The Turkmen, Kurds, Arabs and the new constitution
A key to understanding why the maintenance of Iraq's territorial integrity is viewed by many as critical, is a knowledge of the country's enormous ethnic and religious diversity, the aspirations of these groups, and the problems they face now. One of these ethnolinguistic components is the Turkmen minority, which has made a major effort to define itself both internally and to the world community.
The Iraqi Turkmen live in an area that they call "Turkmenia" in Latin or "Turkmeneli" which means, "Land of the Turkmen. It was referred to as "Turcomania" by the British geographer William Guthrie in 1785. The Turkmen are a Turkic group that has a unique heritage and culture as well as linguistic, historical and cultural links with the surrounding Turkic groups such as those in Turkey and Azerbaijan. Their spoken language is closer to Azeri but their official written language is like the Turkish spoken in present-day Turkey. Their real population has always being suppressed by the authorities in Iraq for political reasons and estimated at 2%, whereas in reality their number should be put between 2.5 to 3 million, i.e. 12% of the Iraqi population. The Turkmen of Iraq settled in TurkmeneliTurkmeneli in three successive and constant migrations from Central Asia, which increased their numbers and enabled them to establish six states in Iraq.
Over the centuries, Turkmen played a constructive role in Iraq, either by defending the country against foreign invaders or bringing civilization. Their monuments and architectural remains exist all over Iraq. They lived in harmony with all ethnic groups around them. They administered the people with justice and tolerance. However, after the British invasion of Iraq in 1918, the Turkmen began to experience a different situation. Branded unjustly as loyal to Turkey, they were removed from the administration, pushed into isolation and ignored. Then, their fundamental human rights in culture and education were violated by the closure of their schools in 1933-1937.
The monarchy era that lasted from 1932 to 1958 saw the removal of the Turkmen from the government posts and their deportation to Arab areas of the country. The suppression of the Turkmen peaked in 1946 when they were subjected to what is historically known as the Gawer Baghi massacre. Then the Ba’ath party rule, commencing in 1968, opened one of the darkest chapters in Turkmen history. The main concerns of the Turkmens are:
The Turkmen nation is entitled to have the same political, economic and cultural rights as Arabs and Kurds in Iraq. If the Kurds are to be granted autonomy, Turkmen should not be denied this right or - since they live side by side autonomy should be granted jointly to Kurds and Turkmen. In a free and democratic Iraq all ethnic groups should be given representation, commensurate with their proportion in the population, in the central government and parliament.
Under the Constitution year of 1932, the Kurds and the Turkmen had the right to use their own languages in schools, government offices and to have their own language press. In 1972 the government of Iraq prohibited the study in the Turkish language and banned the Turkish media in Iraq. Now the National Assembly recognizes only Arabic and Kurdish languages in Iraq.
The Iraqi Turkmen should not be seen as a danger to Iraqi sovereignty but as an asset to strengthen Iraqi stability and as a part of the big mosaic of Iraqi unity. The Iraqi government must guarantee human rights for all citizens, regardless of ethnicity and reach agreement about these issues with representatives of Kurds, Turkmen and Arabs. Presently the Turkmen have been undergoing campaigns by the Kurds in Turkmeneli in an often more brutal fashion than carried out on Kurds by Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi Kurds are attempting by various methods to eliminate Turkmen identity especially from Kirkuk City in order To dilute them into Kurdish society. The economic, political and cultural aspects for the Turkmen have been completely disregarded by the new Iraqi government.
After the invasion of Iraq, the Turkmen had high expectations of the interim administration established after April 9, 2003. They expected to see democracy, fairness, and an end to discrimination, the right to self- determination and an end to violence. Unfortunately, the opposite has happened regarding the human rights situation in Iraq, in particular concerning the Iraqi Turkmen. The very existence of the Turkmen in Iraq is at a critical junction today with the rapid developments following the fall of Saddam’s regime. The Turkmen, in their long history in Iraq have been downgraded from being masters and rulers of entire regions to an underrepresented and forgotten minority that is under constant pressure these days.
The new government has only granted a single ministerial seat for the Turkmen whereas 8 ministerial positions have been given to Kurds and by appointing a single minister in the new government it does not truly represent the Turkmen population. However, a Turkmen candidate who applied for deputy Prime Minster was completely opposed and rejected by the Kurdish coalition parties.
The new Iraqi government has established an interim committee of 55 members representing Arab, Kurds and others but not Turkmen representatives and this shows clearly injustice and under representation of the Turkmen in the new forming constitution.
In the newly formed constitution by the interim government it is clearly stated that Iraq consists of only Kurds and Arabs. The Turkmen have been totally disregarded and we strongly believe that a new Iraq must be inclusive, ethnically and religiously balanced in representing Iraq's three main groups. The Iraqi constitution draft, which was submitted on Monday, August 22, 2005, is a historic document in Iraq’s history and may, if ratified, become the most influential document produced in the Middle East in 100 years. The constitution will have a profound influence on the development of democracy and human rights. Although, it is a step, it takes more than it gives. We must keep in mind that the constitution was written under the occupation forces and under the influence of the Shiaa and Kurdish parties, therefore, it remains to be seen how the jurist will interpret and apply the language of this document so that it protects the minorities of Iraq. Minorities that include Turkmen, Assyrians, Mandaeans, Yezidis and Shabaks.
