Rep. Filner Addresses The Kurdish C

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at locust.etext.org>
Subject: Rep. Filner Addresses The Kurdish Community Of San Diego

Speech of Congressman Bob Filner on Saturday, August 23, 1997
before the San Diego Kurdish community.

     I want to thank the American Kurdish Information Network
(AKIN), the Kurdish Cultural Center (KCC), the Kurdish National
Congress (KNC), and the Kurdish community  right here in San
Diego for inviting me to this gathering. You continue to  educate
me.  I am here for one simple reason: to express my support for
the Kurdish people's struggle for self determination, peace,
justice, and human  dignity.  Of course, the symbol of that
struggle is a fellow democratically-elected representative, the
imprisoned Kurdish leader, Leyla Zana.
     In this hall, there are Kurds from Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and
Syria. Each of you have experienced individual counts of
oppression against yourselves or family  members. You each have
horror stories to tell, regardless of which nation has subjugated
you. Though I know different segments of the world's Kurdish 
population have different ideas on how to remedy the Kurdish
plight, one thing is certain and clear: Kurds can not go on
living under the rule of Baghdad, Tehran, or Ankara. And I 
hope that Kurdish leaders everywhere will work together for the
cause of justice and peace. A united front is crucial if we are 
to reach that goal.
     In Turkey today, as you know, innocent Kurdish civilians are
being massacred, entire Kurdish villages are being destroyed, and
millions of Kurds are forced from their homes, forced to the
cities where unemployment and inflation are extremely high. The
entire region of southeastern Turkey has been ravaged -- it has
become an economic and humanitarian disaster area. This is simply
unacceptable. This is a cause for alarm for a country that uses
American arms to commit such a crime. United States-made weapons
should never again be used against the Kurds or against anybody
else, as they were at the ancient Kurdish city of Halabja, where
over 5,000 Kurdish civilians, mostly women and children, were
gassed to death. Never again!
     To that end, I am here tonight to lend my voice to the cause
of Leyla Zana, a Kurdish woman, a fellow parliamentarian, who has
committed her life's work to pursuing a peaceful and just
resolution to the enduring Kurdish question. Many of you have
heard her story. Some of you may even know her. It is an honor
for me to speak on her behalf so that one day soon she too could
address you as she had done before her arrest.
     You have already heard her story -- an incredible story of
self education, political growth, heroism and courage.
     The Turkish government feared Leyla Zana was progressing too
much in her endeavors for peace and now she shares a prison cell
with a convicted murderer. But they cannot imprison her picture,
her words, her courage, and her inspiring story.
     And because of the inspiring work of Leyla Zana and
thousands of others, the Turkish oppression of the Kurdish
minority will someday come to an end. To achieve this result, it
is far better to use peaceful measures and not continue violence. 
Thus, we must embrace Leyla Zana for risking her life for the
Kurdish people, not through violence, but through peaceful and
democratic activism.
     Kurds in Iran, Iraq and Syria live as second class citizens,
denied the basic human rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness. The United States has it's own painful legacy of
the denial of these rights to many of its citizens, and I am
privileged to have been able to be a part of the civil rights
movement to end discrimination. I marched and have also been
imprisoned with fellow demonstrators, protesting against unjust
laws, and protesting for basic human rights.
     The struggle for Kurdish self-determination is a human
struggle. It is a struggle that I have been a part of all of my
life, and because of that, I am with you. My public career has
been devoted to helping to give a voice to the voiceless, and
working with people to strengthen themselves, their families, and
their communities. The Kurdish people deserve self-determination.
     As many of you know, an initiative has been undertaken in
the U.S. House of Representatives in pursuit of Leyla Zana's
freedom. I, and 118 of my colleagues in Congress have signed a
letter to President Clinton urging him to seek Leyla Zana's
immediate and unconditional release from prison. More Members of
Congress are standing with Leyla Zana and the Kurdish people now
than ever before. Without a doubt, the U.S. Congress is becoming
more aware of, and more sympathetic to the plight of the Kurdish
people. Surely, progress is being made. Because of your vocal 
activism, the entire world is aware of the oppression Kurds face
in Turkey. It will not be too much longer before, once again,
rays of light shine upon the land known as Kurdistan.

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American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)
2623 Connecticut Avenue NW #1
Washington, DC 20008-1522

Tel: (202) 483-6444
Fax: (202) 483-6476
E-mail: akin at kurdish.org
Home Page: http://www.kurdistan.org
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The American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) provides a public
service to foster Kurdish-American understanding and friendship

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