Turkey's century-long experience on the Kurdish issue has shown us this: When fear is preferred over trust and denial over equality, neither unity is strengthened nor suffering ends. It is now clear that there can be no solution without naming the problem.
The Kurdish issue, one of Turkey's deepest and longest-lasting problems, is largely characterized by mutual distrust and “fear of division” around fear. This fear shaped not only state policies but also the minds of large segments of society. Yet the experience of the last hundred years shows that policies based on fear have neither strengthened unity nor relieved suffering.
Today we are still faced with this fundamental question:
Can there be a solution without naming it?
The Essence of a Hundred Years of Struggle: The Demand for Existence
When we look at the essence of the Kurdish struggle over the last century, we see that it is essentially a struggle for existence, recognition and acceptance. This struggle has often been misinterpreted, compressed into a security lens and often “threat of partition” interpreted as.
But historical reality is more nuanced.
If the main goal of large segments of Kurdish society was to secede:
There was no coexistence with the Turks for over a thousand years,
millions of mixed marriages would not have taken place,
they did not die together in the same army, on the same fronts.
This deep intertwining of social life shows that at the core of the issue is the demand for equal citizenship and recognition of identity rather than the desire for a rupture.
The Heavy Legacy of the Period of Denial
The periods of denial of Kurdish identity in Turkey's recent history are one of the most important sources of the insecurity we experience today.
Once upon a time:
“Even the pronunciation of the word ”Kurd" in public space was considered a problem,
Kurdish was excluded from public visibility,
In different periods, de facto and de jure bans on speaking Kurdish were imposed.
Former minister Şerafettin Elçi “I am Kurdish” The fact that he was put on trial and imprisoned for saying "I am not a terrorist" was one of the symbolic breaking moments of this period. This incident made it clear that the issue was not only a security crisis but also a crisis of recognition.
The September 12 bans on the use of the Kurdish language in public and even private spheres created a deep trauma in large segments of society. Contrary to expectations, the state's all-powerful assimilation policies did not eradicate Kurdish identity; on the contrary, they reinforced the consciousness of identity.
The Limits of Assimilation and the Stance of Kurdish Society
Perhaps the clearest conclusion of a hundred years of experience is this:
Policies of forced simplification have not produced a lasting solution.
Despite paying a heavy price, the Kurdish community has shown a strong social reflex to protect its identity. This has repeatedly demonstrated that the issue must be addressed not through security measures, but through democratic policies of recognition and equality.
At the point reached today, both the state mind and society need to face this reality:
Denial did not solve it.
Pressure did not solve it.
Assimilation did not solve it.
It is therefore unrealistic to expect that repeating the same methods at different doses will produce different results.
Fear of Partition: Fact or Trauma?
One of the strongest psychological barriers hindering the resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey is the paranoia of division. For many years, this anxiety has dominated the state and a significant part of society:
“If language and democratic rights are granted, the country will be divided.”
However, sociological data from the last century shows that there is no automatic confirmation of this assumption. Many examples from around the world show that recognizing identity rights does not always lead to division; on the contrary, in many cases it strengthens belonging.
In the case of Turkey, we need to ask the following question:
Is true unity strengthened by fear, or by equality and voluntary belonging?
This question has now reached a threshold that cannot be postponed.
A New Language, Building a New Trust
What is needed today is not to rehash old debates, but to build a new ground of trust.
For this
Putting the right name to the issue,
not to deny historical suffering,
to embody the principle of equal citizenship,
guarantee cultural and linguistic rights
as inevitable steps.
Taking these steps is critical not only for Kurds but also for the integrity and democratization of Turkey.
Conclusion: No Solution Without a Name
Turkey's Kurdish issue is too deep-rooted and socialized to be managed by denial, postponement or a security perspective alone.
One hundred years of experience tells us this:
The politics of fear lost.
Denial fostered mistrust.
Assimilation deepened the social wound.
A bolder confrontation is needed now.
Because we cannot really solve any problem that we do not name.
And perhaps this is precisely the biggest threshold ahead for Turkey:
To step out of the shadow of fear and build a common future on trust.
As the author of these lines, throughout my nearly thirty years of journalism and more than half a century of my life, I have advocated for social peace in this country; I have opposed every shedding of fraternal blood without discriminating between the victims. The common aspect of the books, novels, articles and news reports I have written has been the effort to strengthen the language of peace, not conflict.
This stance has not been without its costs. During the February 28 process, I was labeled and deprived of public rights; later, during the TRT process, I was similarly excluded despite the exams I won. However, despite all these experiences, I have never stepped back from my stance for peace, law and justice.
Because I believe that this country must move forward not with fear, but with trust; not with denial, but with recognition; not with conflict, but with law and democracy.