Mother tongue is the 'red line' for a solution 

2025-09-15 13:49:32


	 

	ISTANBUL - Amid intensifying discussions on resolving the Kurdish issue, women emphasised the importance of mother-tongue education on the path to a solution, stating, "Our language is our red line." 

	 

	With the call for "Peace and a Democratic Society" made by Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan on 27 February, the Peace and Democratic Society process has begun, with problems that have been deepened by years of war policies awaiting resolution. Foremost among these is the recognition of Kurdish, which has been ignored and denied for years, as a language of education and the granting of its status. 

	 

	‘There are no winners in war, only losers in peace.’

	 

	Speaking about the pressure on the Kurdish language and what needs to be done to resolve the issue, Zübeyde İnce emphasised that the pressure continues and that they have been fighting for their language for years. Zübeyde İnce said, "Despite there being so many Kurds for centuries, their mother tongue is banned. During this period, a commission was established to address the so-called Kurdish issue, and this commission called on the mothers of peace and asked for their thoughts, but even there, the mothers were not given the opportunity to speak in Kurdish.

	 

	If only the imposition of a single language and a single nation had not been enforced since the founding of the republic. If only this pain had not been experienced. Mr. Öcalan said in an interview that he was looking for a counterpart. If only there had been a counterpart at that time, such a commission would have been established. If only all the pain experienced from that day until today had not been experienced. When the Dolmabahçe table was overturned, we mothers sat in front of Dolmabahçe for nearly a year to prevent the Dolmabahçe negotiations from ending and to find a solution. 

	 

	It is a shame for everyone living in this country. Those who are members of parliament are the representatives of the people living in this country. They need to resolve this issue so that there are no more regrets. They have destroyed education, health, agriculture, trade, everything. The President asked if we knew how much a bullet cost. We do not need bullets. Bullets kill people, peace keeps people alive. There are no winners in war, only losers in peace."

	 

	‘The solution is now, let no one stall anyone’

	 

	Emphasising that all segments of society must take responsibility for ending the problems that permeate every aspect of life and building peace, Zübeyde İnce said, “No one should say they are not interested in politics. Because whether you are interested in politics or not, politics determines the food that comes to your table. Politics determines your child's education; politics determines your health. This dirty politics has brought the country to this state. To avoid any more regrets, it is necessary to meet with Mr Öcalan, who is responsible for the problem, as soon as possible. Since Mr Bahçeli has called for a return to parliament and the PKK has dissolved itself, everyone must now keep their word. It is not easy for a mother to bury her child. The other day, a mother said, ‘We want to bury our weapons, not our children.’ Enough is enough, let us not experience any more pain. The solution is now, no one should delay anyone."

	 

	‘Our language is our red line’

	 

	Mercan Gül, a teacher at the Kurdish Studies Association, said, “We Kurds want to exist in our own language, think in our own language, and continue our lives in our own language. To build our lives on our own language, we must first receive an education. We did not come here from other countries. We have always been here, in Mesopotamia. For us to speak of peace, our language must first be recognised. Let us be educated in our language, let everyone recognise our language. We will not give up our language. For centuries, there have been pressures on our language, they have tried to kill our language, but we are resisting. Our language is not dead; we keep it alive with our voices, our songs, our writings. We do not allow this language to die by speaking Kurdish with our children. Our language is our red line."