-
1920 Constitution Is Better: Kurdish Criticism of the Interim Constitution for Ignoring Diversity
-
A Kurdish leader believes that the imposition of the Arabic language and Islam as the state religion in the interim constitution marginalizes other ethnicities and religions, creating second-class cit
The Kurdish National Council has rejected the Syrian interim constitution, considering it to be based on the idea of "one nation and one religion," failing to guarantee the rights of the country's diverse ethnic and religious groups.
Shalal Kedo, the head of the Syrian Kurdish Center Party and member of the General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council, stated in an interview with "Rudaw" that "the interim constitution was not surprising, but the Syrian people hoped for a better constitution. Today, the Syrian components are not satisfied with this interim constitution."
He argued that "the interim constitution was written to represent a single nation in Syria, and if it were put to a referendum, the Syrian people would not vote in favor of it." He added, "Since this interim constitution will not be put to a referendum and will remain in effect for five years, some measures must be taken to amend it so that it guarantees the rights of all ethnicities and groups in the country, as five years is not a short period to govern a country."
Kedo pointed out that "the Syrian Constitution of 1920 was better than this interim constitution," noting that Arabic was "imposed in this constitution on all other languages of the ethnic groups in Syria, particularly the Kurdish ethnicity, and Islam was imposed on all other religions. As a result, Christians became second-class citizens in the country."
He warned that this was "a dangerous step in a country with multiple ethnicities and components," expressing his belief that Syria "cannot be governed with this interim constitution, and many problems will arise because of it."
It is worth mentioning that Syria is home to a wide range of ethnic and religious groups, including Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrians, Syriacs, and Armenians, in addition to a religious diversity that includes Muslims of different sects, Christians, Yazidis, and others. This makes the issue of fair representation in the constitution a crucial matter for future stability.
