During the month of November, as part of the “Activist in Residence” programme, SCI Catalunya hosted Mohammed, a Kurdish Human Rights Defender who carried out advocacy activities to raise awareness of the current situation of the Kurdish people. Here we share his inspiring story.

I am Mohammed Mohammed, a 28-year-old from a Syrian Kurdish family. I have five brothers and grew up in Afrin, a small Kurdish city in northern Syria. I lived there until I was 16, when the situation in Syria, with violence and bombings, made me fear for my family’s safety. I witnessed missile strikes and saw my school destroyed in the conflict.

In April 2013, my family and I fled to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where we became asylum seekers. I faced many racist and discriminatory attitudes, and I wasn’t allowed to continue my education due to strict refugee laws. To support my family, I worked in a restaurant for a while, despite the poor conditions. At 16, I worked 12-hour shifts for less than 6 euros a day, but when I asked for a meal, the restaurant owner’s son refused, saying, “You are a refugee here.” This experience deeply affected me, and I felt the pain of being a refugee.

I left the restaurant job and began selling cell phone charging credits, then balloons in public parks, and later flowers at traffic lights. Despite the hardships, I am proud of this work, as it has shaped my journey to this point in my life.
In 2015, the law in Kurdistan changed, allowing asylum seekers to complete their education. I eagerly returned to high school while working as a street florist, then completed my Bachelor of Social Sciences. During university, I explored my passion for art, music, and poetry, and volunteered for over eight years. I discovered peacebuilding and conflict resolution and volunteered with the Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies on projects like the Alternatives to Violence Project and the Kurdistan Carnival for Peace and Coexistence.

In June 2019, I was accepted for a master’s scholarship in Barcelona, but faced many challenges, including difficulty traveling for the visa interview. With help from UNHCR, I eventually received my visa after a year and a half. I then moved to Barcelona, completed my Master’s in Conflict Mediation, and researched the role of youth in peacebuilding in the Kurdish context. I also volunteered and participated in over 18 training courses across Europe, further developing my skills for a better future.

I experienced racism in Europe due to my name and faced challenges with basic rights, like opening a bank account, which took six months. This motivated me to explore diversity and anti-discrimination methodologies. My most recent experience was at the Peace Market Education training in Switzerland with the Swiss International Civil Service, where I led a session on diversity and anti-discrimination culture.

I share my story to convey a message, driven by my passion for community development and empowering young people to strengthen their communities. This mission fuels my commitment and energy.

Kurdistan

Kurdistan is divided into four parts, and the Kurds are spread across four countries: Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is the only one recognized as a federal region in northern Iraq. The Kurds who number more than 55 million, are unfortunately marginalized worldwide.

Briefly the current situation in Iraqi Kurdistan

The current situation in Iraqi Kurdistan is marked by a political conflict between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi government over oil shares. Kurdistan, rich in oil fields, faces pressure from the Southern government to provide oil quotas, which the Kurdish politicians reject. In response, the Iraqi government cut salaries for employees in northern Iraq, leading to significant economic hardship in Kurdistan. This ongoing conflict results in both sides ignoring each other’s demands, while the people bear the brunt of the consequences.

There are political conflicts within the Kurdistan Region due to personal interests, which undermine stability. Additionally, Türkiye and Iran use Kurdistan to further their own agendas and destabilize the region. Türkiye is concerned about Kurdish parties within its borders and periodically targets Kurdish cities near the border, claiming to fight the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. Iran, dealing with conflicts with the U.S., exploits Kurdistan’s political and economic weaknesses, sending drones to attack the American consulate in Erbil and suppressing Kurdish movements. These countries aim to weaken Kurdistan to prevent its political, social, and economic development, seeing it as a battleground for their own interests.

With the support of