Rojava youth initiative hopes to safeguard Kurdish identity in Germany

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish youth initiative in Germany is bringing together people originally from northeast Syria (Rojava) to safeguard their language, culture, and political voice.

Ahmed Hussein moved to Germany from Qamishli in 2015. He started the “Vejin Initiative” in 2020 with the goal of preserving his ties to home.

“Vejin's main objective is to prevent Kurdish youth in the diaspora from distancing themselves from their language, history, and culture. We help them preserve their authenticity while encouraging them to unite and work together, so they can struggle both for themselves and for a free Kurdistan,” Hussein told Rudaw’s Diaspora program that aired on Friday.

Vejin is organizing a conference for 130 youth from Rojava living Germany.

“Participants will be aged between 18 and 42 years, and the participation rate of women and men will be 50-50. Also, not only academic and educated people will participate, but representatives of all classes - doctors, engineers, workers, and even uneducated people are invited, because we believe every Kurdish individual in society has their role,” he said.

The conference will have three main objectives: forming a “Union of Rojava Kurds” in the diaspora, supporting the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as a defender of Kurds and other groups in Syria, and ensuring Kurdish rights remain protected in Syria.

According to Hussein, there is a growing division between supporters of the new Syrian government and Kurds in Germany. “They will oppose anything Kurdish,” he said.

In July, five police officers were injured when a brawl broke out between pro-Kurdish and pro-Damascus demonstrators in Dusseldorf.

Hussein urged diaspora Kurds to respond to such confrontations through legal channels, not physical violence.

The new authorities in Syria - who toppled Bashar al-Assad in December - have come under repeated criticism by minorities who say the interim government is neglecting their rights and steering the country towards Islamic rule.