A professor in the Kurdish language and literature department at Muş Alparslan University in southeastern Turkey is the subject of an investigation for using Kurdish poetry books in coursework, despite the books being part of the university library’s official catalog and approved by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture, the Evrensel daily reported on Tuesday.
The investigation was launched by university officials on the grounds that the books contain inappropriate political content.
Among the contested books were “Ji Dilê Min” (From My Heart) by Fatma Savcı, which explores themes of personal reflection and cultural identity; “Bûna Min/Bûna Deng” (My Being/My Voice) by Arjen Arî, a collection noted for its introspection and poetic exploration of Kurdish experiences; and “Berbang” (Dawn) by Cegerxwîn, a work that examines themes of resilience and historical memory.
All three books are available in libraries and bookstores across Turkey and have no record of bans or prior investigations.
Abdullah Keskin, a representative of Kurdish publishing house Avesta Publishing, criticized the investigation and linked it to broader issues regarding Kurdish visibility in Turkey. He cited a recent incident at the Diyarbakır Book Fair, where police allegedly confiscated books from a publisher’s stand without justification.
“Despite the 1991 repeal of the ban on the Kurdish language, authorities maintain a contradictory stance toward Kurdish cultural expression,” Keskin said. “As long as Kurdish remains invisible — when it is not read, sung or heard — it is ‘free.’ But the moment it gains visibility, the people who use the language become a target.”
“The books that led to the investigation aregovernment-approved material with no legal restrictions. Such interventions seem to be aimed at suppressing the Kurdish presence in the public sphere,” he said, adding that the investigation lacks legal grounds and appears to be politically motivated.
Rojhat Turgut, a representative of Sor Publishing, another Kurdish publishing house, strongly criticized the investigation.
“To impose a de facto ban on these poets, who are among the pillars of modern Kurdish poetry and to target an instructor for teaching these works, is an offense neither we as publishers nor the Kurdish people can accept,” Turgut said.
Turgut characterized the investigation as arbitrary and unlawful. “This is an attempt to criminalize these poets, their intellectual legacy and the emotional and intellectual dimensions of Kurdish literature itself,” he said.
Kurds in Turkey are often pressured not to speak their native language. Turkish authorities frequently claim that people speaking in Kurdish are chanting slogans in support of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been leading an armed insurgency against Turkey since the ’80s in a campaign that has claimed the lives of some 40,000 people.
Prohibitions against the use of Kurdish in Turkey go back many years. Kurdish language, clothing, folklore and names were banned in 1937. The words “Kurds,” “Kurdistan” and “Kurdish” were among those officially prohibited. After a military coup in 1980, speaking Kurdish was formally forbidden, even in private life.
The visibility of Kurdish on TV and in the print media was only made possible in the early 2000s thanks to significant progress made in the country’s bid to become a member of the EU.
Yet, the drift towards nationalism and the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) alliance with the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in the last decade have led to an increase in anti-Kurdish racist attacks.
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