Rojava: Syria's Unknown War
Vložit
- čas přidán 1. 01. 2014
- Check out all the episodes of VICE News here: bit.ly/PILfBe
As Syria's bloody civil war enters its third year, fighting has reached the country's Kurdish-dominated northeast, a region until recently almost untouched by the conflict. The Kurdish PYD party and its YPG militia, which is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in neighboring Turkey, took over control of much of Hassakeh province from the Assad regime in the summer of 2012, and with it control of Syria's precious oilfields.
But the PYD's hopes of staying neutral in the conflict and building an autonomous Kurdish state were dashed when clashes broke out with Syrian rebel forces in the strategic border city of Ras al-Ayn. That encounter quickly escalated into an all-out war between the Kurds and a powerful alliance of jihadist groups, including the al-Qaeda affiliates ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra.
In September of 2013, VICE crossed the border into Syria's Kurdish region to document the YPG's counteroffensive against the jihadists, who had struck deep into rural Hassakeh in an attempt to surround and capture Ras al-Ayn. With unparalleled access to the Kurdish and Syrian Christian fighters on the frontlines, we found ourselves witnessing a bitter and almost unreported conflict within the Syrian war, where the Assad regime is a neutral spectator in a life or death struggle between jihadist-led rebels and Kurdish nationalists, pitting village against village and neighbor against neighbor.
Check out the Best of VICE here: bit.ly/VICE-Best-Of
Subscribe to VICE here! bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE
Check out our full video catalog: bit.ly/VICE-Videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: vice.com
Like VICE on Facebook: vice
Follow VICE on Twitter: / vice
Read our tumblr: / vicemag
"I'm sorry about your friend."
"I'm sorry too."
That hit hard.
that comment and his face gave me chills, so much respect for that man
I'm at work so I wasn't watching as much as listening but thay was like woah that made it more personal instead of half a world away
6:50 - 7:54
Brother the fall of Turkey is just beginning. The euro is at 11 Lira Fast. This is pure humiliation. From this you can see how powerful ISRAEL / USA etc. are. They did that with just one push of a button. If you want to bring down a country, start with your economy. If the economy is not right over time, people will split up. Then there will be a civil war like Syria in 2011. And in a civil war it is very easy to take territory and control. That is why the YpG has 33.33% of Syrian land under its control in Syria. They have conquered 1/3 of the country. And then the same would happen in Turkey. Although it would be easier in Turkey, because almost 50% Kurds live there in the country, military, shops, banks. So my answer to whether Turkey will fall one day? YES to 400%. If the Ottoman Empire fell, which spanned 3 continents, then so did this little piece of Turkey. The Kurds are braver, braver, more humane, and do not make military propaganda videos in empty villages and shoot in the air and pretend they are in war! The KURDEN fight. They quickly conquer lands. If the Kurds are given bigger weapons, they will conquer every single square meter I'm too sure of that. I also think that Rojava will take important steps towards independence in the near future. According to unofficial information, the YPG has retrofitted again properly when it comes to weapons. In the American Parliament the proposal is made to issue visas for the USA to YPG members and thus to invite YPG officials in America to meetings. 90% of these applications are approved. The Americans were also in METINA, AVASHIN and ZAP and were able to establish 11 indications for the use of chemical weapons used by the Turkish occupation. These are war crimes and could soon cause serious problems for Turkey at the international level (expulsion from NATO). The Turks are currently suffering great military losses there as well. There have been violent arguments for 4 weeks. Rivers in the areas are also contaminated with poison by the Turks. The mountains and fields are set on fire. The residents in the villages are being terrorized. That is clearly a fight against the Kurdish identity. And then brain-blown Kurds come and interfere in the conflict in Israel, even though the serious crimes are being committed in Rojava.
It is only a matter of time before the Kurds will wake up at some point. It may be a long time before then, but at some point you will understand what was downfall for you in history and strive for a better life. They will no longer be the slaves of the Turks, Persians and Arabs. That's what your father says too. And I agree with that. The Kurds' undoing was the brotherhood of the peoples, the Ummat el Islamiyah and the ideological political war between the parties. This will be over at some point. If I were to intuitively point to the future ... I would say that no one can stop ROJAVA. You have relations with states, you have gun violence. Your enemies (Turkey, Syria) are greatly inferior to the friends of ROJAVA (USA, France). Turkey is the West’s runaway boy. The chances look very good. We may just have to be patient
@Fee Nok what are you laughing at its sad
First time I have heard a journalist show empathy and give condolence for a guy losing a friend
Shit was heartbreaking
If only I could retweet this
i cried man this shit is sad he said he cant even look at the dead guys mom
Some journalists might do too but they crop in post
@A Shn its sad that you think that. arabs hate everybody. even if the west is not involved in your conflict, you still blame the west..you guys hate each other and have been fighting each other forever before the west existed. the prophet Muhammad killed and fought in the same kind of wars as in Syria in order to spread islam. or maybe the united states sponsored the terrorists muhammad fought too?
"are you getting paid?"
"i don't do this for money"
@Gutiyum Serxobun he is not talking shit
Gutiyum Serxobun yea lol he’s no talking shit he’s giving respect
This is the one of the best channel I know only one problem there is not many war vids now 2020 wean I send this it’s 2019 24/12
Gutiyum Serxobun he is not talking shit plus now it is we’re old now
@@MikoAnom no no I
"Sorry about your friend"
"I'm sorry too"
That made me tear up.
