My Enemy’s Enemy is Not Necessarily My Friend Anymore .

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis Tuesday May 18, 2010 20:29 by LATIF SERHILDAN - KURDISTAN SOLIDARITY IRELAND

KURDS AND IRAN'S STATE TERROR

The old saying goes “my enemy’s enemy is my friend”; however if it involves the Kurds that does not apply. When George W. Bush was in power in the US his administration declared Iran as part of an “axis of evil”, because of their rogue nuclear programme and belligerent rhetoric.

The old saying goes “my enemy’s enemy is my friend”; however if it involves the Kurds that does not apply. When George W. Bush was in power in the US his administration declared Iran as part of an “axis of evil”, because of their rogue nuclear programme and belligerent rhetoric. Despite UN attempts to call Iran to account there has been a conciliatory atmosphere towards the theocratic state, and support from Russia and China. The rhetoric coming from Tehran since 1979 has declared the West in general and the US and Israel in particular to be not only the enemies of Iran, but the enemies of God. Likewise the Kurds in Iran who are fighting this perverted theocracy are declared enemies of God. In fact anyone who disagrees politically or culturally with those backward-minded mullahs falls into this category. In the bizarre and irrational worldview of the mullahs perceived “enmity against God” is punishable by death. In light of this one may think that the US naturally would have backed up the Kurdish freedom movement inside Iran.

Recently the Islamic state of Iran hanged five members of the Kurdish freedom movement PJAK (Free Life Party of Kurdistan) in Evin prison. These martyrs are declared the “enemies of God”. The families of these Kurdish activists were not notified prior to the executions. They were also ordered not to protest about the deaths. The mother of the executed Kurdish teacher and trade union activist, Ferzad Kamangar, has stated that her work is now only beginning, and defied the ban on protests. So do the Kurds want to be friends with Iran’s enemy? Or do they want to be free from these medieval policies that have power in the Middle East? PJAK has close ties to PKK, Kurdistan Workers Party. The party stands for freedom of the Kurds in all four parts of Kurdistan that are being occupied by the Arabs, Persians and lastly the biggest crooks of the Middle East, the Turks. The party is also secular and feminist and stands for radical social change, the empowerment of women and the democratisation of the entire region. The party believes that this can be achieved within the current national boundaries through a system of democratic con-federalism.

Furthermore the military wings of PKK and PJAK have more than five thousand female guerrillas that hold positions at every rank in the party including the executive council. PKK and PJAK are unique in the entire region in this aspect: no other opposition group or indeed representational legislature or governing party comes near them in terms of women’s participation, representation and equality. After all who would expect that current Islamic state of Iran would have any respect for women? Women are being stoned to death in this country never mind being represented at the so-called parliament. Many Kurdish women find their way to join PJAK not only because of that backwards state’s attitude towards woman but also because of the feudal mentality of the prevailing culture.

It is not surprising that five members of PJAK were hanged just three days after Iran’s foreign minister visited Turkey. In the past few years both Turkey and Iran, the very old enemies, came together to make certain plans to get rid of PKK. Co-operative cross border operations against PJAK and PKK are everyday events of Kurdish freedom fighters, and non-combatant Kurdish villagers are frequently killed in these operations. Both Iran and Turkey for many years violated international agreements by crossing over inside Iraqi southern Kurdistan. Both the US and EU has turned a blind eye to these illegal border operations and also to the shelling and bombing of remote Kurdish villagers and their livelihoods. Nor is this state terror mentioned in the mainstream media.

So is the enemy of my enemy my friend? No, not at all in this case, both PKK and PJAK are on the USA’s list of terrorist organisations. I suppose the US government would prefer a puppet Kurdish movement, or “good Kurds” and to tell them what to do, what to say, when they should attack Iran and so on. But PJAK and its leadership were not going to have any of that. Their message to the US was clear: ‘if you are looking for puppet freedom movement you are in the wrong place’. It is a funny world that we are living in now. Do the citizens of the US or EU know that the Kurds who are fighting for their basic human rights inside middle east are called terrorists? Bear in mind that PJAK has never conducted operations outside of Iran.

Recently a French student who was facing the death sentence in Iran was freed by the Iranian state after intense negotiations. The French foreign minister was very happy to pose for a few photo opportunities with the French. Kurds rejoice that the girl is now free and back with her family, but Farzad, Ali, Farhad, Shirin, and Mehdi are dead now. Did the French minister say anything in memory of those Kurdish martyrs? France has many questions to answer about their involvement with the Ayatollah Khomeini and Iran.

Whatever enmity that exists between the Iranian leaders and the US, and among the woeful collection of rogue and terrorist states that attempts to rule Kurdistan, seems more dilute, more surmountable, more friendly when it comes to their common dealings with Kurds. For the Kurdish nation a different adage remains true: No Friends but the Mountains. PJAK and the Kurdish nation will carry on working towards their goal of a free, democratic Kurdistan, Iran and Middle East. This is the objective of the Kurdish people, as it was for Farzad, Ali, Farhad, Shirin, and Mehdi. We won’t forget them.

Latif Serhildan is PhD student in UCC, on Kurdish rural depopulation in Turkey, Department of Sustainable livelihoods.

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