emma_goldman
20th August 2006, 02:11
Link (http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=25375)
PKK Militants Surprising Survey Outcome: PKK’s loosing
hopes on Kurds
Wednesday , 01 February 2006
(Emre Ozkan/Sebla Uludag˘-JTW/Ankara) Fırat
News Agency, known as the pro-PKK (ethnic terror
organization, Kurdistan Workers Party) news agency,
made a survey that published by Ozgur Gundem by the
end of the January which was made among 300 PKK
militants. These militants were asked several
questions such as their religious preferences,
historic idols and reading habits. The survey results
are surprising and remarkable.
But while analyzing the results of the interview, it
is also essential to question that why such kind of a
news agency published this interesting survey. In this
interview, the most remarkable result is the view of
militants about religious leaders. The militants have
erratic answers about religious leaders. They mostly
see the Zerdust (34%) and Jesus (34%) as the most
favorable religious leader. The other militants accept
Mani, Muhammed, Moses and Abraham prophets as a
religious leader with the percentage of 11%, 10 %, 7%
and 4% respectively. When it is considered the Islam
as the mostly accepted religion (99%) in the Kurdish
populated area, it can be concluded that there are
huge gaps between the people in Southern East of the
Anatolian Region and the people who allege to
represent the people in that region. The Kurdish
people have a high religious sensitivity and high
respect to fundamental principles to Islam religion,
in contrast to this, these militants have a remarkable
lack of sensitivity to the Islamic principles, which
is ironical.
According to Dr. Ihsan Bal, Head of Security and
Terrorism Studies in ISRO (International Strategic
Research Organization), the publishing of the results
of the survey by a pro-PKK news agency may have two
dimensions. The first is to send massages to Christian
world. Because the PKK has had an external support,
this survey can be evaluated as a message to the
outside Turkey as Christian figure Isa in the survey
results has higher percentage than the Islamic
religion prophet, Muhammed. Besides, when it is
included that Syrian and Armenian people had an active
participation in the activities of the PKK, this
terrorist organization may have the intention to turn
back to its origins. According to him, the second
dimension can be based on the Marxist-Leninist origins
of the PKK. When it is thought about the origins of
the PKK, Zerdust and Mani chosen as religious leaders
can be interpreted as the intention of PKK’s turning
back to its origins.
Ihsan Bal mentions that PKK is not a religious
originated organization so these survey’s answers
cannot give any hints whether the PKK has a religious
origin. Furthermore, the answers about the question of
religious leader cannot overlap with the religious
view of the region in which PKK fulfills their
activities. If it is considered that the PKK is active
especially in Turkey, Iraq and Iran triangle, the
survey will show that the religious preferences of the
leaders of the organization belong to marginal groups
in the region.
Moreover Talat S¸alk, Head of Law Studies in ISRO,
pointed out that PKK added the religious dimension to
its activities afterwards. With emphasizing the
religious views, PKK may want to do its propaganda
widely. And they may intent to give a political
message by this survey.
When analyzing the results of the survey it is
possible to find different aspects. As Dr. Mehmet
Seyfettin Erol, expert of Turkish Foreign Policy in
ASAM (Eurasia Strategic Research Center), argues that
the knowledge level of the militants is insufficient
to answer the questions of survey consistently. What’s
more, Erol also mentions the Israel-Mossad influence
on the region and concludes that the region may enter
the influence of outsiders.
On the other hand, Dr. Nihat Ali Özcan, expert on
ethnic terrorism, mentions that the results of the
survey are not surprising. He emphasizes the using of
Zerdust values in the construction of Kurdish
identity. So, the leading answer of Zerdust as a
religious leader among the PKK militants has to be
evaluated as normal.
In addition to this, the survey includes other
preferences of the militants about different fields.
According to the survey the militant’s most favorite
military personality in the history is Mahsun Korkmaz
who was one of the leading figures of the terrorist
organization and did raid to Eruh in 1984. The other
favorite personalities are Alexander the Great and
Napoleon. And most favorite mythological characters
are Gilgamesh, Prometheus and Hector randomly.