5:17 “heyat was killed few weeks ago” broke my heart when I heard that
Eternal life to Heyat, very sad, a very young, brave beautiful woman not with us anymore.
yeah when he said it it shocked me, RIP Heyat
Later*
Exactly.. was about to say the same 💔
Turgay killing tens of Iraqi and Syrian people everyday 😡🇮🇶🇸🇾
Weird how nonchalantly he says, "She died a couple weeks later on duty."
yeah thats unfortunately the exact point he was getting across :/
not so weird when youre in war and half of everyone you meet in active fighting zones will die soon
I guess that is how it goesd when you are in a war zone and everyone around you can just be dead tomorrow. Sad truth
@@andreblock6028 half is a wild stretch...
not weird at all once you stop to actually think about why he said it like that, thats how this [still ongoing] war works, you could become best friends with someone only for them to die a horrific and painful, terrifying death a few hours or a few days later...
weird that youre making that bit of narration out to be something it is not.
Love from Rojava to all our friends around the world ❤️
加油!
🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴
Pozdrawiam Rodżawę z Glasgow 🏴
Ez bikeme orta kuza diyate
So what's the condition down there now? Who controls the territory?
Dear Kurds... Truth prevails... with love from India... Let all of u live in atmost peace... Praying that you prosper... praying for world peace
@@medeniylmaz4418 çıma qeber dıke hewal
"Sorry about your friend"
"I'm sorry too"
My heart :'(
I felt some pretty big feels when that guy said "I'm sorry too"
She protected the citizens unpaid and got killed.. What the frick man ;-;
So we are the rest can live, she sacrifices.
So turns out, the rest are not going to live. Thanks Turkey!
Willy Wanker Wrong. Turkey and Russia are bombing them now.
@@Amy-xo2xn and Iran took the land of the Kurds as well,they all live in it and the Kurds working for them were taken from the Kurds
R.I.P Heyat! Didn't even get paid to do her job but what a Brave soul! Wanted to protect her home land! You have a beautiful place in heaven Queen!
2014 : underreported
2019: most reported
His leg went to paradise lol its good to see they still have humor even though they are risking there lives every day for freedom
+ismael morales I don't think the patient meant that as a joke
that wasnt a joke, that is what he really was thinking =)))))) pretty funny
@@aleen424 They dont think its real probably legs dont have souls
He was talking about ISIS members
“One of them
The funny thing is that you think it’s a joke.
7:17 - From all over the World - from Chechnya, from Sudan, from Al-Saudia - They all come here and try to fight us & I don't know why? - "It's not even their land"....
@Lusty Phoebe ph
@Lusty Phoebe you guys kill for drugs thooo
The YPG is a terrorist group this is false news I’m fucking Syrian they have no right to be in arab lands they occupy manbij/al raqqa/tel rifat/deir ezour/ they use car bombs in north aleppo and the alraqqa countryside they killed 85 civilians in afrin with 8 car bombs in one hour it’s absolutely disgusting and they call Syrian rebels al nusra while they cooperate with the war criminal Assad its infuriating. The west just wants to push its narrative they support the YPG first to defeat Isis now Isis is gone so they made up an imaginary enemy they betrayed us we fought alongside them against Isis who liberated jarablus/a’zaz/mar’/sarmin/tanaf/mujareb/bulbul/jisr al shoghour from Isis is the Syrian rebels yes we have some islamists but they are in the other side of the country in the Latakia mountains and idlib farms why kill civilians in al raqqa and north aleppo we don’t have islamists ideas we have christan minorities our prime minister for 5 years was a christan man our minister of external displaced people is a christan woman our defense minister is an atheist 7 out of the 40 in our parliament are women and 5 of which who don’t wear hijab the western media likes grouping us all together
Anarchist Zero bruh tf are you on about lmao
@@naserahmed2445 - The YPG is a terrorist group - sold themselves to the devil, until they're not useful and then the US will drop them like a used condom...
We proud of my Kurd brothers ❤❤
Ez bikeme orta kuza diyate
Hearing what appears to be child of about five or six yelling "Martyrs never die!" is truly heartbreaking and makes me very much appreciate my life. I sure as hell didn't know what a martyr was when I was his age.
He Sure as hell doesnt know too. He Just doing what His Rolemodels do.
For people like me,
A martyr is
a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs.
I know what a martyr was when I was like 11 or 12, so it's weird as hell for a 5 or 6 year old to know what a martyr is
you didnt know about jesus?????
Monkey See Monkey Do
Great, honest work by this journalist, but also don't forget the cameraman! I suppose it was just the two of them in the field. That part of the video where he stayed out in the open to get a good shot of them while they ran for cover, waiting only until the last moment to run for cover himself really underlined the oft forgotten bravery of the cameramen who help cover these warzones.
Agreed.
The cameraman never dies
in Europe we should be helping kurdish people, all my support
absolutely - but instead our stupid government has been channeling money ('AKA non-leathal aid') to the islamists who've been butchering the kurds.
carefulcliffdriver The USA has suspended aid recently. Funny considering we were willing to go to war for these people a few months ago.
marudoethiopia No, Obama was bluffing the whole time.
