FAQ about the Kurdistan Anarchist Forum

What is the Kurdistan Anarchist Forum and who is behind it? ---- The Kurdistan Anarchist 
Forum is an internet forum for discussions, debate and analysis among Libertarians & 
Anarchists on topical subjects, matters and questions against capitalism. It is a place to 
consider and criticise past experiences & methods of the Socialist movement that have 
failed, in an attempt to find alternatives. It is an open door for any libertarian?s 
voice, it is a voice of those who believe in Freedom, equality and social justice. In 
short, the Kurdistan Anarchist Forum (KAF) is a ?bridge to reach and to get closer to all 
libertarian individuals and groups?. ---- Why the Kurdistan Anarchist Forum? Does this 
not mean claiming to belong to one nation and patriotism ?

Not at all, in fact anarchists have been the first fighters when it comes to the history 
of struggle against occupation and invasion. They have been the true revolutionaries who 
have fought for freedom and equality between nations in the world. At the same time, 
they are the real enemy of nationalism as a state and authoritarian ideology, while the 
bourgeoisie of any nation uses and exploits all the classes at the bottom of the society. 
The bourgeoisie are claiming that all classes, casts and categories of people within a 
country have got the same interests, the same rights and they are all equal and free; but 
this is an obvious lie.

For us as writers in KAF we see Kurdistan as geographical territories where there are a 
range of different ethnicities, cultures, and religions that speak different languages. 
In this aspect KAF is a Forum for all libertarians regardless of the differences mentioned 
above. In our view, using the term ?Kurdistan?, does not relate to nationalistic feeling. 
In fact, it is just for persuading people within territories known as Kurdistan, who 
live with other ethnicities together in Iran, Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iraq, that there 
are also Kurdish people there who speak their languages. This can be a connection or link 
between them and the libertarian groups and their movements. So we use this word, 
Kurdistan, as a tool to help encourage these connections.

In addition to what has been said above, we believe in Kurdish freedom, its liberty and 
independence. We believe the same things for Turkmenian, Arabs, Kldanian and Ashorieen 
who live under Kurdish self rule in Iraq. This belief is based on the ideas seen in 
anarchist federalism and of self management within factories or any work place. We 
believe in independence (Autonomy) of the territories and the right to self determination 
of all nations. [Here we do not mean the self-determination of the nationalists and their 
movements and parties. What they do is to force through their authority and their states 
under the name of an entire people who live in the nation and the country. Whereas what 
they are actually doing is using this authority to control and exploit the working class 
and people instead of liberating them and ensuring social justice. This is exactly 
opposite of what they claim to be aiming to do when they are seeking their dominancy.

In the meantime we stress that while we support the liberation of nations, we are against 
all attempts from the bourgeoisie to establish further nation states. It is very obvious 
to us that the nation state invades the freedom of individuals and suppresses any free 
voice in its attempts to secure the interests of the elite, authority and capitalism in 
general. States, whether they are a nation state or invader can achieve all these through 
dominating and exploiting the working class and the rest of the people who have been 
placed in the bottom of society, who are unemployed or live on a slave?s wage and keeping 
them in control.

Do the people writing in KAF belong to any political group?

No. They are independent and do not belong to any political organization. These people 
are not even in a group, but they form as a group of people in order to share similar 
anarchist ideas, interests, tasks and aims. However, alongside this, each person wherever 
they live, in their work places or in the communities, whether in Kurdistan or any other 
country are involved in local groups (Community Groups or any other nonhierarchical 
organizations).

We are active in Anarchist & Libertarian groups. If we are in Kurdistan, we work on the 
principle of ?act locally, think globally? and also as an international duty to help and 
support the struggles of our classes ? for our comrades wherever they are in struggle. 
For those of us who live in Europe or other countries, we help and support local groups 
and independent originations and the mass movements in Kurdistan on the same principle. 
While we can think, communicate and write in Kurdish, this makes it easier to create 
strong links & connect with people in Kurdistan more than those who cannot communicate and 
write in Kurdish. These tasks obviously put an extra burden on the shoulders of those of 
us do not live in Kurdistan.