The Turkmen, as staunch believers in firm national principles, strongly reject the articles and clauses in the Iraqi draft constitution that do great prejudice against the Turkmen and their national identity. We call upon all Turkmen institutions and organizations in the homeland and abroad to work together in appealing to the Iraqi authorities and patriotic forces as well as the international community to do justice to the Turkmen people. We ask Turkmen to say NO to this latest draft constitution in the general referendum unless it is amended to guarantee the rights, unity and the identity of the Turkmen. The Turkmen of Iraq are protesting and are refusing to accept this new constitution as the basis for which to implement the new Iraqi government.
The Turkmen town of Tal Afar with a population approximately 400,000 has been under continuous bombing from both the US forces and the newly established Iraqi National Guards, which are predominately Kurds. The electricity and water have been cut, approximately 100 people have been killed and over 500 people have arrested and all aid organizations are not allowed to enter the town in order to provide them with food or medicine. Moreover, to break the Turkmen resistance completely the city of Tal Afar was attacked in September 2003 by Kurdish militias and bombed heavily by American forces under the pretext of foreign Jihadists/terrorists, a threat that turned out to be wrong.
Tal Afar was devastated by several-day-long U.S. operations that killed more than 100 people and displaced thousands of others. The operation in Tal Afar, which the U.S. military said was a hotbed for militants smuggling men and arms from neighboring Syria, reportedly came to an end this week, and the return of residents to the town was allowed by U.S. forces after days of siege. Turkmen express once again their deep concern about the situation in Tal Afar. And the operations which were "aimed at eliminating terrorist insurgents and foreign fighters who have been using the city as a transit point and as a safe haven for launching attacks elsewhere in Iraq". The US government has taken the initiative to fight international terrorism and declares it wants to bring peace and democracy to the world but what about the 5000 Kurdish PKK terrorists who have been stationed in the North of Iraq for the last five years? Unfortunately, despite the fact that they have been listed on the US government ‘terrorist list’ no action has been taken against them. This only indicates the double standard of the US administration in Iraq.
The operation raised speculation in Turkmeneli that the Kurds, who are running most of northern Iraq, were benefiting from the U.S. operation as this would serve their aspirations of controlling Tal Afar, an island in a vast area controlled by Kurds. Turkmen asked who would be in charge of the administration of the town after the U.S. operation, therefore it is clear who will be in charge of the security and administration of the town.
Turkmen urge the Iraqi government and international community to immediately stop the continuing oppression of Turkmen in Tal Afar and to take all the necessary steps to allow their return. In the event of the existence of liberation forces and Kurdish paramilitary in Iraq, there is an urgent need for the UN intervening military forces to prepare for preventing crisis and civil war in the North of Iraq. The Turkmen Commission on Human Rights found that Kurdish party continues to commit extremely grave violations of human rights especially in Erbil, Kerkuk and Tal Afer.
Today the Turkmen are protesting against the US-led forces were preparing to launch a military offensive to root out insurgents in the restive northern town of Tal Afar which are mainly are Turkmen and representatives of the Turkmen community complained to the human rights office that members of the Turkmen and Arab communities in Kirkuk, Mosul and Tel Afar are victims of arbitrary detention under the accusation that they are "terrorists." In many instances, families are not aware of the whereabouts of the detainees for months, after being released many reported to have been tortured. Our main concerns are that the Iraqi National Guards, in the north of Iraq are predominantly Kurds who are continuously raiding Turkmen houses and Turkmen parties headquarters. They have been indiscriminately bombing Turkmen villages and towns such as Tal Afar and arresting innocent people and handing these people to the US forces as "terrorists".
The offence on Tal Afar shows the desperation of the Kurdish parties to stop the struggle of the Turkmen nation from getting their rights in the new Iraq. Turkmen Organizations have received the news of the offence with shock and dismay. We offer our deepest concern and support to all Turkmen in Turkmeneli. Moreover, we strongly believe that any settlement in Iraq that disregards the Turkmen nation would not be justified, would not be fair and lasting. It will be doomed to failure.
We Turkmen, who have suffered discrimination for our ethnic identity, have not seen much help from Turkey either. Rather it has been a liability for us to be kinsmen of the Turks.
We now need the support of the international community more than ever in our struggle for a democratic Iraq, where every citizen will enjoy the same rights and freedoms. We hope that yourself and the US government personal who are responsible will re-assess the situation in Tal Afar and help the Iraqis, be they Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds or others, to reach a pluralist democracy
Yours Sincerely, Salman Mofak Chairman Turkmen National Action Front
Main Page
Log In
Register
Help/FAQ
Ticket List
Printable Version
Turkmen, Arab, Kurd and the new constitution - 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread