Within the “Peace and Democratic Society Meetings,” the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Istanbul branch met the Circassian community at the Şamil Education and Culture Foundation in Kadıköy.

 

Cengiz Gül, President of the Şamil Foundation, said: “We expect democratic steps. We are descendants of a people who fought for three years in the Caucasus. We Circassians do not want war; we stand for peace.”

 

A COMMON PROBLEM

 

Birgül Asena Güven from Jineps Newspaper stated, “Democracy is an issue for all peoples. War affects the fighters most, but if it happens within a country’s borders, everyone is affected. All peoples must face this process together and be part of the solution.”

 

Birgül Asena Güven added that societal views create stereotypes about each other, often learned through social media or dominant ideologies rather than real experience. “These stereotypes serve rulers, not peoples. We must replace them for democracy to grow. Women, in particular, play a key role in breaking these patterns.”

 

PROCESS VALUED BY PEOPLES AND BELIEFS

 

Aysel Okan Hoşgit from the Caucasus Culture Association said, “The process excites us. Our ancestors were exiled and faced discrimination, especially women. Our generation resisted assimilation less, but today, our children cannot learn their languages in school. What Kurds face today, Circassians faced under Tsarist Russia.”

 

Aysel Okan Hoşgit emphasized, “The main actors in this struggle are the Kurds. We can join and learn from them.”

 

Şamil Foundation board member Yalçın Karadaş noted, “Turkey has never truly embraced democracy, always favoring a monoethnic, Sunni, male-dominated identity. We must unite all peoples and identities equally to democratize the country.”

 

MA / Esra Solin Dal