***** I think it was Putin's diplomatic maneuvering making Kerry look like a fool and Congress's likely refusal that stopped the US from going to war.
@@marudoethiopia Don't be stupid, this is not about "Kerry" or "Putin", it's about de-stabilizing the region for profit.
The Rojavan people have sacrificed so much for everyone in the West.
“We pay a lot for this freedom”
Never were truer words spoken
It is all about oil, not freedom.
@Propel 2015 I just saw a Turkish Kurd talk about how he helped the refugees into Turkey and international volunteers into Rojava. He said he felt guilty for not fighting himself.
@ What are you talking about seriously? There are literally people who have been captured and slaved in that area, these people are defending themselves. You should shut up, research what happened before commenting here. Would you say, a Nazi is the same as allied forces and they should all stop? Seriously some people like to comment when they know about nothing
Biggie cheese he is right tho
They are Syrian Kurds not "Rojavan", there is no "Rojava" on any map.
RIP Heyat. Don’t know much about the situation but I respect anyone willing to die for others.
I know this is a serious documentary and all, but this goat Genco... Cracked me up a couple of times. What a badass.
PLZ TALL MY TIME MY CEANT FIND IT
This Guy is a Good Reporter, Have more of him please Vice :)
The journalist is a loser and biased, He showed the war from one side. That's stupid and not far. I don't know why dumb people like his biased one side report.
Yasser Alaamri I don't think so, this man wanted to find what is going on the Kurdish side in the Syria War, I don't think he can move across lines to interview the other side. Vice already interviewed the Islamists rebels in another video. I think this report was very enlightening to me, and interesting. I disagree.
Yasser Alaamri please elaborate
Yasser Alaamri The media is always biased in some way, but this doesn't seem very biased to me. Probably shouldn't ask, just because of the way you call him a looser I know you won't have a good answer. But what makes you say this is so biased?
no, it's so clear bro. By the way i don't support any side but the way he did the report was awful and shame on the channel.
It's so clear that he isn't real journalist at all,
Freedom to Rojava/Kurdistan
From India 🇮🇳
Vibhu they’re terrorist you dum ass. They’re sending kids and girls to fight look at the pictures of the dead so called soldiers
Hey indian rant, get lostm
Vibhu thank you bro
@@iminfinite3412 to fight for ur land is not terrorism , considering that the tyrony upon you is real and you demographically claim that piece of land way before these countries carved out their borders. So either Syria iran Iraq and turkey give the part of community living in their country proper rights or be prepared for these acts. I am not saying in a black mailing way, I am saying as being realistic. We oppress people and communities and ethnicities too much and when reactions come out , we have had already forgotten the actions those reactions are a response of. May the world be a better place and as ideal as it seems to a 5-6 year old child living in a warfree zone.
heyat dying in the line of duty kicked me in the feelings, she didnt deserve a life like that, no one does.
same, so sadd
She did what we dont. Sometimes I still think about what am I doing at home watching youtube videos while 20 years old valanteers dying on duty few cuntries from me
I,m getting more and more respect for the kurdish people
Perrty Ballonz like we give a fuck, were not arabs, were iranian people. we will leave this arabic country and the turks
Kurdos K tu kurdi choy/koy bra?
The Kurds are the biggest allies to the U.S in that region. So many of us admire the Kurds and their bravery and still feel terrible for us abandoning them after both wars w/ Iraq. We aren't going to abandon them again I'd bet...Not this time. They have our unconditional support and we're gonna burn ISIL down to dust w/ them.
Dennis R For USA it doesnt matter, they will betray anyone for there own intrests, and no Kurds are not the best US allies, its Saudi Arabia and the rest of Gulf Arabs. Also we are hated just a little bit after Iran since we want the rest of Kurdistan in Turkey
***** I disagree, dude. I know for a fact that even though we are in bed with UAE/Saudi/etc, that doesn't exactly indicate where our loyalties lay when the meat hits the metal. I believe most of those on the ground in Iraq and/or Syria are behind the Kurds more than any other group at this particular point. We didn't do the Kurd/Pesh justice by leaving them high and dry after the post-Desert Storm abandonement thing, but we are back now and we are giving the Kurd SOF all of our resources. We don't really love that Qatar and Saudi Arabia, though, are practically privately funding ISIL, so I have to disagree with that part.
These checkpoint workers making zero money, willing to die to protect their country have balls the size of watermelons and have my full respect. Good people down in Syria, I wish I could do something to help.
They are the best kind of people out there. The kurds are humble people that only want to live in peace, between the kurds there is cultural difference, no discrimination nothing... And yet no country helps them. The only thing other countries is bringing more extremists in to the country for kurds to put a stick up their asses.
@@AboutcultureANDmore White countries are bringing extremists in and extremifying any Semites already there, yes. Like Turkey, USA, and Israel.
you dont meed balls to be curageous. You dont meed to be a man to be curageous.
