in Focus : Kurdistan: Nation of Mem Û Zin Or Beko Awan?

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: In Focus : Kurdistan: Nation of Mem û Zin or Beko Awan? KurdishMedia.com - By Alan Kerim 27/07/2008 00:00:00 Turkey: A midwife for a Kurdish state? Sernameê name, name Ellah

The Kurds and Turkey Bê namê wi natemam e wellah

Corruption scandals threaten to This writing begins in the name of God destabilise Iraqi Kurdistan Without His Name, it would be only half completed In support of hunger strikers of Strasburg - France Mem û Zin, Chapter 1 Open Letter from Nawshirwan Ehmedê Xanî’s epic Mem û Zin is more than simply a famous achievement of Kurdish Mustafa to Gorran’s Parliamentarians in Kurdistan literature, it is, in the hearts and minds of many Kurds, a symbol of the Kurdish nation. Parliament This lengthy epic was written by Xanî in rhyming couplets in the 17th century in classical Kurdish exhibiting a great deal of Arabic influence, and contains a significant number of Nawshirwan Mustafa: The references to God and specifically Islam. In this epic, Mem and Zin fall in love with each Kurdish House Will Not Be Put other. The male protagonist, Mem, has a “love without equal (isqa bênezirê)” for Zin and in Order Through Social Niceties struggles with the confusion and emotional battle that is love, which Xanî describes in vivid and powerful detail. The 7th London Kurdish Film Festival Derdê dilê min ku bê dewa ye?

To fight corruption, Barzani Çesmê terê min çima cera ye? needs to clean house Why is the pain in my heart without cure? "My struggle of decades was in vain" – An objection to and an Why are my eyes wet and flowing with tears? obituary for an old Austrian Kurd Mem û Zin, Chapter 33 Bechtyar Ali in a Seminar in Despite his tireless efforts and noble intentions, Mem is never able to be together with his London love Zin due to a conspiracy perpetrated by the villain Bekir, variously described by Xanî About the Crisis in Kurdistan as “the evil Bekir (Bekirê seqi)” or “the mutinous, evil-seeking Bekir (Bekirê mufsid)”. Mem and Zin both die alone, and are buried together. Bekir is killed in retribution for his Dr. Shaho Saeed: The ruling evil actions, and a thorn bush grows out of his blood and divides the bodies of Mem and parties of the region have Zin, keeping the lovers separate in death even as they were in life. frankly declared that they have no proposals for reforms in Kurds have valued Xanî’s epic for centuries, both because it is a literary masterpiece in Kurdistan the Kurdish language and because it is seen as a metaphor for the division of Kurdistan. Monuments to Xanî, Mem, and Zin appear throughout the divided nation of Kurdistan, and Nawshirwan Mustafa: “The countless singers have invoked the plight of Mem and Zin when addressing the human political language that this lot emotion that is both very basic and rewarding and impossibly difficult and complicated, have used on this occasion indeed betrays regressive love. political thinking" Mem and Zin, two lovers with pure and noble hearts, are separated from each other by Statement by Gorran Movement the evil Bekir, just as the Kurdish nation has been victimized by its neighbors and divided about the Current Situation in into pieces. In today’s Kurdistan, artificial borders drawn by foreigners divide families and Kurdistan – Iraq towns into pieces and, as has been the case for far too long, the Kurdish nation seems to be at the mercy of a number of strong and malignant adversaries. Thus, is it no wonder What did the Kurdistan that the message of Mem û Zin resonates with the Kurdish nation, a nation that embraces Regional President say? this story as its own and celebrates it as a living symbol. Even now in some parts of Kurdistan, the term “Beko (shortened form of Bekir) Awan” is used to describe a Remarks to Lvin magazine malignant person. seminar

Free Habibollah Latifi! Solidarity The metaphorical value of the tale of Mem u Zin cannot be ignored. However, it seems with students in Iran! that perhaps many Kurds are forgetting the basic message of Mem û Zin. The epic may be a metaphor, but it is certainly also the story of two lovers, two young people with the Kurdish student's execution purest of intentions who were kept apart despite their best efforts due to circumstances halted in Iran: lawyer seemingly beyond their control. In most parts of today's Kurdistan, men and women are restricted in their ability to interact with one another. Indeed, it may be scandalous to Talabani: China’s “Special” certain families to even suggest that one of their unmarried daughters in her teens or Friend even twenties be allowed to travel alone. And beyond that, if she were to be seen simply www.kurdmedia.com/article.aspx?id=14948 1/2 Extradited men go on trial over sitting in public with a young man, it may ruin her reputation and that of her family's. 'honour killing' Indeed, many fathers and brothers would never think of allowing such behavior, and even today the threat of so-called “honor killing” is very real, with death being a single woman’s punishment for perceived crimes as simple as associating with a man or, even worse, developing feelings for him.

Women are not the only victims of Kurdish society’s unnatural and unhealthy attitude toward relationships. Men and women alike frequently find themselves forced into arranged or assisted marriages, often with distant relatives, which are acceptable to both families involved regardless of the feelings of the bride or the groom for each other. And thus, countless young men and women find themselves either living with a broken heart as a lover is forced into a marriage acceptable to his or her family or living in a the confines of an unhappy marriage which may make the families of the bride and groom happy but does not bring happiness to the couple, who are then expected to spend the rest of their lives together and start a family.

Ehmedê Xanî, a religious man of the 17th century was able to use all of his effort and artistic ability to praise the love of Mem and Zin, sympathize with the deep emotional struggle of the lovers, and vilify the actions of Bekir. However, in the Kurdistan of the 21st century, bizarre concepts of honor and shame, and a concern for reputation derived from these concepts make it likely that any love story may well end in a heartbreak, as did that of Mem and Zin.

The pressures of today’s Kurdish society forces one to ask if so many Kurds have embraced the story Mem û Zin while missing it’s point altogether. Indeed, despite the assertions of centuries of Kurds who have enjoyed this epic in so many ways, this society and its attitude towards love and relationships may indeed force one to conclude that Kurdistan is not the nation of Mem û Zin, but rather, the nation of Bekir.

KurdishMedia.com - By Alan Kerim 27/07/2008 00:00:00