The Kurds, a model for the region?
With Rhodi Mellek and Thomas Renard
◇ 20 May 2021
The Kurds have had a dream for a long time. A dream of autonomy, of independence, of being finally accepted and recognized in Turkey. A dream of a democratic and egalitarian society in Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan).
Despite the war, Syria’s Kurds continue to develop a project for a revolutionary and democratic society where each citizen has a say, where men and women are on an equal footing, where religion does not impose its law … Of course, between this idyllic project on paper and reality, there is a gap. But could this be a model for the region?
Be this as it may, the Kurds have today other problems to settle, such as the management of the Roj and Al-Hol camps which house tens of thousands of people, mainly women, many of whom remain attached to the Daesh ideology. And then there are the children, many originally from Europe, but whom European countries are reluctant to repatriate. There is, however, a real danger here. These children, if abandoned, are in danger of becoming radicalized in their turn. And already in a camp like that of Al-Hol, Daesh has begun to reign supreme… Is it this context which very recently pushed Alexander De Croo to announce that Belgian children should be allowed to return to the country?
