They are encouraging senators to impose sanctions on Turkey after their invasions in northern Syria.
It’s a memory Sherin Zadah, 24, speaks of fondly.
She remembered her father, Ahmad, a Kurdish immigrant, bringing her along to political rallies in her former Idaho hometown when she was younger, calling his representatives to advocate for issues when he could barely speak English. It sparked something within his daughter, now a resident of Eastlake.
“He would always say it’s a testament to America’s democracy that the governor knew his name,” he said. “My Kurdish identity, my American identity, they’re intertwined.”
In light of the recent attacks on Kurdish civilians in northern Syria by Turkish forces, Zadah and fellow activists from Southern California are carrying on the fight for Kurdish voices to be heard.
It’s estimated that more than 20,000 Kurds currently live in the United States. The Kurdish Community Center of California estimates that around 8,000 call San Diego home.
Until recently, the Kurdish-led militias in Syria, called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), were known as U.S. allies in an international coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS). This changed in October, when President Trump announced that he would redeploy American troops supporting that fight.
A Muslim-majority ethnic group, the Kurds inhabit regions across Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran. Though they are a distinct group with their own culture and language, efforts to gain autonomy and sovereign land have not yet come to fruition.
“There’s a saying that the Kurds have no friends but the mountains,” Zadah said.
Since last month’s announcement by the president, Turkish forces have led an offensive into the Kurdish-controlled region of Rojava, located in northern Syria. The Turkish government has long considered a strong Kurdish presence as a terrorist threat to their shared border.
When Yara Ismael, 18, heard that the Kurdish-militia would lose its American allies, the emotion was overwhelming.
“I have a dual identity and it’s really hard to see one side of you victimizing the other side.” said Ismael, now a permanent resident residing in Corona. “I felt very disappointed and heartbroken about it.”
Ismael’s family moved to the United States after she spent more than half her life in Iraq, born in Baghdad and then moving to Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan in Iraq. Though the family planned on returning home, ISIS attacks made it impossible. Ismael has found a home in California and is eager to bring change through meeting local representatives and mobilizing action.
“This is my government now,” she said of her connection to America. “I have a way to be heard.”
Zadah and Ismael were connected by a professor and began formulating ideas to get bipartisan support. The path to change involves immediate humanitarian aid to civilians in Rojava, as well as more ambitious goals.
Protests were organized around Los Angeles and San Diego, with both women meeting representatives of both political parties to call for action. A fundraiser is also in the works to send humanitarian aid to Rojava, where more than 100,000 people have currently been displaced.
Last week, the House voted overwhelmingly to impose a series of sanctions on Turkey, which both activists say is a positive step. They hope to see a similar response from the Senate soon.
“We’re hoping they understand the urgency of the matter,” said Zadah, adding that they’d already been reaching out to Senators’ offices. “Last week we organized a phone bank campaign, where we had groups of people call senators and encourage them to get the sanctions bill on the floor.”
Support from across the board has kept them motivated, they said, contacting members of both Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees. Ismael recently returned from D.C., where she met with different representatives’ offices.
“We’re trying to understand more about where the offices stand, educate them about the current situation and give them a little bit more background about the Kurds,” she said. “We wanted to make sure that we’re refocusing the conversation on what’s happening to civilians over there.”
This involved creating an informational packet distributed to government officials, as well as compiling pages of questions asked during a recent Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the Turkish invasion.
Further support from the U.S. government could also lead to more significant action, they said. Turkey is currently suspected of using white phosphorus against Kurdish civilians, an accusation the Turkish government has denied. Zadah is hoping the U.S. government will pursue the allegation.
“Congress needs to investigate the use of chemical weapons, because Turkey should be held accountable for their war crimes,” she said. The government’s involvement and investigations could also help set a better foundation for Turkey to be investigated in the International Criminal Court, added Ismael.
Of all the goals they hope to accomplish, a coalition of Kurdish-Americans across the country is one of the most essential, they said.
“This is not the first time that tragedy has occurred,” said Ismael. “If something like this happens again, we need to be organized and ready to go right away.”
For now, the local community has each other.
“We’re coming together, we cry together, we watch the news everyday,” said Zadah. “We’re still living in the crisis.”