200 Turkish intellectuals call for help to Kobane

ISTANBUL

Syrian Kurdish refugees wait after crossing the Turkish-Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruç in Şanlıurfa province. Reuters photo

Two hundred Turkish academics, writers and civil society activists issued a statement on Sept. 27, calling on the Turkish people as well as all international organizations, especially the United Nations, to take a strong position in defense of Kobane, which has been under siege of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

The statement is as follows:

"We believe that joining our voices to loudly condemn the atrocities committed by ISIL has become a requirement for peace and democracy in our region. The fact that ISIL receives support from some Muslims within and outside the region does not render this entity legitimate. In fact, for the overwhelming majority of Muslims the main concern should be the fact that ISIL is using religious values and symbols in its barbaric acts. ISIL, which emerged in the environment of social and political chaos in Iraq and Syria and extended it territorial control with the claims of establishing a caliphate order, is imposing a cruel fundamentalism and commits a myriad of crimes against humanity. It is massacring Shiites, Christians, Ezidis, all who do not accept to be subordinated to its own primitive creed. Its practices include raping women and selling them as slaves.

Through the power struggles in the Middle East, sectarian and radical Islam was tolerated and at times even supported. ISIL is a product of these political processes. Against the expressions of sectarianism, discrimination and violence in the name of any religion or sect, it is therefore all the more significant to embrace and defend secular political norms defined by the respect for peace and freedom for all.

We should not forget that a democratic political outlook that promotes the values of democracy and freedom is the only guarantee for the peaceful coexistence of different communities practicing their own religion.

It could not be overlooked that political calculations of Turkey had also a role in the development of this monstrous political formation created by the hegemonic powers, the USA in particular. Turkish government, while initiating negotiations with domestic Kurdish opposition, sought to stifle the political gains by the Syrian Kurds and collaborated with the reactionary elements in the Syrian opposition. The ISIL assault on Kobane marks the intersection of the regional crisis and domestic conflicts in Turkey. Turkish government could not absolve itself of its political responsibilities by providing humanitarian aid to the people of Kobane fleeing from ISIL.

We believe that we are obliged to oppose ISIL in the name of human values of peace and freedoms as well as for the defense of Kurdish rights. Those of us who live in Turkey feel particularly responsible to stand up against the attempts to strangle Kurds and expel them from their homes right across our border. At the moment, the position that Turkish government takes towards the attacks against Kobane constitutes a particularly serious threat to the peaceful solution of the Kurdish conflict in Turkey.

The recently launched military operation against ISIL should not divert our attention and lead us to forget the importance of solidarity with the threatened peoples of the region in general and the Kurds of Kobane in particular. The people of Kobane need our support and we need the values that enable the peaceful co-existence of different communities in Kobane. 

We therefore call Turkish people as well as all international organizations, the United Nations in particular, to take a strong position in defense of Kobane."