PKK militant’s book choices are also interesting.
According to the survey terrorists who did terrorist
acts are interest on novels and poems (25%) mostly.
Research books are in the second order (20%), the
third place is for books which contains sociology and
philosophy (14%).
Murray Bookchin is the most favorite researcher for
militants; Immanuel Wallerstein and Gordon Childe are
coming after Bookchin. Freidrich Nietzche, Noam
Chomsky and Muazzez Ilmiye Cıg are also other
researchers who are interested by terrorists.
Militants are mostly interested on sociology,
psychology, history, biology, ecology, space and
archeology.
According to the survey the most favorite cinema films
are Last Samurai, The Lord of the Rings, Brave Heart,
Troy, Alexander the Great, Pianist Titanic, Red Spot
and the Beautiful Mind in random order.
The other question in the survey is about the main
problem of humanity. The answers are mentality
problems (17%), ecological and social problems (16%),
wars (15%), chaos and morally corruption (15%),
hierarchy (11%), gender (10%), law and justice (10%),
and nationalism (6%).
As a conclusion, this survey shows us two important
possibilities: First one is that PKK may have the
intention to turn back to its origins. At first, as
argued above, PKK had a Marxist- Leninist ideology.
So, the preferences of Zerdust and Mani can be based
to this origin of PKK. The second possibility is that
with this survey PKK may send a message to the outside
Turkey. Since the beginning of its establishment, PKK
enjoys foreign support. Meanwhile, secret Armenian
involvement with the PKK became apparent and evident
as the survey highlighted that the most of the PKK
militants have similar idols to Armenians rather than
Kurds. So, the higher percentage of Christianity,
Zerdust and Mani rather than Islam supports the views
that PKK is trying to escape from the regional policy
for its survival. Briefly, it is very obvious that the
preferences of PKK militants about religious leaders,
historical idols and reading habits are very different
from people who live in the region that PKK actively
involves.
Emre Ozkan and Sebla Uludag˘
PKK Militants Surprising Survey Outcome: PKK’s loosing
hopes on Kurds
Wednesday , 01 February 2006
(Emre Ozkan/Sebla Uludag˘-JTW/Ankara) Fırat
News Agency, known as the pro-PKK (ethnic terror
organization, Kurdistan Workers Party) news agency,
made a survey that published by Ozgur Gundem by the
end of the January which was made among 300 PKK
militants. These militants were asked several
questions such as their religious preferences,
historic idols and reading habits. The survey results
are surprising and remarkable.
But while analyzing the results of the interview, it
is also essential to question that why such kind of a
news agency published this interesting survey. In this
interview, the most remarkable result is the view of
militants about religious leaders. The militants have
erratic answers about religious leaders. They mostly
see the Zerdust (34%) and Jesus (34%) as the most
favorable religious leader. The other militants accept
Mani, Muhammed, Moses and Abraham prophets as a
religious leader with the percentage of 11%, 10 %, 7%
and 4% respectively. When it is considered the Islam
as the mostly accepted religion (99%) in the Kurdish
populated area, it can be concluded that there are
huge gaps between the people in Southern East of the
Anatolian Region and the people who allege to
represent the people in that region. The Kurdish
people have a high religious sensitivity and high
respect to fundamental principles to Islam religion,
in contrast to this, these militants have a remarkable
lack of sensitivity to the Islamic principles, which
is ironical.
According to Dr. Ihsan Bal, Head of Security and
Terrorism Studies in ISRO (International Strategic
Research Organization), the publishing of the results
of the survey by a pro-PKK news agency may have two
dimensions. The first is to send massages to Christian
world. Because the PKK has had an external support,
this survey can be evaluated as a message to the
outside Turkey as Christian figure Isa in the survey
results has higher percentage than the Islamic
religion prophet, Muhammed. Besides, when it is
included that Syrian and Armenian people had an active
participation in the activities of the PKK, this
terrorist organization may have the intention to turn
back to its origins. According to him, the second
dimension can be based on the Marxist-Leninist origins
of the PKK. When it is thought about the origins of
the PKK, Zerdust and Mani chosen as religious leaders
can be interpreted as the intention of PKK’s turning
back to its origins.
