Page 317 - America's Failure to Perceive the PKK

youngsters of the region were given an educational style with large-
ly leftist tendencies that generally remain aloof from religion. By
doing so, a sort of affected culture in which leftist discourses prevail
was developed. The decrease in the rate of religiousness among Kur-
dish youngsters is one of the tragic results brought about by this
method. Some of the new generation Kurdish youth were brought up

according to this mindset and as a result of this erroneous education
they've been given, they were left in the middle of the "irreligious-
ness-Kurdish ethnocentrism-PKK" axis. These young people are
enraged by events that took place in the past even though they are
well aware of the fact that the solution is not to be found in the PKK.
Yet because the common understanding of religiosity that bound the
Kurdish communities to our state for years has been interrupted,

they tended involuntarily towards the PKK.
In the following pages of this book, the subject of education will
be explained more comprehensively. However here we need to focus

on the education policy developed aiming at the youngsters in this
situation. The existence of tribes that symbolize strong family ties is
very nice and these tribes are the ornaments of our Southeast
region. Overcoming the harm caused by the feudal system, one
that compelled many youngsters in these tribes to go to the

Beautiful scenery from the
Great Mosque in Diyarbakır.
Top left: An amazingly
beautiful Kurdish child.

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