afrinpost
The Society for Threatened Peoples International STPI (German: Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker –International, GfbV-International) accused the Turkish government of its ongoing Islamization, Arabization and Turkification campaign in the occupied Kurdish region of Afrin, northwest Syria.
The STPI stated that the Supreme Religious Authority in Turkey and the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) built a mosque in Yazidi villages to promote Islamization in Afrin region.
It added: “Turkey is promoting an extremist interpretation of Sunni Islam and Diyanet is also spreading its religious view in local schools in Germany through the Turkish Islamic Directorate for Religious Affairs DİTİB, one of Germany’s largest Islamic organizations.”
The statement indicated that the Turkish state is building mosques in Yazidi villages and spreading extremist Islam through a wide network of mosques and imams close to the Turkish state, as well as, a widespread and systematic campaign is being carried out, as religious institutions, linked to the Justice and Development Party, are building mosques in the Yazidi villages after the displacement of most of their indigenous residents, noting that the number of Yazidis in Afrin was estimated between 20-30 thousand, of them only a few thousand are remained.”
Dr. Kamal Sido referred to an effort to build a mosque in the Yazidi village of Shadereh, south of Afrin, which is inhabited by 45 Yazidis, out of 450 indigenous people who were displaced during the Turkish occupation, and currently Turkey is resettling Sunni Arabs (families of militants loyal to it) in the village.
The organization warned the German government of the negative consequences of any cooperation with Turkish Islamic associations, especially those loyal to the Turkish government in Germany, and said, “After eliminating the Christian minority in Afrin, Turkey is trying to eliminate the Yezidis and Alawites in it.” “Even young girls are often forced to wear the veil” the Organization added.
The Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DİTİB) is not a liberal association, as it propagates radical Islam, and according to STPI, almost all DITIB mosques in Germany cheered the Turkish occupation army during the 2018 Turkish military offensive on Afrin.
After displacing most of the Kurds, Turkey resettled extremist Muslims, who regularly carry out attacks against the indigenous Kurds in Afrin. Sido pointed out that Turkey’s main aim is to end the Kurdish presence in the entire region not only in Afrin.
Dr. Kamal said that at least 96% of Afrin’s Kurdish residents were forced to leave their city after the Turkish occupation, or they were forcibly displaced, as the Kurdish population decreased to only about 25%, and added: “This means that Turkey is on the verge of achieving one of its most important goals: making Afrin free of Kurds.”
