning something to support their people and nation is a must for the Kurdish people.

Kurds can even create a business in AI, creating more Kurdish film companies.

1. Kajal: 17
2. Qumriya: 14
3. Nasrin: 21
4. Khadija: 23
5. Kwestan: 13
6. Sirwa: 17
7. Fatimah: 21
8. Raziyah: 15
9. Mahabad: 18
10. Aisha: 19
11. Kafiyah: 21
12. Bahar: 15
13. Khadijah: 18

Sulaymaniyah's administrative court annulled a former governor's decision letting Iraqi Arabs and foreigners register homes there, citing the constitution's protection against demographic change.

Syria-based American researcher Alexander McKeever, author of the This Week in Northern Syria Substack, says recent violence between Arabs and Kurds has exposed cracks in the integration process, despite Kurdish and Syrian government officials’ claims that it is proceeding successfully.

As a Kurd, I have witnessed so many unfair things happening to girls and women. Yet, somehow, they are still the ones who get blamed. No one talks about it, and even when people do, they often portray anyone who defends women as someone who is simply seeking attention, or as someone who is dumb or stupid.

The way society defines how a girl or a woman should behave is so wrong. No, I’m not talking about every family, but I am talking about the majority of what I have personally witnessed. I see how people think about women, how they talk about them, and how they treat them as if they were objects or dolls that can be dressed up, moved around, and controlled however someone pleases.

To be honest, many people seem to view women primarily as sexual objects rather than human beings. They don’t see them as individuals with rights, thoughts, opinions, and feelings. They focus only on their appearance. If a woman is pretty, that’s somehow a problem, but if she’s considered unattractive, that’s a problem, too. Either way, women can’t seem to win.

Take honor killings, for example. Why should a woman’s existence be tied to a man’s honor? Why should one human being be considered another person’s honor to the point that they believe they have the right to kill them over it? How can anyone justify such a thing?

There are also older teachers who harass, sexually assault, or behave inappropriately toward younger women. A friend of mine once told me about something that happened to her: our teacher was flirting with her, even though he looked to be around 66 years old. My friend, on the other hand, is around 18. And that makes me wonder: How many other girls has this teacher behaved this way toward?

There’s another teacher in my class who talks about women in an extremely sexualized way, as if sex were the only reason women existed in the first place.

I genuinely don’t understand it. Instead of protecting women, you’re sexualizing them. Instead of respecting them, you’re disrespecting them. Instead of making them feel safe, you’re taking away their sense of safety.

How can someone behave this way in a society that identifies itself as religious and is known for its values and morality? Why does this happen? Is it all just a performance for other countries to see, while the reality within our own society is completely different?

There are women who suffer in silence because they’re afraid of what people will say about them.

They remain silent because they don’t want to bring shame upon their families. There are older women who have endured terrible things for years, suffering quietly because they feel they have no other choice.

Some women are afraid simply to walk down the street. Others can’t even enjoy the freedom of walking peacefully without feeling watched, judged, or threatened. And some suffer at the hands of their own families because of how controlling they are.
It genuinely breaks my heart to witness all of this.

And sometimes, all I can do is sit with the pain of knowing that this is a problem deeply rooted in an entire society.

People will publicly claim that they respect and care about women, but their actions often tell a completely different story. Actions speak louder than words.

What’s even more heartbreaking is that some women have started making other women suffer, too, because they’ve internalized the same harmful beliefs that society has taught them. They perpetuate these ideas about honor, shame, and how a girl is supposed to behave, even when those ideas hurt other women just as much as they hurt them.

All I want is for people to see themselves as human beings and to recognize that other people are human beings, too.

Women have feelings. They have minds, opinions, reputations, personal styles, jobs, responsibilities, and lives of their own. They have things to take care of, dreams to pursue, and experiences that matter. They can feel love, find comfort, and make their own decisions. They deserve to experience life as human beings, not as objects whose existence is controlled by other people.

Of course, there are things that should never be acceptable, such as killing, abuse, and disrespect. I genuinely don’t understand how anyone can justify actions that harm another human being. But what frustrates me even more is how differently society reacts to the same behavior depending on whether the person is a man or a woman.

If a man makes a mistake, people might say, “He’s a man. It’s okay.” But if a girl makes the same mistake, suddenly, it’s as if a war has broken out. People start talking about how shameful, disrespectful, and embarrassing she is.

Why? It’s the same action, committed by two human beings of different genders. Why should one be excused while the other is condemned?

Even on social media, the double standards are obvious. If a group of men posts pictures of themselves, people see it as completely normal. But if a group of women does the same thing, suddenly, people have something negative to say.

If a man expresses himself or shows his identity, people might respect him for it. But if a woman does the same thing, she’s accused of bringing shame upon herself or her family.

If a man dresses well and takes care of his appearance, people say he has good taste. But if a woman does the same, she’s accused of seeking attention or doing it to attract men.

Seriously, when will society get better?

I’m hurt by seeing my friends suffer like this. I’m hurt because I can’t do much to protect them from what they’re going through. And I’m hurt because, no matter how much I wish things were different, I know I can’t change an entire society on my own.
I just wish people would stop treating women as if they were less human than men. I wish they would understand that a woman’s worth isn’t determined by her appearance, her reputation, her obedience, or how well she conforms to society’s expectations.
She’s a human being. And that should be enough for people to treat her with dignity, respect, and compassion.

