Questions about Turkey Kurds

[andre]

Hi guys! i have some questions about the Kurds from Turkey. Please be sincere.

1) As a Kurd, if i want to search a good job (so, not only a manual labor) in a turkish majority city, i would be openly discriminated? There is any sort of discrimination against the kurds perpetrate by the "average" turkish people?

2) All the Kurds from the eastern provinces speak turkish? They have a stereotypical accent?

3) Which are the relations beetween the kurds and the turks in the eastern provinces? The average people do ethnic distinction beetween them, or they doesn't care so much?

4) Do exist mixed marriages beetween kurds and turks? (Not only in the big cities)

PLEASE DO NOT OPEN RACIST/IDEOLOGICAL OR POLITIC DISCOURSES.

[Kyp]

4) Yes Kurds and Turks have formed alliances and intermarriages on multiple occations during history. Despite early and ongoing conflicts between Turks and Kurds. This happened especially in the region of Azerbaijan/Iran and Central/South Anatolia. We also know that YDNA N (turkic clade) exists in some Kurdish tribes in Turkey.

Can't speak on the current situation in Turkey though.

[Dr_Maul]

Pretty sure issues with Kurds and Turks is a relatively recent phenomenon especially with the global rise of nationalism and identitarianism

[Bender1999]

......

[andre]

Bump

[Halgurd]

If you're interested message me and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

Also, regarding discrimination of any people, whether it be Kurds, Palestinians, Uyghurs etc, it is best to ask them directly. If you ask an Israeli if Palestinians are oppressed they will of course say no. A Chinese will say Uyghurs aren't oppressed. A Turk will say Kurds aren't oppressed and so on and so forth.

1) Yes Kurds are discriminated against not only by the state but also by the Turkish people themselves. The average Turk opposes anything to do with Kurds, whether it be cultural rights, language rights and political rights. If you go to Istanbul for example, the poorest neighbourhoods are mostly Kurds because they don't have the same opportunities as Turks. However, any example of a successful Kurd in Turkey, whether that may be a PM of partial Kurdish descent or a businessman, is because they have sacrificed their identity as a Kurd and accepted the Turkish one. A Kurd can become anything, provided that they renounce their Kurdish identity. Just a few weeks ago a Kurd was stabbed to death by a few Turkish men for listening to Kurdish music.

2) Not all Kurds speak Turkish. I had a Turkish ex who once told me a Kurd joined her school not knowing any Turkish. However most do and millions don't even speak Kurdish. This is a result of lack of language rights (Kurdish was prohibited in Turkey for many years) and lack of mother tongue education. At the moment, there are only private courses teaching Kurdish.

3) The relation between Turks and Kurds has always been tense but we also have to remember that in the region there are also Arabs, Syriacs, Azeris and Armenians. I know that Azeris and Kurds have some sort of political alliance e.g in the city of Igdir which is Kurdish and Azeri mixed, the HDP (a pro Kurdish party) always puts forth Azeri candidates. Armenians are mostly genocide survivors who were protected by certain Kurdish families. As for ethnic Turks, there are not many in the provinces where Kurds form a majority. These provinces are the least desirable places to live in for Kurds and Turks alike due to the lack of opportunities, conflict, instability etc. 4000 Kurdish villages were destroyed by the Turkish military, and millions were displaced as a result to western provinces.

4) Yes it exists, but not really on the scale that many Turks will want you to believe. It happens, but it's not very common and is more of recent phenomenon.

[Marmara]

Hi guys! i have some questions about the Kurds from Turkey. Please be sincere.

1) As a Kurd, if i want to search a good job (so, not only a manual labor) in a turkish majority city, i would be openly discriminated? There is any sort of discrimination against the kurds perpetrate by the "average" turkish people?

Assimilated Kurds wouldn't face any problem, unassimilated ones (like speaking with accent) might face bias. Kurds who live in Turkish cities are mostly assimilated therefore don't face any trouble.

Political opinions also matter, open HDP supporters would definetly be discriminated.

2) All the Kurds from the eastern provinces speak turkish? They have a stereotypical accent?

Not all, there are those who don't speak Turkish, but they are old rural people. Also bilingual Kurds have a stereotypical accent, with gluttural sounds.

