Kosrat dlshad Mohammed – Activists
In my opinion, that Kurdish proverb that says, ‘Hold your own hat so the wind doesn’t take it !’ is one of the worst Kurdish proverbs,because it’s in the interests of the rulers and the oppressors,
It encourages you to be silent, coward and reserved- to consider people’s suffering as none of your concern! That means it will make you to become an ugly, selfish person !
It is a proverb that surrenders individuals in society to oppressive and unjust forces.”
Go and read the entire history and experience of developed nations, and find out what their progress — and their attainment of a life without basic issues like water and electricity shortages — was rooted in? Hunger has been the biggest reason. Whenever they were hungry, they rebelled against the authorities. They did not remain silent in the face of oppression, nor did they hold onto their own hats. Don’t you tell me — how can a hungry person stay silent?!
In the Kurdistan Region, for 34 years, we have been constantly starved and oppressed by two families of gangsters and plunderers. And when I say ‘starved,’ I don’t just mean hunger in the stomach. That is actually very trivial; it is a temptation of food that you must handle wisely so it doesn’t tempt you and make you a slave to desire
Hunger also includes shaking hands and kissing with the death hundreds of times until you reach Sulaymaniyah or Erbil. Besides monopolizing freedom, you don’t see any decent, modern roads or highways that deserve you.
Hunger also includes the lack of salaries, electricity, water, and a decent internet connection. Yet despite all these different forms of hunger — unlike advanced nations — we have rejected rebellion and chosen silence!
Only a small group of teachers, journalists, activists and people rebelled against the power of PUK and KDP. The rest of the other people, when you ask them why you have no reaction against these oppressors,in their response,they either choose silence or openly say (brother,loose lips sink ships and Hold on to your own hat so the wind doesn’t take it)!
But unfortunately, the people are unaware that the oppressive storm of the two ruling families hasn’t just taken their hats – it has also taken their dignity,wealth and humanity too!
The opposite of rebellion is submission and slavery. You have thousands of reasons to rise up and rebel against the PUK and KDP,
But if you stay silent and say nothing, you begin to step into slavery and become subject to whatever the authorities choose to do to you.
The main problem here is that, to a large extent, the majority of people have abandoned the spirit of confrontation and speaking out — they have become slaves to power.
Here, the misery faces the rebel minority. Therefore, the life of rebels will not be happy even for a moment. They are not safe, neither in their thoughts nor in their daily lives. They are either kidnapped in front of their college, or killed in their mother’s hug, or arrested and Kurdistan turned into a prison for them, or forced to leave the country.
The poet Barez speaks very beautifully in describing the people of the Kurdistan region, saying:
Oh poor Kurdish nation, do you know why you are poor,destitute and neglected?
Because you never rebel, and you are still in a deep, comfortable sleep!
You are the generation of Salahdin and the generation of Qahi Peshawai!
But you are a prisoner of an unjust government!
The sun of your hope set but you are still in the darkness of the night!
Your circumstances have been bad — don’t you feel embarrassed to be in this situation?
You have chosen silence and you are without bread, water and air!
As long as you remain silent, of course you will stay at the same level!
Your value to the government is nothing – just like this dot and line!
They don’t count you (consider you) like a zero after the comma !
The ancestors said it beautifully: you are exactly like that old proverb!
They say if a nation is a sheep then a donkey will be the leader!
