Helen Ahmed

Sulaymaniyah _ At a time when the Kurdistan Region is facing rapid political and social changes, national sentiments among the younger generation remain among the most prominent issues of daily life in the streets, universities, and social networks.

Kurdish youth in all parts of Kurdistan believe that preserving national identity is a fundamental duty. On national occasions, the Kurdish flag high in their hands, and national anthems are sung in public places.

At the same time, social networks have become a new arena for expressing Kurdish identity, where they publish content in Kurdish, share photos and national anthems, and strive to preserve Kurdish history and culture in service of society.

Education experts believe that schools and universities play an important role in enhancing national sentiment, especially by introducing Kurdish youth to Kurdistan's history and shared national values. Despite all these changes, many of them still believe that protecting Kurdish land and identity is not just words but is achieved through staying, studying, working, and building the homeland.

Today, between the dream of a better life and the commitment to land and homeland, Kurdish youth seek to find their place in the future of Kurdistan – a future that many believe cannot be strong without a sense of national belonging, unity, and solidarity.

"The younger generation is being turned into people without will and without national sentiment"

Visual artist Farona Zardasht from the city of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region pointed out that the presence of free youth contributes to building a free society, and with the emergence of the idea of freedom among youth, the nation and peoples are also liberated.

She added that Kurdish youth who struggle collectively for freedom achieve important historical and national gains. The ruling authorities in the Middle East are working to destroy national sentiment among youth, and through the capitalist system, they are stripping them of will – which she considers "a primary goal of the authorities in the region" so that by weakening youth's will, they can "achieve their political goals and sell the land of Kurdistan to occupiers in exchange for their own material interests."

She also explained that in the Kurdistan Region as well, youth's will and national sentiment have been weakened, with systematic problems introduced into all education and higher education systems, aiming to push youth to lose hope in their land and future, and to prevent them from achieving their goals and meeting their nation's needs through their efforts and work.

She affirmed that the occupiers continue to weaken youth's will and prevent them from knowing the national cause, so that their struggle for freedom and unity is emptied of its content.

"The mobilization campaign for Rojava was an achievement for the Kurdish people"

She also pointed out that the successive revolutions of the Kurdish people were the reason for the rise of youth, among them the Rojava revolution and the mobilization campaign for Rojava, which she considered "an important achievement" realized through the efforts of youth. Through struggle and resistance, youth were able to a large extent to learn about the suffering and concerns of their people.

She added that, as seen during the announcement of mobilization, a large number of young men and women from all parts of Kurdistan answered the call of Rojava. After that, youth and citizens would take to the streets daily in various regions of Kurdistan. In the Kurdistan Region, youth repeated their supportive positions, which worried the occupiers about this unified Kurdish stance.

Farona Zardasht stressed that the liberation of society is linked to the liberation of women, and that the more youth and women struggle freely in a society for their rights, the more that homeland or region lives at the peak of success and the spirit of struggle.

She noted that the capitalist system continues its attempts to strip youth of their will and works in all sectors of life, education, and upbringing to destroy their thought. If the young generation is not conscious, a conscious, healthy society that defends its land's rights will not emerge. Therefore, the authorities, through systematic methods and the capitalist system, seek to push youth's thought toward despair, emigration, and distance from Kurdish rights and identity.

Farona Zardasht affirmed that raising the young generation on the thought of leader Abdullah Öcalan is an important achievement for the youth and for the Kurdish people in the region.