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A Reflection on Ibrahim Al-Yusuf's Article on "Regarding the Issues of Occupied Kurdistan"
In his latest critical article, writer and poet Mr. Ibrahim Al-Yusuf addressed my book "Regarding the Issues of Occupied Kurdistan – Part Two," with a reading that went beyond mere evaluation or superficial presentation, delving into the depths of the political and cultural themes addressed in the book, primarily the Kurdish and Kurdistan issues, with all their historical and epistemic dimensions, as well as the challenges they face in both narrative and reality.
I extend my greetings to my brother Ibrahim Al-Yusuf, a writer who writes with deep meaning and integrity of position.
When the pen transforms into a living conscience and the word becomes a mirror reflecting the essence of truth rather than just its surface, the article you presented about my book was, for me, not just a fleeting reading, but rather an intellectual and literary advocacy, stemming from a genuine critical awareness and a clear vision that is rare in a time filled with noise, where substantial voices have diminished.
In your lines, I read more than analysis and more than opinion; I encountered a fair position from a pen accustomed to expressing its views with balance and honesty, without pretense or evasion. What distinguished your article was that it did not merely illuminate the text, but transcended it towards its cultural and political context, granting it a deeper dimension, something only one who understands the impact of the word and the weight of the position can create.
What you wrote was not a passing compliment, but a noble intellectual examination of the work in its entirety; it addressed the fundamental issues I have been concerned with as a writer and researcher. You accurately touched on the wounds of Kurdish consciousness, not only from a standpoint of suffering but also from a critical perspective, viewing writing as a resistance to all superficiality, comfort, or reversion.
Your appreciation of the text and my efforts is a testimony I cherish, and your article was not merely an intellectual analysis but a lively engagement with the issue of Kurdistan, as every Kurdish person experiences it sincerely and suffers from repeated attempts to assassinate it both in reality and memory.
I felt in your reading the spirit of a writer who does not merely diagnose but also carries the responsibility of response, pushing the reader towards deeper questions—not for skepticism, but to stir movement in our political and intellectual discourse. You were precise when you pointed out the importance of transcending improvisation and reaction, and the call to establish true strategic awareness that moves from mere chanting to action, from hope to construction.
You did not overlook, as is your custom, the connection between the subjective and the objective, between the internal predicament and the entanglements of the external; you skillfully illuminated the paradox between the occupation of land and the occupation of narrative, which is one of the most critical challenges we face today, in a world that only recognizes those who impose their political and cultural presence.
Your reference to the importance of documentation and the knowledge battle in confronting tools of denial and distortion confirmed to me that, at its core, we are engaged in a struggle that is no less important than any field confrontation. As you mentioned, the occupiers did not settle for controlling the land; they sought to erase memory, distort language, and falsify history. Here lies the significance of the word—not as an individual utterance, but as a resistant act that breaks through the wall of silence.
I also highly appreciate your critical precision when you addressed areas of disagreement without excessive evaluation or exaggeration in praise, which is a rare quality that expresses an intellectual maturity that does not need noise; what satisfies a writer is not flattery, but being read with such depth and finding in criticism a mirror for strengths and a genuine space for review.
Thank you, my brother Ibrahim, for your loyalty and for your reading, which nearly equals in value the act of writing itself. It is a reading that emerged from the conscience of a committed writer, who was not swayed by slogans or drained by flattery, but remained faithful to that inner voice that says what must be said, even when silence prevails.
I look forward to continuing this intellectual intersection between us, where pens meet at true issues, where word blends with intellect, and memory ignites with hope.
Stay well, with the thought we need now more than ever.
Dr. Mahmoud Abbas
