Kurdish women receive education in their mother language in Qamishlo
Thanks to the revolution in Rojava led by women, people from different nations and religions have been building together. “Our language is our identity,” say Kurdish women receiving Kurdish education in Qamishlo.
ZEYNEB ÎSA
Qamishlo- Following the revolution in Rojava on July 19, 2012, people from different nations, religions and ethnicities began to build a common life together in North and East Syria. One of the most important gains of the revolution in Rojava is that children have the right to receive education in their mother language at school. The Kurdish people, who were subjected to a policy of assimilation by the Syrian government, now speak, write and read in Kurdish everywhere. The Democratic Union Party (PYD) has started providing Kurdish courses to women in the Qidûrbek neighborhood of Qamishlo city.
‘Our biggest dream was to receive education in our mother language’
In an interview with NuJINHA, Rodîn Îsa (38), a resident of the neighborhood, talked about the oppression of the Syrian government and the change they experienced after the revolution. “Before the revolution in Rojava, the Syrian government banned all languages, except Arabic. We were banned from speaking Kurdish in public spaces and at schools. Our biggest dream was to speak our mother language and receive education in our mother language.”
‘We have our own schools’
Following the revolution led by women in North and East Syria, Kurdish people began to receive education in their mother language. “Thanks to the ideology and the philosophy of leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan), the Rojava revolution took place,” said Rodîn Îsa. “Now, Kurdish people receive education in their mother language and women play their roles in all facets of life. We have our own schools. Teachers who teach us the Kurdish language are very valuable and precious to us.”
‘Our mother language is proof of our existence’
Calling on everyone to learn their mother language and teach their mother language to their children, Rodîn Îsa said, “I call on everyone to learn their mother language because 13,000 people sacrificed their lives for this cause so that Kurds could have an identity. We should teach our children Kurdish so that they can be pioneers for the next generations. Our mother language is proof of our existence and identity.”