The fact that testicle size is the expression for courage is uber fucked up if you think about it
Dude, it's not a country, these groups like ypg pkk are trying to establish a country. And that's why they cost a lot of people's lives
@@eyupunal7190 they are fighting for their freedom
انا من كردستان المحتلة من قبل سوريا انا من مدينة كوباني في روژ ئاڤا ارسل سلامي لكل احرار العالم والى محبي السلام نحن شعب كردستان نريد ان نعيش على ارضنا بسلام نريد ان نتخلص من المحتل ومن لغة التي تفرض علينا المحتل نريد ان ندرس لغتنا الأم بكل حرية دون خوف تريد ان نتحرر من قيود العبودية في اجزاء اربعة من كردستان ❤
God bless the Kurds 🙏
@YourLocalCommunist +god
Im stopping this at 8:06 to say: Vice this is definitely turning out to be one of the most emotional and capturing documentaries that you have released in a while, keep it up!
they didn't keep it up :(
Ez bikeme orta kuza diyate
We need to support the Kurds as much as we can...they are the real force fighting the scourge of ISIS.
Yeah but they're anarchists so their ideology is dangerous to the elite of the world.
The Stoned Videogame Nerd Their society and Ideals are libertarian socialist in nature.
The Stoned Videogame Nerd anarchy is not do what you want... It is just against illegitimate hierarchies.
+The Stoned Videogame Nerd Go read up on anarchism/libertarian socialism.
its image has been massively distorted to mean disorder abd chaos.
its the complete opposite of it
I spent many years trying to articulate my political views .
I was always a anarchist but i didn't know it .
These guys are anarchists .
All our lives we been told to fear anarchy
Because it means the end of elites .
Steve L Dude it's hard out here, so many indoctrinated minds.
Free Kurdistan....Love from India...:-)
Ez bikeme orta kuza diyate
@@medeniylmaz4418boş yapma cahil
2020 and still my Respect to the max for YPG, YPJ and Kurdistan fighters!!
Teroristsin
F*ck them
Freedom for the brave people of Kurdistan and all persecuted nations of this world !
Closed fist raised for the kurdish people… I greatly admired your courage and sacrifices
Tragic that the Kurdish people have to fight so many '#''';';###''#' that come from other countrys and who no way belong any where near Syria or any where on this planet !..
🤍😊
Ez bikeme orta kuza diyate
My neighbor next door in Ohio is from Iraqi Kurdistan, a very tolerant man, nice person.
10 years+ of resistance and still ongoing ✌
#BijîRojava
this revolution starts and the world was proud of Kurds anarchists and communist rebels... but for the last 4 years Rojava leaders and the army of SDF is a puppets of the USA there is more than 5 years of occupied areas in Rojava by Turkish fascist state and SDF don't touch them ... hope YPG and SDF find his good self and kick out USA bases from Rojava and also the Turkish state ...
WE ARE LEGENDS...
BİJİ BERXWEDANE ROJAVA!
Home made tanks...these fighters need help.
Karina` Smith They're doing pretty well. They've actually called to stop people going to join their army. They need people for their economy now
long live the kurds, ive never seen such amazing and brave people.
All power to the Rojava Revolution!
@YourLocalCommunist how.
@YourLocalAnarco-Communist elaborate please
@YourLocalAnarco-Communist bot spotted
This is why I respect the Kurdish people amongst all others, because they value both democracy and peace, and are the only ethnic group in the Middle East that value a persons character over their religion.
Viva Kurdistan.
The truth is very different these channel only show one side of the story!
As a Kurd i believe this is a good representation of who we are and what we want. No arab nation would allow females (nevermind female soldiers) to be as equal to men as they are among us Kurds.
If you are a Kurd, your mind is stock. Just like any religion or crazy shit. You need to reborn to understand my words. And you still in 1950s. Men you live in a crazy world lol
No idea what fuck you’re blathering about...
We admire you greatly for this !
@The Truth your comment makes no sense. are you suggesting that arabs are not civilized? im arab
The Sword Of Allah in the army yes but frontline soldiers? I don’t think so
9 years ago and it’s STILL going on… crazy
if turks dont come kurds will take all back
❤️🩹 Brave people who fought for their country❤ rest in peace
God bless the Kurds. Full support from Arkansas, USA.
Brother the satanic govt. of the USA and their allies is the main reason for all the dead in Syria, the lost souls who is fighting is nothing but a stupid puppets in their hands, the same foe Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Iraq and many more including Ukraine
mack jones jones so blame the people? this is a citizen, not the gov.
Thank you so much, I've been in Arkansas, and I know that Arkansans are so respectful. by the way, please share this video to give our people an access to see why Kurds have the right to live like humans.
lol then start fighting against your terrorist gouwarment if yo support kurds or any innocent pl in this region .. becuz behind all this shit is usa and son fo shit israel
Ryan Pedro oh you're totally not a troll, also get out of the 1800s, sectionalism is retarded. What ya gonna do next, protest tariffs?
As a Kurd, this makes me proud and hopefully each and every Kurd will achieve what we deserve: an independent Kurdistan, Biji Kurd w Kurdistan.
🤮🤮🤮
@@thebronx1701BIJÎ KURDISTAN
You could see the pain in the mans face talking about his friends decapitations I send him my condolences and hooe that he can find forgiveness not for the terrorists but for himself sometimes we blame ourselves for stuff we had no control over and we need to find forgiveness within ourselves... god bless him
Hello. I am a young Kurdish man with a university degree in economics. I volunteered in the ranks of the Kurdish forces for 7 years and fought ISIS everywhere. After the end of the battles against ISIS, the Turkish forces and aircraft attacked us and killed our children and our families. Please convey our voice to your governments in order to protect us from the Turkish aircraft. Do not leave us alone in front of the Turkish killing machine.
