California Kurds Condemn IS, Call for More Western Support
By Joshua Thaisen 15 hours ago
A protester at the LA demonstration. Photo by author.
A protester at the LA demonstration. Photo by author.
LOS ANGELES – American Kurds are publicly condemning the presence of Islamic State (IS/ISIS) forces in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan Region and pleading for more military support and humanitarian relief from the West.
In outrage at the IS treatment of Kurdish Yezidis, the Kurdish Human Rights Advocacy Group (KHRAG) and the Kurdish Community of Southern California organized a joint demonstration of hundreds of people across Los Angeles and San Diego this week.
“Down, down ISIS! Long live Kurdistan!” chanted protestors in LA, gathered before the Federal Bureau of Consular Affairs.
KHRAG issued a statement expressing its own outrage.
“We call on the US government, the United Nations, all relief organizations and Western governments to organize expeditious and efficient emergency humanitarian assistance to Yezidis,” the statement said.
“It is our duty to defend and protect the Yezidis. We cannot let an ancient people and their cultural heritage and religion be vanquished by the dark forces of history,” it added.
The general consensus within the Californian Kurdish community is that IS is a terrorist organization, endorsed by Islamic nations surrounding Kurdistan.
“ISIS is a terrorist organization that is not just threatening Yezidis, Kurds, and Christians, but everybody in the region! They need to be stopped!” said Kurdish American Nyma Ardalan, who attended the LA protest.
IS fighters have reportedly kidnapped hundreds of Yezidi women in recent weeks. It is feared that many have been sexually abused, murdered and reduced to slavery.
“I’m incredibly concerned as a women, but not just because of the IS’s barbaric abuse and viewpoints toward the treatment of women,” said women’s rights activist Clara Moradian, who was also at the demonstration.
“In Nigeria when 250 young women were kidnapped the world was outraged, but I feel like the silence the world is showing towards the women that have been kidnapped now is incredibly disheartening. I want to bring awareness to their plight,” she added.
Many Kurds at the protest believed the United States has a duty toward the Kurdish people because many of the weapons that IS has stolen were supplied to the Iraqi military by the United States.
“A lot of the weapons in the hands of IS are US made,” Moradian noted. “I think the US is responsible and needs to intervene and make sure those weapons aren’t in the hands of terrorists. A lot of Americans don’t realize that they are implicated in this war, as US tax money is going toward destroying Kurdish land.”
Questions have been raised as to whether Peshmerga forces are independently up to the task of defending Kurdistan against the militants.
“Yes they can, but at what cost? They need more international support and arms,” said Ardalan. “My problem is that the Kurds were prevented from getting any significant equipment to battle ISIS; the Iraqi government prevented Kurds form arming themselves.”
Kurdish women’s rights activist Soraya Fallah, who also attended the protest, said: “As a women who is very outspoken against genocide I am really concerned. If any genocides happen on earth I stand with them (the victims) because I’m pro-human rights and I believe we should all feel the same. I believe we should ask for help. We should be united inside Kurdistan. The international community should help us and hear our voice.”
Last week, KHRAG launched a petition addressed to the White House and the UN secretary General. It seeks 500 signatures to raise awareness of the humanitarian aid needed by Kurdish refugees and is half way to achieving its target.http://rudaw.net/english/world/13082014
another great coverage on our protest
Attention
Dear friends and democracy lovers
A Peaceful Demonstration Will be held in front of the Federal building in Westwood onTuesday, August 12th from 11:30am to 2:30 PM(tomorrow)
This protest is to show our
Support for Kurdistan and all those affected by the atrocities in Northern Iraq. We are also calling for an immediate action against Daesh (ISIS) for the genocide they are carrying out. We call on the international community to support Kurds and protect Ezidi Kurds in Kurdistan and we urge the US and UN to take immediate action to provide assistance.
Please spread the word and invite friends..