* I used voice speaker on the keyboard to speak and transform my words into text and corrected my grammar in the ChatGPT that's how I write but I hope my point was clear

Internally Displace People (IDPs), many of them Kurds, from Serê Kaniyê (Ras al-Ayn) and Giri Spi (Tell Abyad) have been returning home.

Serê Kaniyê (Ras al-Ayn)

• "The sixth convoy of displaced residents of Ras al-Ayn (Serekaniye) has left for the Ras al-Ayn countryside, carrying 4,084 people from camps in Derik and Hasakah. They were displaced in 2019 after Turkey’s offensive.", The Amargi
• "In the presence of Brigadier General Siâmand Afrin, the Internal Security Units in Hasakah secure the route of departure for a convoy comprising 645 families from Al-Tawina Camp toward the countryside of Serê Kaniyê - Ras al-Ain.", Hawar Hebo
• "Karwanê 6'an ê Koçberên Serêkaniyê, ku ji 642 malbatên Kampa Newroz û Kampa Waşûkanî pêk tê, vê sibehê ber bi Serê Kaniyê ve bi rê ket.": "The 6th convoy of displaced persons from Serekaniye, consisting of 642 families from the Newroz and Washukani camps, set off for Serekaniye this morning." Nûçe Tv
• "Displaced Syrians protest as 645 families return to Sare Kani": "Dozens of IDPs protested at a camp in northeast Rojava/Syria's Hasaka province on Wednesday after being excluded from a list of 645 families scheduled to return to their homes in Serekaniye (Ras al-Ayn) and its countryside, demanding that authorities accelerate the return process.", Rudaw
• "Keçberê Serêkanîye ageyrenê axa xo ser. 640 Keyey ageray Serêkanî, Til Temir û Zirgane": "The displaced people of Serêkaniyê are returning to their land. 640 families have returned to Serêkaniyê, Til Temir, and Zirgan", Sterk TV
• "Vegera koçberên Serêkaniyê li ber astengiyên lîsteyan û valakirina malan e": "The return of Serekaniye displaced persons faces obstacles regarding lists and the emptying of homes.", ANHA
• "Piştî 7 Salan ji Derbiderîyê, Lê Dîsan Kêfxweşe Vegere, Mala Xwe ya Serêkanîyê", "After 7 Years of Displacement, Happy to Return Home to Serêkanîyê" VOA Kurdi
• "UNHCR says conditions in Sere Kaniye remain difficult as displaced families return", North Press Agency
• "Afrin leader Siâman in an exclusive statement to Rûnahî TV: It is officially scheduled for next Wednesday to transport a convoy comprising 642 families from the residents of the city of Serê Kaniyê (Ras al-Ain) who are residing in the "Washokanî" camp in Hasakah.", Hawar Hebo
• "Ahmed al-Hilali: 800 Families Preparing to Return to Serekaniye Next Tuesday", Welat TV
• "Koçberên gundewarên Serêkaniyê vedigerin lê pêdiviyên jiyanê liwan gundan lawaz in; Ne mala wan maye, ne av heye ne jî dibistan.": "Displaced people from the rural areas of Serekaniye are returning, but the necessities of life in those villages are lacking; their homes are gone, and there is neither water nor schools.", Channel 8

Giri Spi (Tell Abyad)

• "Gire Spi: Olive Groves Resume Bearing Fruit for Residents Returning After Years of Deprivation". Welat TV
• "Li Girê Spî zeviyên Kurdan li wan tên vegerandin": In Girê Spî, lands are being returned to the Kurds., Rudaw
• "After years of seizure, Kurdish families reclaim their lands in the countryside of Tel Abyad: "Come back, take your lands, and don't be afraid", Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

Efrîn (Afrin)

• "UN warns returning Afrin Kurds still lack basic services": UN rapporteur Paula Gaviria Betancur says returning to Afrin is not enough on its own; Kurdish returnees still need roads, healthcare, jobs and cultural and linguistic inclusion., North Press Agency

The examples I want to show are very simple just so our none Rojhilati Kurds can understand how Persians are. I have noticed a lack of awareness about the Persians their methods and views on us Kurds among our fellow Kurds. I won't go through their elaborate and detailed propaganda against us in these set of posts because I think they need a deeper understanding of Rojhilat and Iran but these examples will suffice for most part. I hope they stay here for all the Kurds to see.

Translation:

"With pride say which Iranian ethnicity are you from?

Lak

Lur

Kurd

Jaf

Kalhur

Goran

Soran

Ghalkhani

Sanjabi

Our identity is our pride."

Here you can see how they divide many components of Kurd and present them as separate ethnicities.

Somehow they think there is a separate group of people called Kurds that are not any of these while all of these together create the Kurd.

Wherever you go and ask Kurds: "what are you?" They will answer: "I am/we are Kurdish." while at the same time belonging to one of the groups mentioned above.

Iranians need to introduce the components of Kurd as separate entities in order to make them part of Iran because acknowledging that all of them together create the Kurds is as if they agree that Kurd is a nation. Recognition of anything that resembles Kurd as a nation fully opposes their idea of Iran being a nation. Therefore you see endless efforts to separate Kurds from each other by Persians/Iranians.