In addition, KAF is the only independent Forum which seeks to introduce and exchange ideas 
and views on Anarchism. , rejecting and dismay all the accusation that in the long history 
of the socialist movement labeled and accused the anarchism idea. The KAF makes 
activists in the wide range of mass movements familiar with different currents of 
anarchist ideas, for example, the social Anarchism, individual Anarchism, 
Anarcha-feminism , Anarcho-Syndicalism, Anarcho-communism, Anarcho-primitivism/green 
Anarchism, Anarcho-animal liberation front, religious Anarchism and bisexual Anarchism 
[The homosexual, bisexual and transgender anarchists.]

If you are not a group, how are you united and how/why do you not introduce yourselves as 
a group?

As we said from the beginning KAF is a Website or a Forum operating on the geographical 
ground or physical space. In fact it is an independent electronic site to introduce 
Anarchism (Libertarianism) to readers as an idea not an ideology. More than that, 
anarchist groups will be formed on the ground of daily struggles, demands and activities 
in the process of the local movement, that means anarchist groups can appear in the form 
of local groups in different places and different levels , for instance among 
unemployed people, students, children, women, disabled people, teachers, pensioners , 
workers in their work places, people who work in councils, hospitals, universities or any 
other service provider, environmental groups, neighborhood groups, residents group, people 
who work in parks and any groups that set up around a single issue while the issue remains 
as a current matter of concern for members?.this list can go on and on.

At the same time we stress that, whatever the name of the groups are is not a problem. We 
are not looking for a group to be supported that has labeled themselves or uses the title 
?Anarchist?. What is important for us to see is their struggles, how they organize 
themselves, how they come to make decisions together. It is important that active local 
groups as they already exist or emerge in the mass movements are nonhierarchical, non 
authoritarian organizations which are very different from official parities, authoritarian 
organizations and NGOs. No doubt there are differences between each local groups and the 
way they work. How groups see themselves helps to show their independence e.g. as distinct 
from and not dependent on political parties, if they don?t believe in elections, 
parliamentary democracy, official representatives. We can separate these kinds of groups 
from the others that do believe in this form of political work and who rely on these power 
structures to achieve their demands. In contrast, local groups we support rely on 
themselves to carry out these roles themselves, to control their lives through their 
activities as direct action to bring back all the decisions that are made by politicians, 
local authorities, companies, management and so-called democratic administration of the 
government, into their own hands and into the hands of their communities. This will 
happen step by step through mass movement until it reaches its final stage in achieving 
its goals which is terminating or ending the current system and class society.

In order for local groups and mass movements to avoid bureaucracy, authoritarianism, and 
doing things that are not in the interests of the groups, we can look to the experiences 
of class struggles. These have taught us it is important and necessary to fight back from 
centralization, hierarchism, the role of leaders and ideology. At the same time we need 
to publicly defend the independence of community groups to make their own decisions on 
matters that affect them. That means we need to work exactly opposite of the groups and 
organizations that are depending on the lefties and the authority. This kind of 
organizations are working on the name of the ordinary people and working class in forming 
different types of organizations to divert them from the direct action to end the real 
struggles and force them to move towards the form of the struggles which they ( the 
organizations) themselves believe in. Activists in local groups do not have to name their 
organizations and groups outright if they prefer, and we are against cultivating seeds of 
sectarian wars. Instead, anarchists have once aim and it is to be concerned about their 
activities in order to help everyone to work collectively, help and support all the groups 
that come into existence that are against hierarchy and authoritarianism so that we can 
support one another and strengthen our movement.

Does (KAF) publish all the materials, in other words, any political, social subject, 
articles or any analyses with different idea, different view and ideology?
Yes and No.
No. When the materials and articles are propaganda or support the ideologies of 
nationalism, religion, justify existence of the state and its polices, support 
parliamentary democracy, elections, authoritarian socialism, the idea of Marxism, 
Leninism, Maoism ?promoting the idea of racism, nationality, sexism. All these subjects 
are not allowed to be publishing on KAF.

Yes, to any of the above subjects. Articles that critically analyse our views or anarchist 
analysis about anything as long as it rationally deals with his/her view by the use of 
facts, avoiding humiliation and accusation. In other words, yes they will be allowed to 
be published and we will give a response.

The Kurdistan Anarchist Forum (KAF)