The IS Genocidal War against Ezadis Kurds and the Plea for the US and International Relief and Protection
Press Release August 12, 2014
The immense suffering of the Yazd Kurds has reached such colossal and unprecedented levels of death, destruction, displacement, and despair that is now being appropriately called ethnic and religious cleansing. After the vicious onslaught of the Islamic State terrorists on Shingal ( Arabic Sanjar) and Zumar, and other Kurdish towns and villages, hundreds of Yazidis ( followers of an ancient Kurdish pre-Islamic faith with rich musical and oral traditions) Kurds and other religious minorities were massacred; a mass grave of 500 was just recently found; hundreds had reportedly been buried alive; hundreds of women have been kidnapped as war booties and reduced to slaves; the ensuing terror had caused a mass exodus of over 65000 traumatized women, children, and men who in the intense and unbearable heat of the Nineveh desert fled, many to Duhok, tens of thousands to the nearby mountain of Sanjar Mountain where hundreds of children and elderly have died of
starvation and dehydration, For those who had stayed behind or could not flee in time, it is a doomed fate: either conversion to Islam or decapitation.
The barbaric attack eventually prompted the United States to respond to the grave urgency of this human tragedy to conduct and deliver humanitarian aid and launch airstrikes against IS to protect the displaced people and American citizens in Kurdistan. While 20000 to 30000 have been reportedly taken to safety through dangerous rescue operations, and some relief aid has been transported and dropped on the barren mountain range, there are still thousands trapped in the barren mountains. As reported by CNN, the need for food and water is much greater than so far provided and would require a more concerted and organized relief operation. An all-out international relief effort has to be initiated to save the tens of thousands who are still trapped without any food, water, or shelter.
We as Kurdish Americans in solidarity with the victims of this great tragedy, express our support for the US government’s humanitarian relief operations. We appreciate and support our government’s effort in providing military support to the Kurdish security forces (Peshmergas) to fight the IS and to providing assistance to the tens of thousands of displaced Yazidis who are living under deplorable conditions; however, as President Obama has recently stressed the magnitude of the tragedy calls for a more concerted and sustained effort and commitment to protect both the lives of innocent and defenseless displaced people and American citizens who live in Erbil. Although the Kurdish Regional Government is actively trying to help the displaced population, its resources have been exhausted by the presence of over one million refugees who had previously taken sanctuary in the area. The current needs of the refugees far exceed the ability of Kurdish Regional
Government; as a corollary, global involvement and response is imperative, even for those who have been lucky enough to reach relative safety in overcrowded camps with acute shortages of food and medical supplies.
A state of emergency prevails in Kurdish regions as the Islamic State continues to threaten not only those stranded on the mountains but other Kurdish areas . We call on the US government, the United Nations, all relief organizations, and Western governments to organize expeditious and efficient emergency humanitarian assistance to Yazidis and ensure their protection against a common enemy. Only an increased and a much more needed commitment to international solidarity and collective moral responsibility can save the Yazidi Kurds and other ethnic and religious groups from the monstrosity of Islamic State. It is our duty to defend and protect the Yazidis. We cannot let an ancient people and their cultural heritage and religion be vanquished by the dark forces of history.
Kurdish Human Rights Advocacy Group, Kurdish Community of Southern California
By Joshua Thaisen 15 hours ago
A protester at the LA demonstration. Photo by author.
A protester at the LA demonstration. Photo by author.
LOS ANGELES – American Kurds are publicly condemning the presence of Islamic State (IS/ISIS) forces in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan Region and pleading for more military support and humanitarian relief from the West.
In outrage at the IS treatment of Kurdish Yezidis, the Kurdish Human Rights Advocacy Group (KHRAG) and the Kurdish Community of Southern California organized a joint demonstration of hundreds of people across Los Angeles and San Diego this week.
“Down, down ISIS! Long live Kurdistan!” chanted protestors in LA, gathered before the Federal Bureau of Consular Affairs.
KHRAG issued a statement expressing its own outrage.
“We call on the US government, the United Nations, all relief organizations and Western governments to organize expeditious and efficient emergency humanitarian assistance to Yezidis,” the statement said.
“It is our duty to defend and protect the Yezidis. We cannot let an ancient people and their cultural heritage and religion be vanquished by the dark forces of history,” it added.
The general consensus within the Californian Kurdish community is that IS is a terrorist organization, endorsed by Islamic nations surrounding Kurdistan.
“ISIS is a terrorist organization that is not just threatening Yezidis, Kurds, and Christians, but everybody in the region! They need to be stopped!” said Kurdish American Nyma Ardalan, who attended the LA protest.
IS fighters have reportedly kidnapped hundreds of Yezidi women in recent weeks. It is feared that many have been sexually abused, murdered and reduced to slavery.
