Advice from Bediuzzaman Said Nursi
By The Light Magazine
December 5, 1908, Kurdish Teavun ve Terakki Newspaper, No. 1, published this article in Kurdish. The following week, December 12, 1908, No. 2, the same newspaper published it in Turkish.
Oh, Kurdish People!
In unity there is existence, in alliance there is power, in brotherhood there is prosperity and in government there is security. Hold tight to the rope of unity and sincerity, so that you will be saved from calamity.
Listen well and pay attention. Let me tell you one thing: You should know that we have three, yes; we have three precious attributes that ask us for their protection.
First: Islam to which we gave millions of martyrs for its cause.
Second: Human traits that will exhibit good characteristics to society.
Third: Nationhood which provides a gift forever to the souls of our past leaders and makes their souls content in their graves.
Opposing these three precious attributes, we have three enemies that brings to us calamity.
First: Poverty: forty-thousand Kurdish porters in Istanbul is an example of such calamity.
Second: Ignorance, which promotes poverty. Among the forty thousand poor porters, one out of a thousand cannot even read a newspaper that can help one find the path to salvation.
Third: Conflict; to be rivals without reason. As we continue to fight against each other, we deserve this condition because we brought it upon ourselves. Even the government, instead of unity, promotes disunity; as a result, it exploited these oppressive conditions and committed injustice against us.
Now, we should know and understand that we must deplore these three enemies and in order to liberate our three precious attributes from them, we need brave men's three shining swords.
Our first sword is education. The second is unity and patriotism, and the third is individual responsibility. Everyone must rely on himself. Self-reliance will provide protection against outsiders, eliminating their aid that usually comes with strings attached, requiring obedience and imposing dependency. In addition, it pushes individuals to be inferior and subservient. Self-reliance provides freedom from injustice and protection from devastation.
My last advice is this: Education, education and again education. Then hold your hands tightly together, and develop unity and collaboration to enhance your existence.
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi
Translated from Turkish to English by Süleyman and Havva Kurter
Proofread and Edited by Kevin Barrett
The Light Magazine, September 2011