Sizler teröristsiniz türküye cumhuriyeti toprak bütünlüğünü bozuyor ve zarar veriyorsunuz . Bize baş kaldırıyorsunuz
Hello, propagandist. do u wanna share the truth with the entire world regarding why Türkiye has bombed your military bases and facilities? If you stop bombing our cities, such as Istanbul, we won't care about what the hell u doin on there. otoh, before spreadin lies, tell the truth about how many Turkish servicemen died just because they were caring for civilians during the uprising operations.
if dont attack us, wont hit u back!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Istanbul_bombing
Eardogen middle name dog and he behaves like dog
I admired Genco the goat for his courage!...
I wish the best for my people in Rojava Kurdistan..... R.I.P Hayat Dirki
Wow...reading the articles in newspaper and watching is whole another feeling..i was a teen at that time and im from India🇮🇳i always used to read all these in newspaper...and felt very bad....but watching these videos one thing i can say is these people they are some really strong willed, optimistic people.
Free Kashmir.
Optimistic? Dude, these are terrorists and they killed a lot of innocent people, I wonder which newspaper you are reading, what an ignorant newspaper.
@@zahidkhan5733PoK will be free, don't worry.
@@zahidkhan5733I agree with that but dude don't blame the civilian's
much respect for the kurds from europe, austria
Avusturya'da yaşayan bir Kürt olarak Dankeschön 😁
Holy crap. That chick at 5:20 died view weeks later? Thats fucking sad ...
God help the Kurds,
Respect from Canada.
The music at the end.. her Biji Kurdistan ♥️
Her biji rojava kurdistan
I am from Australia and even as a Non Kurd, I can see the injustices done by all four governments to the kurds, (Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey) - This is a special land where Babylonia sat, where the Garden of Eden is described to be and also where Noah's Ark is supposedly have crashed, it is really odd that this the largest ethnic group in the world without a country ??? -- These people have lived through so much and are still fighting to this day, they all deserve autonomy and the right to practice their own language and culture!
Babylonia was further south if I am not mistaken.
Aso Paso
Nope. Babylonia=southern Iraq. Kurdistan=northern Iraq and adjacent parts of Turkey, Syria, Iran.
Aso Paso
There are regions and then there are empires. So in what context are we talking about it here?
Young Lion
mark m *_It is not our problem that the british didn’t think of a Kurd State_*
Kurdish lands will be blessed and flourish for all the kindness and sanctuary they have shown to Christians. They show themselves to be a truly good civilized people in a sea of insanity
These are real heroes. Take notes.
FREE KURDÎSTAN FREE KURDÎSTAN THANKS BROTHER
Hey vice! Love this and I feel like the Kurdish problem is something largely ignored in the world. Can you guys make more videos avout the Kurds?? Not just the ones in Syria but the ones in Turkey and Iraq. Or maybe a whole documentary about the Kurdish areas! And again, great video!!
@@mir78728 ulan ne salladın 8000 yıl önce hint-Avrupa ırkı yoktu ve kürtler doğu Anadolu'daki Ermeni sürgünü'nden sonra çoğunluk oldular.
the US should support these guys instead of the syrian rebels
I agree...splitting hairs....but I agree...
absolutely agree with you,but the islamic state of iraq and sham is supported by saudi arabia
Outré Ransidr That's false. Jews don't rule everybody's lives. They are just trying to live in peace in their own small country and all the arab countries keep harassing them. The problem is Islam and their hate towards Jews
Outré Ransidr That's not true, you're just making stuff up. And when Israel was formed the Arab countries told the Palestinians to leave because they were gonna attack the Jews, that's why they left
Chilliam Mace Yes I have heard of them. I used to be into those conspiracy theories but thats all hype. And stop blaming the Jews for everything you anti semite, the real problem is Islam
Brave Kurdish Women's proud of them
I pray for the Kurds god bless them
Religion has always been an excuse. War has always been for land, resources, or ethnic hostilities (which we see in this video).
***** What country? Kindly provide some examples than just vague statements.
***** What you just said is presumptuous and just _absolutely_ wrong
BumbleBeat21
What do you think of Sam Harris thoughts from the book Letters to a Christian nation?
Religion, Violence, and the Future of Civilization
Billions of people share your belief that the creator of the universe wrote (or dictated) one of our books. Unfortunately, there are many books that pretend to divine authorship, and they make incompatible claims about how we all must live. Competing religious doctrines have shattered our world into separate moral communities, and these divisions have become a continual source of human conflict.
In response to this situation, many sensible people advocate something called religious tolerance. While religious tolerance is surely better than religious war, tolerance is not without
its problems. Our fear of provoking religious hatred has rendered us unwilling to criticize ideas that are increasingly maladaptive and patently ridiculous. It has also obliged us to lie to ourselves-repeatedly and at the highest levels of discourse-about the compatibility between religious faith and scientific rationality. Our competing religious certainties are impeding the emergence of a viable, global civilization. Religious faith-faith that there is a God who cares what name He is called, faith that Jesus is coming back to earth, faith that Muslim martyrs go straight to Paradise-is on the wrong side of an escalating war of ideas.