“I’m incredibly concerned as a women, but not just because of the IS’s barbaric abuse and viewpoints toward the treatment of women,” said women’s rights activist Clara Moradian, who was also at the demonstration.
“In Nigeria when 250 young women were kidnapped the world was outraged, but I feel like the silence the world is showing towards the women that have been kidnapped now is incredibly disheartening. I want to bring awareness to their plight,” she added.
Many Kurds at the protest believed the United States has a duty toward the Kurdish people because many of the weapons that IS has stolen were supplied to the Iraqi military by the United States.
“A lot of the weapons in the hands of IS are US made,” Moradian noted. “I think the US is responsible and needs to intervene and make sure those weapons aren’t in the hands of terrorists. A lot of Americans don’t realize that they are implicated in this war, as US tax money is going toward destroying Kurdish land.”
Questions have been raised as to whether Peshmerga forces are independently up to the task of defending Kurdistan against the militants.
“Yes they can, but at what cost? They need more international support and arms,” said Ardalan. “My problem is that the Kurds were prevented from getting any significant equipment to battle ISIS; the Iraqi government prevented Kurds form arming themselves.”
Kurdish women’s rights activist Soraya Fallah, who also attended the protest, said: “As a women who is very outspoken against genocide I am really concerned. If any genocides happen on earth I stand with them (the victims) because I’m pro-human rights and I believe we should all feel the same. I believe we should ask for help. We should be united inside Kurdistan. The international community should help us and hear our voice.”
Last week, KHRAG launched a petition addressed to the White House and the UN secretary General. It seeks 500 signatures to raise awareness of the humanitarian aid needed by Kurdish refugees and is half way to achieving its target.http://rudaw.net/english/world/13082014
another great coverage on our protest
KURDISH-AMERICANS DEMONSTRATE, PLEAD FOR U.S. SUPPORT FOR KURDS
LOS ANGELES -- A group of Kurdish demonstrators gathered in front of the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles on Tuesday imploring the United States to assist the Kurdish people with humanitarian relief and military support in order to establish their independence and to help them thwart the impending genocide and violence being wrought upon them by the Islamic State in Iraq.
Dozens of Kurds held up flags and signs calling for an end to ISIS, while showing glimmers of an optimism which has yet to be realized by way of the formation of an independent Kurdistan.
Chants of "Down, down ISIS! Long live Kurdistan!" filled the atmosphere on the browning lawns of the federal building. Similar rallies were also held elsewhere win Southern California, including San Diego.
San Salih, an American Kurd who is originally from Iraq, expressed his frustrations to Breitbart News as he noted that the Kurdish people "are [one of] the largest ethnic minority [groups]in the world without a country; 15 million plus:"
We really want ISIS out of Iraq. They were in Syria and now they're in Iraq. We need them out. We are the closest allies to the United States. We would like Kurdistan to be independent so we can freely go back and travel and become an ally to the United States and elsewhere in that region; a region of instability and uncertainty.
Soraya Fallah, an Iranian-Kurdish human rights activist and researcher, who has been living in America since 2000, was also present at the demonstration. She spoke to Breitbart News humbly and briefly of her life, noting that she was arrested several times in Iran and underwent tremendous physical and emotional torture for her activism; going so far as suffering the miscarriage of her first child while behind bars.
"For a long time, [the] Kurdish [people] have been persecuted in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. I had to run, I had to escape the country," Soraya said. She first fled to Russia, then went to Denmark, before arriving in the United States.
A documentary called For Kurdistan provides a brief glimpse into Soraya's life as an activist.
Both San and Soraya noted the importance of aid from both Israel and the United States, which have proven for years to be allies to the Kurdish people. They also emphasized that Israel was the first nation to put itr weight and support behind the Kurds should they declare independence in the aftermath of the horrors being brought forth by the brutality of the Islamic State militia.
San drew upon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent remarks supporting Kurdish independence. "The Israeli government and Israeli forces have always been in support of the Kurds. We have a lot of Kurdish people still in Israel...They have key positions, military positions and so forth. Things are very good there," San said, his eyes shielded from the sun with opaque black sunglasses.
United States Secretary of State John Kerry took on quite the opposite stance during a visit to the Kurdish region of northeastern Iraq, where he urged the Kurds not to break away.