Ihsan Bal mentions that PKK is not a religious
originated organization so these survey’s answers
cannot give any hints whether the PKK has a religious
origin. Furthermore, the answers about the question of
religious leader cannot overlap with the religious
view of the region in which PKK fulfills their
activities. If it is considered that the PKK is active
especially in Turkey, Iraq and Iran triangle, the
survey will show that the religious preferences of the
leaders of the organization belong to marginal groups
in the region.
Moreover Talat S¸alk, Head of Law Studies in ISRO,
pointed out that PKK added the religious dimension to
its activities afterwards. With emphasizing the
religious views, PKK may want to do its propaganda
widely. And they may intent to give a political
message by this survey.
When analyzing the results of the survey it is
possible to find different aspects. As Dr. Mehmet
Seyfettin Erol, expert of Turkish Foreign Policy in
ASAM (Eurasia Strategic Research Center), argues that
the knowledge level of the militants is insufficient
to answer the questions of survey consistently. What’s
more, Erol also mentions the Israel-Mossad influence
on the region and concludes that the region may enter
the influence of outsiders.
On the other hand, Dr. Nihat Ali Özcan, expert on
ethnic terrorism, mentions that the results of the
survey are not surprising. He emphasizes the using of
Zerdust values in the construction of Kurdish
identity. So, the leading answer of Zerdust as a
religious leader among the PKK militants has to be
evaluated as normal.
In addition to this, the survey includes other
preferences of the militants about different fields.
According to the survey the militant’s most favorite
military personality in the history is Mahsun Korkmaz
who was one of the leading figures of the terrorist
organization and did raid to Eruh in 1984. The other
favorite personalities are Alexander the Great and
Napoleon. And most favorite mythological characters
are Gilgamesh, Prometheus and Hector randomly.
PKK militant’s book choices are also interesting.
According to the survey terrorists who did terrorist
acts are interest on novels and poems (25%) mostly.
Research books are in the second order (20%), the
third place is for books which contains sociology and
philosophy (14%).
Murray Bookchin is the most favorite researcher for
militants; Immanuel Wallerstein and Gordon Childe are
coming after Bookchin. Freidrich Nietzche, Noam
Chomsky and Muazzez Ilmiye Cıg are also other
researchers who are interested by terrorists.
Militants are mostly interested on sociology,
psychology, history, biology, ecology, space and
archeology.
According to the survey the most favorite cinema films
are Last Samurai, The Lord of the Rings, Brave Heart,
Troy, Alexander the Great, Pianist Titanic, Red Spot
and the Beautiful Mind in random order.
The other question in the survey is about the main
problem of humanity. The answers are mentality
problems (17%), ecological and social problems (16%),
wars (15%), chaos and morally corruption (15%),
hierarchy (11%), gender (10%), law and justice (10%),
and nationalism (6%).
As a conclusion, this survey shows us two important
possibilities: First one is that PKK may have the
intention to turn back to its origins. At first, as
argued above, PKK had a Marxist- Leninist ideology.
So, the preferences of Zerdust and Mani can be based
to this origin of PKK. The second possibility is that
with this survey PKK may send a message to the outside
Turkey. Since the beginning of its establishment, PKK
enjoys foreign support. Meanwhile, secret Armenian
involvement with the PKK became apparent and evident
as the survey highlighted that the most of the PKK
militants have similar idols to Armenians rather than
Kurds. So, the higher percentage of Christianity,
Zerdust and Mani rather than Islam supports the views
that PKK is trying to escape from the regional policy
for its survival. Briefly, it is very obvious that the
preferences of PKK militants about religious leaders,
historical idols and reading habits are very different
from people who live in the region that PKK actively
involves.
Emre Ozkan and Sebla Uludag˘