The Human Rights and Legal Affairs Department of HÜDA PAR (Free Cause Party) organized a workshop titled “Humanitarian Solution to the Kurdish Issue” in Van, a Kurdish majority city in eastern Türkiye.

The event, structured in three sessions, concluded with the release of a final declaration. The Kurdish version was read by the party’s Erbil Representative, Abdussamed Yalçın, and the Turkish version by Deputy Chairman Mahmut Şahin.

Citing the Qur’anic verse, “O you who believe! Be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah…” (Surah al-Ma’idah, 8), the final declaration presented the following points:

The declaration identified the Kurdish issue as one of Türkiye's most fundamental challenges, deeply affecting its social, political, and cultural fabric. It emphasized that the matter cannot be reduced to a mere security or public order problem but is a profound, historical, and multidimensional issue.

It highlighted that historically contiguous Kurdish lands were divided among four different states in the past century. This division meant that a potential source of richness—the coexistence of diverse cultures, languages, and faiths—was instead suppressed by nationalist and exclusionary state policies, leading to assimilation, displacement, and oppression.

“The Kurds, with their history, faith, traditions, and cultural heritage, are an essential and original component of this region,” the statement read. “For centuries, they have shared a common destiny with other peoples, contributing significantly to scholarship and governance. Their medrese tradition, in particular, enriched the region’s cultural and spiritual fabric.”

The declaration criticized the republican-era policies of denial and assimilation, which it stated targeted Kurdish identity, language, and culture, leaving deep wounds in the social memory. It called for a critical reassessment of the exclusionary and monolithic approaches that have intellectually and legally suppressed diversity.

“The solution to the Kurdish issue lies in uniting historical truths, human sensitivity, and a justice-centered approach on common ground. The source of the problem is not the people, but the oppressive mindset that suppresses the people’s will and legitimate rights. Therefore, a lasting solution can only be achieved through dialogue, negotiation, and mutual understanding, free from violence.”

The declaration noted that HÜDA PAR held its first workshop in Diyarbakır on February 15–16, and the second in Van on October 25, 2025, with the aim of fostering a humane and just resolution by bringing all segments of society together around shared values.

It concluded with the following ten main findings and recommendations:

1. Constitutional Protection: The Kurdish people’s language, identity, and culture must be constitutionally protected, and all forms of discrimination and assimilationist policies must end. Mother tongue rights must be recognized as a fundamental human right, and Kurdish—spoken by millions—should receive full legal protection. All legal and practical barriers to living freely with a Kurdish identity must be removed.

2. Regional Dimension: The Kurdish issue concerns not only Türkiye but also the broader peace, stability, and fraternity of all countries where Kurds live. Therefore, any viable solution must take these regional realities into account.

3. Shift in Framework: The issue must be moved beyond a security-based approach and reframed within a context grounded in rights, justice, and brotherhood.

4. Embrace Diversity: The understanding that diversity is a blessing, not a threat, must be strengthened. All bans on languages—described as among the signs of Allah—should be lifted. Society must firmly reject exclusionary rhetoric and behavior, recognizing the unifying power of linguistic diversity as a source of richness, as demonstrated in other countries.

5. Broader Significance: Resolving the Kurdish issue is not only the key to domestic peace but is also essential for regional stability and the revival of a shared consciousness within the Islamic Ummah.

6. Educational Model: The “Medresetü’z-Zehra” vision of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi remains an inspiring model for resolving the Kurdish issue. Allowing Kurdish youth to be educated in their mother tongue, while learning other languages, will enrich the Ummah’s shared knowledge base, turning diversity into strength. This vision represents not merely a local need but an Islamic ideal of revival.

7. Role of Scholars: Kurdish ulema (scholars) have long served as the moral and intellectual backbone of the region, upholding wisdom, knowledge, and justice. They stood for truth against oppression, knowledge against ignorance, and brotherhood against division. “Today, our duty is to revive that heritage,” the declaration stated, “and to open the gates of a new revival through knowledge, wisdom, and the warmth of faith.”

8. Historical Recognition: The Kurds played an essential role in the War of Independence and the founding of the Republic, standing at the forefront of national defense and reconstruction. However, the denial and exclusion policies of the Kemalist rule after the Republic’s establishment fractured this shared struggle. Recognizing this historical truth and acknowledging Kurds as a founding element of the Republic is both a demand of justice and a requirement of brotherhood.

9. Disarmament Process: The ongoing “PKK Disarmament / Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative has implications beyond Türkiye, affecting Kurdish populations in Iran, Iraq, and Syria, as well as all peoples of the region. The PKK's disarmament would remove a major obstacle to resolving the Kurdish issue. Success in this process would strengthen regional brotherhood, stability, and prosperity, while failure risks new divisions, distrust, and foreign intervention. Therefore, the process must proceed seriously and resolutely to establish a positive peace and the "law of brotherhood."

10. Unconditional Rights: Efforts to resolve the issue must ensure that legitimate rights are met unconditionally and not used as bargaining chips. Such steps will reinforce, not weaken, Kurdish-Turkish brotherhood.

The declaration concluded by underscoring that a just resolution to the Kurdish issue is indispensable to Türkiye’s vision of unity and strength, calling for collective commitment to dialogue, justice, and mutual respect. (ILKHA)