Speaking with Breitbart News Network on Wednesday, Michael Rubin, a foreign policy scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, described Kerry's role with regard to Iran during the Kurdish issue as "being willfully naive. John Kerry is Ayatollah Khamenei's wet dream; a useful idiot with whom Iran can have its way," he said.
Soraya said of the United Nations: "In this moment, I believe they delay [too] much. I think they are not acting very well. This is the time that [the] Kurds need the United Nations...we really need humanitarian help.
Attention
Dear friends and democracy lovers
A Peaceful Demonstration Will be held in front of the Federal building in Westwood onTuesday, August 12th from 11:30am to 2:30 PM(tomorrow)
This protest is to show our
Support for Kurdistan and all those affected by the atrocities in Northern Iraq. We are also calling for an immediate action against Daesh (ISIS) for the genocide they are carrying out. We call on the international community to support Kurds and protect Ezidi Kurds in Kurdistan and we urge the US and UN to take immediate action to provide assistance.
Please spread the word and invite friends..
The IS Genocidal War against Ezadis Kurds and the Plea for the US and International Relief and Protection
Press Release August 12, 2014
The immense suffering of the Yazd Kurds has reached such colossal and unprecedented levels of death, destruction, displacement, and despair that is now being appropriately called ethnic and religious cleansing. After the vicious onslaught of the Islamic State terrorists on Shingal ( Arabic Sanjar) and Zumar, and other Kurdish towns and villages, hundreds of Yazidis ( followers of an ancient Kurdish pre-Islamic faith with rich musical and oral traditions) Kurds and other religious minorities were massacred; a mass grave of 500 was just recently found; hundreds had reportedly been buried alive; hundreds of women have been kidnapped as war booties and reduced to slaves; the ensuing terror had caused a mass exodus of over 65000 traumatized women, children, and men who in the intense and unbearable heat of the Nineveh desert fled, many to Duhok, tens of thousands to the nearby mountain of Sanjar Mountain where hundreds of children and elderly have died of
starvation and dehydration, For those who had stayed behind or could not flee in time, it is a doomed fate: either conversion to Islam or decapitation.
The barbaric attack eventually prompted the United States to respond to the grave urgency of this human tragedy to conduct and deliver humanitarian aid and launch airstrikes against IS to protect the displaced people and American citizens in Kurdistan. While 20000 to 30000 have been reportedly taken to safety through dangerous rescue operations, and some relief aid has been transported and dropped on the barren mountain range, there are still thousands trapped in the barren mountains. As reported by CNN, the need for food and water is much greater than so far provided and would require a more concerted and organized relief operation. An all-out international relief effort has to be initiated to save the tens of thousands who are still trapped without any food, water, or shelter.
We as Kurdish Americans in solidarity with the victims of this great tragedy, express our support for the US government’s humanitarian relief operations. We appreciate and support our government’s effort in providing military support to the Kurdish security forces (Peshmergas) to fight the IS and to providing assistance to the tens of thousands of displaced Yazidis who are living under deplorable conditions; however, as President Obama has recently stressed the magnitude of the tragedy calls for a more concerted and sustained effort and commitment to protect both the lives of innocent and defenseless displaced people and American citizens who live in Erbil. Although the Kurdish Regional Government is actively trying to help the displaced population, its resources have been exhausted by the presence of over one million refugees who had previously taken sanctuary in the area. The current needs of the refugees far exceed the ability of Kurdish Regional
Government; as a corollary, global involvement and response is imperative, even for those who have been lucky enough to reach relative safety in overcrowded camps with acute shortages of food and medical supplies.
A state of emergency prevails in Kurdish regions as the Islamic State continues to threaten not only those stranded on the mountains but other Kurdish areas . We call on the US government, the United Nations, all relief organizations, and Western governments to organize expeditious and efficient emergency humanitarian assistance to Yazidis and ensure their protection against a common enemy. Only an increased and a much more needed commitment to international solidarity and collective moral responsibility can save the Yazidi Kurds and other ethnic and religious groups from the monstrosity of Islamic State. It is our duty to defend and protect the Yazidis. We cannot let an ancient people and their cultural heritage and religion be vanquished by the dark forces of history.
Kurdish Human Rights Advocacy Group, Kurdish Community of Southern California