Religion raises the stakes of human conflict much higher than tribalism, racism, or politics ever can, as it is the only form of in-group/ out-group thinking that casts the differences between people in terms of eternal rewards and punishments. One of the enduring pathologies of human culture is the tendency to raise children to fear and demonize other human beings on the basis of religious faith. Consequently, faith inspires violence in at least two ways. First, people often kill other human beings because they believe that the creator of the universe wants them to do it. Islamist terrorism is a recent example of this sort of behavior. Second, far greater numbers of people fall into conflict with one another because they define their moral community on the basis of their religious affiliation: Muslims side with other Muslims, Protestants with Protestants, Catholics with Catholics. These conflicts are not always explicitly religious. But the bigotry and hatred that divide one community from another are often the products of their religious identities. Conflicts that seem driven entirely by terrestrial concerns, therefore, are often deeply rooted in religion. The fighting that has plagued Palestine (Jews vs. Muslims), the Balkans (Orthodox Serbians vs. Catholic Croatians; Orthodox Serbians vs. Bosnian and Albanian Muslims), Northern Ireland (Protestants vs. Catholics), Kashmir (Muslims vs. Hindus), Sudan (Muslims vs. Christians and animists),* Nigeria (Muslims vs. Christians), Ethiopia and Eritrea, (Muslims vs. Christians), Ivory Coast (Muslims vs. Christians), Sri Lanka (Sinhalese Buddhists vs. Tamil Hindus), Philippines (Muslims vs. Christians), Iran and Iraq (Shiite vs. Sunni Muslims), and the Caucasus (Orthodox Russians vs. Chechen Muslims; Muslim Azerbaijanis vs. Catholic and Orthodox Armenians) are merely a few, recent cases in point.
And yet, while the religious divisions in our world are self-evident, many people still imagine that religious conflict is always caused by a lack of education, by poverty, or by politics. Most nonbelievers, liberals, and moderates apparently think that no one ever really sacrifices his life, or the lives of others, on account of his religious beliefs. Such people simply do not know what it is like to be certain of Paradise. Consequently, they can't believe that anyone is certain of Paradise. It is worth remembering that the September 11 hijackers were college educated, middle class people who had no discernible experience of political oppression. They did, however, spend a remarkable amount of time at their local mosque talking about the depravity of infidels and about the pleasures that await martyrs in Paradise.
How many more architects and engineers must hit the wall at four hundred miles an hour before we admit to ourselves that jihadist violence is not merely a matter of education, poverty, or politics? The truth, astonishingly enough, is this: in the year 2006, a person can have sufficient intellectual and material resources to build a nuclear bomb and still believe that he will get seventy two virgins in Paradise. Western secularists, liberals, and moderates have been very slow to understand this. The cause of their confusion is simple: they don't know what it is like to really believe in God.
BumbleBeat21 And what do you think about what the women are saying at 30:35 ?
Religion also. Please, don't brush aside religion as a cause for war and hatred.
I've only seen about 3 minutes but thank you Vice for showing this. May the Kurdish people win freedom
its a kurdish region made wirlth referendum also much richer then whole syrua
Much respect from an American to the brave Kurd Peshmerga soldiers. Some of the bravest men and women in the Middle East. Keep up the good fight!
😂
They are not soldiers, they are terrorists and they are not brave.
I really enjoyed watching this, simply because it gives a more nuanced picture of the conflict.
I'd love to see more videos on the Syrian Civil War. Information should be the basis of all opinions, and I don't have enough to form one on this conflict just yet.
Definitely. I've been following this is closely as possible from the beginning and still the picture is muddled, at best. For the powers that be, I suspect, this is ideal.
Well, after watching VICEs absolutely fantastic Ground Zero Syria, I've been able to form a bit more of an informed opinion, and I would recomend you watch it as well if you haven't.
if you want to learn more and you have a strong stomach then you should visit liveleak.com there you can select Syria section and find lots of videos from both sides(Assad regime and Terrorists).
It is fantastic, agreed. This is only from one perspective though. I don't think it's possible to form a thorough/accurate picture of the conflict. Complicated geopolitics.
Aris is the most ballsiest, down to earth, straight shooting reporter that Vice has ever had. I dislike Vice and avoid most of their content but i always come back to watch Aris footage.
Why exactly do you dislike Vice?
@@snaakie when it comes to politics vice is super liberal and that shit gets old
"One of them lost his leg and told his friends his leg has gone to paradise"😂😂😂😂😂😂
روجافا ينتظرها مستقبل مشرق رغم الصعوبات، نحن الكورد لدينا أرادة قوية
Let's hope that Rojava won't end up like anarchist cantons of the Spanish Civil War that was destroyed by the nationalist and the republican. The Syrian Civil War is rerun of the Spanish Civil War, and Rojava is the reincarnation Anarchist Cantons of Spain that just want peace in there country.
I am not projecting my ideology on them, I am just saying that there situation is similar to the Anarchist Cantons of the Spanish Civil War. As they are kind of well targeted by every factions in the Syrian Civil War.
