We Kurds have built the Kurdistan of today with the blood of our martyrs and through many long years of struggle and sacrifice. The region that many countries abroad refer to simply as the “Kurdistan Region” is, in reality, the result of decades of resistance, perseverance, and dedication by the Kurdish people.
The Kurdish people have achieved this level of self-administration through their own strength and by relying on the collective will of their nation. Few nations in the world have endured such a scale of struggle and sacrifice merely to secure even a portion of their fundamental rights. At the same time, many of the borders of neighboring states were not drawn according to the will of their peoples; rather, they were determined behind closed doors through unjust political agreements. Lines were drawn across lands and then simply labeled as borders.
In particular, the four states across which Kurdistan has been divided often view the Kurds with suspicion and accusation, as if the Kurds were occupiers or separatists. In reality, however, if we speak in terms of rights and justice, the Kurdish people possess a stronger claim than many others to have their own country and borders—borders that genuinely reflect their historical and national rights, rather than artificial lines created by political decisions.
Today, the Middle East has become the center of attention for major world powers. Their interests largely revolve around investments, oil and gas resources, trade routes, and military bases. Yet for many years the Kurds have faced these same geopolitical realities without ever becoming a central priority in the strategic interests of those powers.
If the current political and strategic transformations unfolding in the Middle East continue, it is not impossible that the region’s existing borders may eventually be reconsidered. The borders established under the Treaty of Lausanne may one day be reshaped or redefined. In such circumstances, there is hope that the Kurdish people will no longer remain in a position of vulnerability and injustice, and that the borders of Kurdistan may finally be clearly recognized—enabling the Kurdish nation to become the rightful owner of an independent state.
At the same time, if the day comes when the Kurds possess their own sovereign state, it has the potential to become one of the most inclusive and stable countries in the Middle East—one where different nations, cultures, and religions living within its borders can coexist in peace, equality, and mutual respect.
As a well-known saying goes:
“If you wish to understand the suffering of the Kurds, be a Kurd for just one day.”
In the end, it often feels as though simply being Kurdish is treated as if it were a crime. Yet the truth is that being Kurdish is not a crime; rather, it represents a history marked by hardship, struggle, suffering, and pride.