Signed by:
Akın Atalay
Aslıhan Gürbüz
Prof.Dr.Ayşe Buğra
Ayşe Günaysu
Ayşe Hür
Prof.Dr.Ayşe Erzan
Doç.Dr. Ayşe Gül Altınay
Ayşegül Devecioğlu
Doç.Dr.Ayşen Uysal
Prof.Dr. Ayla Zirh Gürsoy
Yard.Doç. Aylin Ünaldı
Ayhan Bilgen
Adem Yıldırım
Adnan Gerger
Aydın Erdoğan
Ahmet Say
Prof.Dr.Ahmet İnsel
Ahmet Tulgar
Prof.Dr.Ali Nesin
Ali Akay
Alper Açık
Prof.Dr.Arif Berberoğlu
Aydın Çubukçu
Aydın Engin
Doç.Dr.Ayşen Candaş
Azad Zal
Bahri Bayram Belen
Yrd.Doç.Barış Büyükokutan
Prof.Dr.Baskın Oran
Doç.Dr.Burcu Yakut-Cakar
Yrd.Doç.Bediz Yılmaz
Prof.Dr. Berna Kılıç
Prof.Dr. Betül Tanbay
Prof.Dr.Büşra Ersanlı
Cafer Solgun
Cansu Akbaş Demirel
Prof.Dr.Cem Terzi
Yrd.Doç.Ceren Özselçuk
Cevat Öneş
Cengiz Aktar
Cengiz Çandar
Celal Korkut Yıldırım
Celalattin Can
Çiğdem Demirci
Çiya Mazi
Defne Asal
Doç.Dr. Deniz Yükseker
Dennis Berk Simon
Elçin Aktoprak
Eren Keskin
Yrd. Doç. Erdem Yörük
Erdoğan Aydın
Erhan Yalçındağ
Erkan Can
Yrd.Doç.Esra Mungan
Eşber Yağmurdereli
Evren Hoşgör
Fahri Aral
Fehim Işık
Fehim Taşdekin
Prof.Dr.Ferhat Kentel
Prof.Dr.Ferhunde Özbay
Doç.Dr.Ferdan Ergut
Feridun Koç
Feryal Saygılıgil
Feryal Karakulak
Fethiye Çetin
Feyyaz Yaman
Doç.Dr.Fikret Başkaya
Prof.Dr.Fikret Adaman
Garo Paylan
Gaye Yılmaz
Gayi Boralıoğlu
Prof.Dr. Gencay Gürsoy
Gülten Kaya
Gün Zileli
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Prof.Dr.Hale Bolak Boratav
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Hayko Bağdat
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Hülya Gülbahar
Işın Eliçin
Prof.Dr. İbrahim Kaboğlu
İbrahim Betil
İbrahim Doğangül
İhsan Eliaçık
Prof.Dr.İrfan Açıkgöz
İshak Karakaş
Prof.Dr.İzzetin Önder
Jaklin Çelik
Prof.Dr.Jale Parla
Jülide Kural
Kaan Urgancıoğlu
Kani Beko (DİSK Gen.Bşk.)
Kaya Akkaya
Yrd.Doç. Kenan Ateş
Kemal Parlak
Kenan Kocatürk
Kenan Türkoğlu
Kerem Fırtına
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Doç.Dr.Koray Çalışkan
Korhan Gümüş
Lal Laleş
Lal Denizli
Lami Özgen ( KESK Gen.Bşk.)
Mahir Günşıray
Mehmet Faruk Kesici
Mehmet Rasgelener
Mehmet Ufuk Peker
Prof.Dr. Mehmet Türkay
Mehmet Ural, Melek Özman
Menderes Samancılar 
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Prof.Dr.Meryem Koray
Prof.Dr. Mine Eder
Murat Birdal
Prof.Dr. Murat Sevinç
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Yrd.Doç. Murat Koyuncu
Mustafa Sener
Müge Sökmen
Nazan Yaman
Nebahat Akkoç
Necmiye Alpay
Necati Abay
Neşe Erdilek
Prof.Dr.Nuray Mert
Doç.Dr.Nuri Ersoy
Prof.Dr.Nükhet Sirman
Orhan Alkaya
Orhan Esen
Orhan Silier
Osman Kavala
Osman İşçi
Oya Baydar
Oya Özarslan
Doç.Dr.Ozan Erözden
Prof.Dr.Öğet Öktem Tanör
Ömer Furkan Özdemir
Önder Çakar
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Prof.Dr. Selim Badur
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Doç.Dr. Semra Somersan
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Doç.Dr.Serra Müderrisoğlu
Prof.Dr. Serpil Sancar
Sevil Demirci
Prof.Dr. Seyfettin Gürsel
Seyfi Öngider
Prof.Dr.Sibel Irzık
Prof.Dr. Sibel İnceoğlu
Suavi
Şaban Akbaba
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Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı
Doç.Dr.Şebnem Oğuz
Prof.Dr. Şemsa Özar
Şilan Yıldız
Tan Morgül
Prof. Dr. Tahsin Yeşildere
Tayfun Mater
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Turgut Kazan
Tuncay Birkan
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Yasemin Ahi
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Prof.Dr.Zelal Ekinci
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Zeynep Tanbay
Doç.Dr.Zeynep Gambetti
Ziya Halis