In continuation of the policy of demographic change… the Turkish language invades northern Syria

Yamin Al-Khalid
Translated by: Hejar Abo

The Turkish occupation authorities are trying to impose their complete military and civil hegemony on the Kurdish city of Afrin and other areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo, following a policy of demographic change in order to obliterate and ideological Kurdish identity and manipulate its demographic structure. The Turkish occupation authorities seek to impose the Turkish language by teaching civilians voluntarily and compulsory.

Organizations and centers that contribute to the imposition of the Turkish language
Turkey uses organizations and education centers as tools to impose the Turkish language in the areas occupied by it. “Qasim al-Halabi” (a pseudonym for a civilian source residing in Afrin region who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons) told Aso News Network that many organizations operating in the region and centers Supported by the Turkish occupation authorities, it opens Turkish language courses in the Kurdish region of Afrin, and gives great attention to the Turkish language, in implementation of the agendas of the Turkish occupation authorities, especially the Yunis Emreh Center who teaches the Turkish language, the Riwad Organization and Raw’iya Organization, which are all licensed organizations in Turkey and supported by it.

The source added that the Ministry of Education, which is affiliated with the “Syrian Interim Government,” backed by the Turkish occupation government, imposes the Turkish language course in universities and its affiliated schools in all areas of Turkish influence in northern Syria.

These organizations and centers permanently hold courses to teach the Turkish language in all areas of Turkish influence, especially within the occupied Kurdish region of Afrin and its environs. These courses attract young men and women in particular, in addition to targeting the teaching staff and the youth active group in society. During these courses, sums of money are provided under the name of “allowance Attendance” is estimated at 15 US dollars for each day of attending the course.

Courses and initiatives to consolidate the Turkish language in the Kurdish city of Afrin
On February 22, the Yunis Emreh Center (a Turkish center specialized in teaching the Turkish language) held a Turkish language course inside the Kurdish city of Afrin. He learned the basics of the Turkish language with the aim of teahing it by young men and women, and this course is not the first of its kind by the center in the northern countryside of Aleppo, as it is clear through its advertisements on its official page on the “Facebook” platform that it offers courses in several areas such as Azaz and Al-Bab, as well as Universities affiliated with the “Syrian Interim Government” supported by the Turkish occupation government.

And the matter was not limited to the Turkish language within the activities of this center. On March 13, Yunis Emreh Center announced the launch of an exhibition of Arabic calligraphy in the Kurdish city of Afrin. According to the Center the course will last in the 20th of the current month, the exhibition will be held in Al-Mahmoudiya district inside the city of Afrin, specifically in one of the residential buildings on “Rajo Street.” The pictures published by the Center on its Facebook page showed the presence of dozens of civilians, young women and men, to view paintings and manuscripts written in Arabic.

“Riwad Organization” is active inside the Kurdish city of Afrin, as the organization completed an intensive course to teach the Turkish language in the Kurdish city of Afrin on February 12, and presented certificates to the young men and women participating in this course, which lasted for a whole month, according to the supervisor of the Turkish language courses in the city of Afrin, a member of the organization called “Jiwan Acree” confirmed during a report published by the organization that this session was very distinguished from its predecessors, which means that the organization had conducted several previous sessions inside Afrin, and “Jiwan Acree” described this session as being distinguished because it was intense, and that it had a great interaction by its participants.

“Al-Riwad” organization is one of the organizations operating in northern Syria, and it defines itself as focusing in its work on serving humanity in general and the Syrian society in particular, capacity building and empowering women, youth and adolescents.

In turn, what is known as the “Afrin City Local Council” which supported by the Turkish occupation government, is working to hold Turkish language courses annually for school teachers in the region, with the aim of forcing the learning of Turkish language in all schools within the areas of influence of the factions loyal to the Turkish occupation in the northern countryside of Aleppo
This council was created after the occupation of the city by Turkey and its military factions during Operation Olive Branch, which was launched on January 30, 2018. The council is administratively affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government backed by the Turkish occupation government.

On January 30, 2021, the Turkish occupation government inaugurated the Anatolia Center inside the city of Afrin, which is a center concerned with spreading the Turkish culture and language. It also attracts hundreds of students to study and learn the Turkish language in particular, in addition to the English language. On March 12, the center held an exam for dozens of students in the Turkish language for the first level, according to what the center published on its Facebook page.

Turkish universities expand in the northern countryside of Aleppo
the Turkish occupation government is working to expand its universities, which impose the Turkish language as a basic subject in them, in addition to the presence of the Turkish language as a basic subject in all universities, schools and for all educational levels. The Turkish Higher Education Council decided to expand the branches of Gaziantep University spread in Afrin, Al-Bab and Jarablus.
The Council decided to open new colleges in the region, including the College of the Turkish Language, on August 15, 2020.

During an investigation by Aso News Network, Khalid Al-Hussein (pseudonym), 32, a student at the Faculty of Science at Azaz University, said that the Turkish language is one of the basic subjects and there are a number of books for it during the school curriculum and it is taught by specialized teachers. And this article can’t be excluded because it is very important for the university administration.

Khalid added that he finds it very difficult to learn the Turkish language and it cannot be dispensed with or ignored, and that in the case of applying for any job, it is required to master the Turkish language.
At the end of August 2020, a private Turkish-language college was opened at the university, and it has its own headquarters and specialized teachers, including Turks, and the registration fees in this college are the least expensive compared to other colleges.

He pointed to Turkey’s desire to impose its language and teach it in universities as well as teach Turkish history (the Ottoman Caliphate), and there are many students who know the reality of Turkey’s policies aimed at changing the demographics of the region, but they have no other choice but to learn it because of its dominance over jobs and all aspects of public life. .

He denounces the change in the demographics of the region, especially within the Kurdish areas in and around occupied Afrin, expressing his fear of more Turkish domination of the region and a change in the region’s demographics.

Turkish language invades children’s schools too
At the beginning of the academic year in 2018, the Syrian Interim Government included the Turkish language in all schools in the areas of influence of the Turkish occupation, and children from all components find it difficult to learn. According to the curriculum followed.

Abdullah Al-Ahmad (a pseudonym), one of the primary school teachers in the city of Azaz, told Aso News Network that the students are facing great difficulty in learning the Turkish language, as it is a new language that has entered the educational curricula and is considered difficult to learn unlike English, and therefore the students’ families always complain about their children not being able to adapt to this language.

He added that the Ministry of Education of the Syrian Interim Government pays great attention to this material, as it is the language of the state that supports the government and that extends its influence and hegemony over the region in general.

He pointed out that the amendments made to the textbooks contain a lot of question marks, such as the inclusion of Turkish history and glimpses of Turkish religious and leadership figures, imposing the Turkish language and other methods that indicate the existence of a systematic Turkification policy in the occupied Syrian regions.

It is feared that the Arabic language will decline to a large extent, especially among hundreds of thousands of Syrian students inside Turkey, where the Arabic language has been completely abolished from the curricula for refugees especially children in Turkey, and only the Turkish language remains, and this means the emergence of generations who speak Turkish in the future, and there must be radical solutions to this The violation and this is the policy of the Turkish occupation government, as he described it.

The Turkish occupation government and its factions are still pursuing a policy of demographic change in the occupied areas in and around the Kurdish city of Afrin and all areas of the northern countryside of Aleppo.

As it works on several methods to change the demographics of the region and manipulate its demographics and ideological structure, it pays great attention to the dissemination of the Turkish language and Turkish culture in the educational sector.