StarDust have you even watched this documentary? Clearly you can't compare it to the spanish civil war, but saying that this struggle is based around nationalism is more wrong than his statement. They fight this struggle to keep their freedom and democracy and to live peacefully along other ethnic groups. Also the kurds you see in syria are influenced by socialism and equality. I'm from kurdish descend myself and that's what my relatives thought me.
Arthion I am not sure if your against what I just said in the statement, but let me clarify what I meant. The situation they are in is somewhat similar to the Anarchist Cantons but not in nationalism or what you just stated, they have a similar situation where they try to live in peace or try make things better but at the same time targeted by the other factions of the war. Rojava wants to live peacefully and not get killed like the Anarchist Cantons wants to be independent and live peacefully. There situation are similar but different in nature. In most civil wars there sometimes minor factions that wants to separate from the fight and protect their freedom or try make something new out of their situation.
I only just hope that they won't end up the like the cantons where they are annihilated by fascist regime.
Karl Garin recent news have shown again that the future of syria is pretty uncertain, but i hope the best for all civillians struggling in this war.
The difference between the Kurd and the Iraqi Armies is shocking. The Iraqi army looks like bumbling idiots beside the Kurdish fighters. I especially love seeing the female Kurdish fighters. They are so brave and so disciplined. I think they, above all are truly fighting for their very existence.
+Wicked Princess real feminists unlike these winers here in the west.
BS - you are really brainwashed tho
@dekippiesip Wow you really like to get triggered about feminism don't you?
It's true right, well said sir.
Wicked Princess 😂😂ياخي اخلاقي متسمحلي اغلط بس متوصل لنعال العراقين واگطع
00:25 that baby did a peace sign that felt golden and to cute and common how did she grow up that fast😢❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
A brilliant documentary.. Thank you VICE !
Bye the way beautiful video and powerful messages to everyone who are the Kurds.
Thank you
Its funny how people are starting to finally understand kurds, my people. We've been begging for years and have been courageous and loyal for democracy. Peace be upon us. This war will all end soon. Justice will prevail in the end. i promise
Amen
28:00 I like how the goat patrolling with them
RIP Heyat. even a decade after you passed people are still learning your name, and for the cause you gave your life for
love u kurds, god bless u...
regards from india
വസീലി സയത്സേവ് 🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷
We Are Kurds
We Love Every People Everyone
LOVE INDIA
Enemy at the Gates
7:56 "I'm sorry -illegible-"(about that man? idk)
"I'm sorry, too."
gave me chills..
Brazy Blood
Sorry about your friend
"I'm sorry too" :(
Love and peace to the Kurds/Kurdish and Kurdistan state.
We hear you and we support you.
My heart sunk when he said the guard died a few weeks later...
they protect people who lives in Kurdistan they want to keep Kurdistan away from thief and terrorist long live Kurdistan long live YPG God with you all ways ..
Is there terrorism in the Middle East? Look how the terrorist organization ISIS made me in a short time and how they eliminated them in a short time. From the beneficiary, the infidelity died from the side, the Sunnis and the Kurds, who sacrificed himself for me, the Kurds and Arabs
Did they give you a country? No. Will they give you, no permission, for me? What will your soul sacrifice me today when America withdrew from this region? Who will protect you from the Shiites? Who will protect you from the Syrian regime, the Free Army or Turkey? Do not serve the interests of others. Serve yourself.
@@user-np9js9vx3o we have problems with these countries dosent matter whos watching you or who is staing beside of you kurds are fighting however
@@Tariqali18330 By God, I do not know what I will tell you, but I know that we and the Kurds from hundreds of years live in one land and eat the same food. We neither hate them nor hate it, not because it is related to the Syrian regime or the terrorist organization ISIS.
@@user-np9js9vx3o i dont know where you from but i know you are arab we dont have a problem with arab but we have problem all ways with arabs goverment especially syria and iraq im sure ISIS made be America for there intrest
kurds really need their own nation, they are mostly secularists and have a more western attitude and outlook. They have no business being ruled by Arabs.
They have actually lived in that territory for 1000s of years, meanwhile most of Israel jews are immigrants at any time after or before independence aside from 1000s of years ago. Be fair and give them their nation.
love to the kurds from the uk
*****
This isn't about how Kurds can be of help to religious minorities in the region, it's about 45 million (STATELESS) people having been denied the right to live in freedom.
Oh by the way, prepare for an Islamic Syria, because those FSA bastards are not the tolerant kind of people.
*****
Ah I see, you don't really care about the security of religious minorities in this region, you just don't want us Kurds to rule over our own homeland, busted ;) I want to ask your fanatic mind a single and simple question: How do you know Kurdistan won't be independent? Wait I know - Because you say so, right? Grow up mate, unless you can get your hands on a time machine, step 50 years into the future and confirm that there's no independent Kurdistan, then you can't prove your claims. As said, this is just your opinion, It's not FACTS! So this "like it or not" is tough words with no value. You're acting like freaking god by your claims of being able to look into the future, which is what you're indirectly saying.
Why are stupid people like you so prevailant in the Internet, but not in real life?Because in real life someone would put you and your ignorance in your place. Kurds have people in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran. Not only is it not your place to have an opinion on that issues, but you clearly showed you did not listen very well to the video. The Syrian Kurds said they don't want independence, they want a united Syria, because to them Syria is a land of many ethnicities and religions. Imbecile...
