Kurdish activist Muharrem Erbey: Kurds should recognize their involvement in the Sayfo Genocide

SÖDERTÄLJE, Sweden — Turkish lawyer and human rights activist Muharrem Erbey gave a lecture yesterday on the 1915 Sayfo Genocide at the community hall of Saint Jacob of Nisibis Church in Södertälje, Sweden. The event was organized by the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Sweden and Scandinavia. 

At the beginning of his talk, Erbey (56), who is of Kurdish origin, offered his apologies for the Genocide, stating that as a Kurdish citizen, he acknowledges the role of the Kurds in the Sayfo Genocide of 1915, and how they collaborated with the Ottoman authorities in perpetrating the massacres against Syriacs, Armenians, and other Christian communities in the region. 

When explaining the reasons behind writing his book, The Second Fortress of Sin: Aram and Layla, Erbey said; 

“I wrote this novel about the Sayfo to raise awareness of the Syriac identity and expose the role played by Kurdish tribes in the massacres of Syriacs and other Christian peoples.” 

I have delivered lectures in various cities across Turkey. During these lectures, some scholars and Kurds opposed me when I spoke about the Kurdish role and their involvement, alongside the Ottomans, in the Sayfo Genocide. However, the truth must be revealed. Forgiveness can only come after the perpetrators acknowledge the genocide they committed.” 

Following discussions, Erbey signed copies of his book. The Syriac writer and activist Fehmi Bar Karmo provided for simultaneous translations from Turkish into Syriac.

Also read: Kurds can speed up the recognition of Sayfo