3) Which are the relations beetween the kurds and the turks in the eastern provinces? The average people do ethnic distinction beetween them, or they doesn't care so much?

Depends on how much the Kurd is Turkified. Speaking of my family who come from East. They say they used to be scared of Kurds (villager types who don't speak Turkish and live among themselves) and avoid them, largely due to the stigma associated with PKK. Not anymore though.

4) Do exist mixed marriages beetween kurds and turks? (Not only in the big cities)

Very commonplace. Usually the male is Kurdish and female Turkish.

[Halgurd]

Pretty sure issues with Kurds and Turks is a relatively recent phenomenon especially with the global rise of nationalism and identitarianism

It actually began in the early 1800s when the Ottoman Empire began a centralisation campaign and was intent on destroying the Kurdish principalities that had self-rule for the majority of their inclusion in the Ottoman Empire. These Kurdish princes (mîr) were very powerful and a threat to Ottoman sovereignty. The principalities were destroyed one by one, breaking a previous treaty that was signed between the Ottomans and Kurdish princes which mostly comprised of Kurdish self rule + Ottoman loyalty.

Decades later, the first nationalist Kurdish revolution was led by Sheikh Ubeydullah Nehri against the Ottomans.

[eatensemn]

1 No one ask you about your background. But if you express your support for seperatists, things may suddenly change, turks are overall very patriotic people.
2 All except some elders in remote regions. Of course in eastern regions they speak with accent but you can also find very "istanbul" speaking individuals, especially girls. (Tv-internet)
3 In the past it was very complicated case, even determining the origin of the family was sometimes impossible. There are many disputed turk-or-kurd families. So this proves strong relations, since both groups are muslim and have same life style. But recently seperatists and republic-loyalists are bitter to each other.
4 Very common.

[andre]

If you're interested message me and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

Also, regarding discrimination of any people, whether it be Kurds, Palestinians, Uyghurs etc, it is best to ask them directly. If you ask an Israeli if Palestinians are oppressed they will of course say no. A Chinese will say Uyghurs aren't oppressed. A Turk will say Kurds aren't oppressed and so on and so forth.

1) Yes Kurds are discriminated against not only by the state but also by the Turkish people themselves. The average Turk opposes anything to do with Kurds, whether it be cultural rights, language rights and political rights. If you go to Istanbul for example, the poorest neighbourhoods are mostly Kurds because they don't have the same opportunities as Turks. However, any example of a successful Kurd in Turkey, whether that may be a PM of partial Kurdish descent or a businessman, is because they have sacrificed their identity as a Kurd and accepted the Turkish one. A Kurd can become anything, provided that they renounce their Kurdish identity. Just a few weeks ago a Kurd was stabbed to death by a few Turkish men for listening to Kurdish music.

2) Not all Kurds speak Turkish. I had a Turkish ex who once told me a Kurd joined her school not knowing any Turkish. However most do and millions don't even speak Kurdish. This is a result of lack of language rights (Kurdish was prohibited in Turkey for many years) and lack of mother tongue education. At the moment, there are only private courses teaching Kurdish.

3) The relation between Turks and Kurds has always been tense but we also have to remember that in the region there are also Arabs, Syriacs, Azeris and Armenians. I know that Azeris and Kurds have some sort of political alliance e.g in the city of Igdir which is Kurdish and Azeri mixed, the HDP (a pro Kurdish party) always puts forth Azeri candidates. Armenians are mostly genocide survivors who were protected by certain Kurdish families. As for ethnic Turks, there are not many in the provinces where Kurds form a majority. These provinces are the least desirable places to live in for Kurds and Turks alike due to the lack of opportunities, conflict, instability etc. 4000 Kurdish villages were destroyed by the Turkish military, and millions were displaced as a result to western provinces.

4) Yes it exists, but not really on the scale that many Turks will want you to believe. It happens, but it's not very common and is more of recent phenomenon.

Thank you so much for your explaination. For example Salt Bae it's a kurdish man? isn't? but i think that he's heavly turkificated, am i right?


P.S. I respect and i like both cultures (Turkish and Kurdish), so i'm impartial.