VOA慢速英语2019--Kurdish Areas Face Uncertainty

 

Kurdish forces now hold about a quarter of Syria, ruling across the north and east of the country.

Kurdish activists² who previously³ could not protest without risking arrest now have printing presses, festivals and even television stations. The area even has what amounts to its own government.

These changes have led neighboring states to fear separatism within their own Kurdish communities. Millions of Kurds live in Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq.

The Turkish army has come across the border twice to push back the Kurdish YPG militia⁴ in northern Syria. And the Syrian government has also pledged to take back YPG territory.

Syrian Kurdish leaders say they do not seek independence but instead want to keep some amount of autonomy.

Education system

Semira Haj Ali is a member of the political wing of the YPG. She leads education efforts in Kurdish – controlled areas of northeast Syria.

In the early days of Syria’s conflict, Haj Ali and other activists tried introducing a Kurdish class. The Syrian government shut down the schools.

Today, she heads an education group running thousands of schools. It has built a curriculum in Kurdish, Arabic and the Syriac dialect for students to learn their native language.

“We never imagined this. This was a dream,” said Haj Ali, speaking about young students who have grown up learning Kurdish.

“With the parents and the students, we broke down the doors,” she said. Months later, state employees returned. “Of course, we will not go back to before 2011. We will not turn back,” said Haj Ali.

The Syrian government does not recognize the schools in the northeast, nor does it recognize the Kurdish administration.

Relationship with Damascus and the PKK

During the war in Syria, Kurdish fighters and Syrian government forces have rarely clashed. At times, they fought common enemies including Turkey-backed rebels.

This relationship let the Syrian government hold onto part of Qamishli, including an airport that flies planes to the capital city of Damascus.

It has allowed Kurdish leaders to make money from oil sold in government territory. And the self-run administration also issues documents to its own people.

Still, attempts to negotiate a political deal with the Syrian government in Damascus have gone nowhere.

The lack of a deal has caused concern among Kurdish leaders. They want to keep the gains they have made. They hope such a deal would help protect their region from attack by Turkey, which says the YPG is a branch of the Kurdish PKK movement.

Critics also accuse the YPG of imposing⁵ its ideas in city councils that include Arabs and other ethnicities. At an education institute in the town of Amuda, the walls even have pictures of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

The PKK, labeled a terrorist organization by both the United States and Turkey, is fighting against the Turkish government.

Some Kurdish people believe they have sacrificed too much to turn back now. Nujin Kali is a pre-school director. She said her husband, a YPG fighter, died so she could do her job.

She added that he said, “I’m doing this for your children’s future… for them to learn their language, for people not to lose their rights.”

Abdallah Shekho owns a bookstore in Qamishli. He noted⁶ the uncertainty⁷ of the situation in the area: “… God forbid, if there is an attack from the regime or another side, we will have to burn these books or bury them underground again.”

I'm John Russell.

Words in This Story

festival – n. a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something

autonomy – n. the state of existing or acting⁸ separately from others

activist¹ – n. a person who uses or supports strong actions (such as public protests) to help make changes in politics or society

curriculum – n. the courses that are taught by a school, college, etc.

regime – n. a particular government

underground – adv. located or occurring below the surface of the earth

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

4 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

5 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。