Jil Agha residents: community solidarity is key to foiling attempts to incite discord

Commenting on the attempts by certain parties to stir up Arab-Kurdish discord in the city of Hasakah, accompanied by the burning of Kurdish symbols, residents of Jil Agha in the Jazira region said that attempts to undermine stability and sow discord in the region are not new. They affirmed that such efforts have continued since the beginning of the revolution in Syria and Rojava, with the aim of undermining the principles of coexistence and tolerance among the region’s communities.

Ongoing attempts to undermine social fabric

Kurdish resident Khorshid al-Kindi said that the Jazira region is distinguished by its social and cultural diversity and by the relationships of coexistence, tolerance, and reconciliation among its communities. He noted that any attempt to stir up divisions at this stage is intended to weaken this social fabric.

Al-Kindi explained that attempts to provoke tensions, sow discord, and incite hostility do not reflect the nature of the region’s society. He pointed out that residents have shared both joys and sorrows for decades, and that manufactured disputes do not represent the true nature of the deep-rooted relationships between them.

He added that the period of integration between the Autonomous Administration’s institutions and the transitional government had witnessed repeated attempts to incite discord and provoke tensions, seeking to drag the region’s communities into a prolonged sectarian war. In this context, he referred to Kurdish fighters being targeted while claims were made that they belonged to Arab tribes. He also cited the spread of inflammatory rhetoric on social media, calls for demonstrations, the chanting of sectarian and provocative slogans, and the burning of Kurdish symbols, all with the aim of sowing discord.

Al-Kindi emphasized that residents’ mutual understanding and the strength of their relationships, despite difficult circumstances, have always proved stronger than attempts to foment discord.

What is happening does not represent the of the region

For his part, Arab resident Khaled al-Safouk said that attempts to incite discord and undermine security and stability are part of Turkish plans seeking to exploit divisions in pursuit of political and security interests at the expense of the peoples of the region.

He added that those who carry out or encourage such acts, whether internally or externally, do not represent the people of the region or their culture. He noted that local society’s culture is based on tolerance and coexistence, not hatred and incitement.

Al-Safouk pointed out that some are trying to exploit any incident to divide the region’s communities, particularly Arabs and Kurds. He called on residents not to be drawn into rhetoric intended to create discord.

He stressed that residents understand the importance of preserving their security and stability, emphasizing the need to protect relations among the region’s communities and not allow attempts at incitement to undermine them.

Unity is the guarantee of coexistence

For her part, Robin Yusuf said that confronting discord begins with strengthening unity and solidarity among everyone, emphasizing that protecting society is a responsibility shared by all its members.

She called for greater cohesion and for the protection of the relationships and shared history that unite the region’s people, urging them not to allow any party to turn them against one another.

Robin Yusuf noted that the region’s residents have endured difficult circumstances over the past years but have maintained their social bonds. She stressed the need not to allow any incident or inflammatory rhetoric to change this reality.

Coexistence transcends political changes

In their remarks to our agency, the three residents agreed that the social relationships and shared history among the people of the region run deeper than political changes. They affirmed that the principles of coexistence, tolerance, and reconciliation will remain the foundation of community life and a guarantee of its stability.

They emphasized that safeguarding security and stability requires solidarity among the region’s people, rejection of hate speech and incitement, and efforts to preserve the social fabric as a fundamental pillar of the future of the region and Syria as a whole

ANHA