Oh, yeah, the West is great... Shut the fuck up...
*****
"people like you screwing up their lives with pathetic ideas of rebellion"
I understand you're one of those people that really don't give a sh*t about the fate of people like us, you value the Christians more because you share the same religion. You people make me sick.
"because no major power in the region wants the kurds to have their own land that's why, and they don't have 1/100 the power of turkey syria etc."
Do you honestly believe Syria is an issue for us now? Na, what are issues however are Turkey and Iran, and frankly Iran is the only country we still don't have a plan against. There are many ways to liberate Kurdistan from Turkey, the most obvious is of course an armed rebellion, Kurds are roughly 1/3 of Turkey's population, 1/3 of Istanbul, millions in Central Anatolia, 14 million in Kurdistan. Do you know what would happen if the PKK decides to declare a civil war? Give them the order and they will be able to guide all 23 million Kurds to an uprising.
Or something you might find more realistic: The Kurdish birthrate as of now is around 7-9 children, while the Turkish birthrate is 1-3 children. If this keeps going then Kurds will be the majority population in Turkey around 2052.
All ideas really, we'll see which one works out ;)
"which in turn makes turkey iraq syria etc step on you from time to time"
Yeah, because they occupy our homeland, and we resist, ALL FREEDOM FIGHTERS are "stepped" upon by the regimes they're trying to resist. But we must never forget the wise Words of a certain Nelson Mandela: "It always seems impossible until it's done"
While I was working in Switzerland Basel, near the airport at a roundabout there was a spray paiting which said "DEFEND ROJAVA" this was in the end of 2019. It was put there then I believe, since I hadnt noticed it being there when I first came in the country. Found it kind of interesting. Still have a picture of it. Just goes to show that people all around the world care in the end.
I'm from kobani and I thank every people defend about Kurdistan and thank us to help as I'm sure in decades we help our each other
That goat is brave.
this is one of THE BEST Vice docos i've seen in ages. more of this dude!! agreed!
Heval! bless for my Kurdish friends I think about them every day. Such strong hearted people.
To all the Kurds & Arabs who fight against the radical groups, keep moving. You are the winner. SDF YPJ YPG, ✌🏿✌🏿✌🏿 LOVE FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD IN AUSTRALIA.
The female Kurdish soldiers are brave women. And the humongous plus side of them fighting against IS savages is, when those get killed by a female they won't get their 72 virgins and paradise ( not like they would otherwise, but still ...). They are terrified of female soldiers.
*P.S. I totally love Genco the goat. If Genco ever needs rescuing, I would love to rescue this goat. :-)*
+CateSimulate Genco is a warrior and stays close to combat for support.
+CateSimulate .... The Mek were less meritorious, even during the time the US Gov counted them as asset's in Iraq.
DeWayne Benson
bahhhhahahah
Dustin Tacohands... After the US-Gov removed (supposed) military from Iraq, Hillary Clinton (State Dept) turned over a US Military base to these MeK Terrorist.... that before under Mik Hossein Mousavii (1980 Iran Foriegn Office) supplied and had them killing US Soldiers.
DeWayne Benson look at what we've been doing with pakistan if you want to be upset. the CIA and ISI have been pulling some real shady stuff.
LOVE TO KURDS FROM MARATHA. (INDIAN)
We Are Kurds
We Love Every People Everyone
VK
What's wrong with them? Marathas
Thank you everyone for the support, we have been in a such situation and even worse for a hundred years.
35 millions without a country and under discrimination and hate all the time by the other ethnic and religios groups (the islamic groups represnted mostly by Turkey are committing genocid and displacement), but we will never lose hope or give up.
The people of sun will sooner or later get their freedom and own country.
The thing that really hurts is that, we thought that the democratic, free countries and the UN are now able to help other nations and people to take their rights and live normaly like everyone else, but unfortunatly it seems like the human rights thing is just idea and rubrics without real implementation.
Turks are not committing genocide, my friend, don't show us how ignorant you are. Genocide is forbidden to Turks and Muslims.
siktir git amk vatansız piçleri
@@ertugrulgundogdu6111 Bana ne küfür edion
Hope all these men are still here and well
Yeah I hope too.... But you know it's war
Dude, they are terrorists and have taken sides against Turkey.
@@eyupunal7190 not considered terrorist by America therefor they’re not
@@gavyngurdine5595 Of course, because your god is the USA, it doesn't sound like that to you, but for them to be considered terrorists, there is no need for a country to accept him as a terrorist. If you do not call a group that committed genocide, you cannot change the fact that they are terrorists. Of course, how would ignorant people like you know what terrorism is.
@@eyupunal7190 right you just support a country that basically backs Syria … I’m the ignorant one rigggght
That Genco is hardcore.
It's about time someone focuses on this part of the war. The Kurds deserve independence
That Girl Hiyat she sticks with me this isn’t my first time watching this.. and everytime it’s like the first time,. So brave she didn’t even get paid to do that yet she’s standing guard at her checkpoint man that just eats me alive.. im a guy and i dont have a pair that big.. she was a true warrior.. May she rest in peace…
The Kurds are the hero’s of the war! #FreeKurdistan