# We Have Betrayed the Kurds **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 7, 2019, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420 "2019-10-07T14:54:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/261 "2019-10-14T15:29:42Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Thanks for keeping the focus on important news. The source of some b-roll is far more important than anyone’s life. Perhaps you don’t consider dishonesty in the media important. I hope that’s not an opinion that is widely shared. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/262 "2019-10-14T16:02:03Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > This GOP-sanctioned Genocide of Christians > > Trump started this genocide of Christians, I’m seeing some misinformation( IMHO )or at least questionable notions in this thread generally and mostly I have been manfully resisting my natural tendency to be a pedantic schoolmarm. But where exactly does this stem from? The Kurds are overwhelmingly _not_ Christian. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/263 "2019-10-14T16:14:28Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I’m seeing some misinformation( IMHO )or at least questionable notions in this thread generally and mostly I have been manfully resisting my natural tendency to be a pedantic schoolmarm. But where exactly does this stem from? The Kurds are overwhelmingly _not_ Christian. Maybe it’s a reference to Syrian Christians who are under attack from Turkey, now. > **[Christian Communities in Northeast Syria Are the Target of a Turkish Attack...](https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/christian-communities-northeast-syria-are-target-turkish-attack-first-time)** > > Turkey plans to use the Syrian National Army, an alliance of Islamist rebels, for its operations in Northern Syria. Not Kurds, but still affected by Trump’s decision. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/264 "2019-10-14T16:33:17Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Perhaps you don’t consider dishonesty in the media important. I hope that’s not an opinion that is widely shared. Exactly! It’s like those concentration camp reels that migrated from TV’s History Channel to YouTube. You know, the ones where the narrator’s talking about Auschwitz while they show stock footage of Bergen-Belsen on the screen. Dishonesty in the media! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/265 "2019-10-14T16:44:47Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Perhaps you don’t consider dishonesty in the media important. I hope that’s not an opinion that is widely shared. I trust ABC more than I trust PolishPatriotTM’s Twitter feed. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/266 "2019-10-14T16:46:48Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Maybe it’s a reference to Syrian Christians who are under attack from Turkey, now. > > [Christian Communities in Northeast Syria Are the Target of a Turkish Attack for the First Time in Over a Century | The National Interest](https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/christian-communities-northeast-syria-are-target-turkish-attack-first-time) > > Not Kurds, but still affected by Trump’s decision. Ah, okay. They aren’t the targets of _Turkey_ and aren’t really allies of the local Kurdish authority, but they certainly can feel threatened as bystanders caught in the middle. And I’d definitely be worried about some elements of the FSA if I were them. But Turkey is going to be under some political pressure to prevent any genocide of local Christians. Not to say it can’t or won’t happen - stuff like [Sabra and Shatila](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabra_and_Shatila_massacre) happen when you make the mistake of getting ideological militias involved in wars. But I wouldn’t assume it is a foregone conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/267 "2019-10-14T16:53:59Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I trust ABC more than I trust PolishPatriotTM’s Twitter feed. You don’t trust a source that features [MAGA wings](https://mobile.twitter.com/PolishPatriotTM/status/1153798715796099078)? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/268 "2019-10-14T17:09:02Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Perhaps you don’t consider dishonesty in the media important. I hope that’s not an opinion that is widely shared. It’s not. But the implication, _in the context of this thread_, is “see, the media’s making it all up, nothing to see here.” I hope that’s not what you mean. But this thread is about the tragedy in Kurdistan and our role in it, and your post doesn’t say jack shit about that. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/269 "2019-10-14T17:10:26Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > It’s not. But the implication, _in the context of this thread_, is “see, the media’s making it all up, nothing to see here.” > > I hope that’s not what you mean. But this thread is about the tragedy in Kurdistan and our role in it, and your post doesn’t say jack shit about that. I don’t think the media is making “it all” up, but it’s very obvious ABC News made up this particular attack. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/270 "2019-10-14T17:15:32Z")
Maybe ABC just got confused and showed footage from the Bowling Green Massacre. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/271 "2019-10-14T17:18:09Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > So, just making fun of funny sounding foreign names then. Got it. It’s neither funny sounding nor foreign…I guess monolingual minds are not really going to get it. > [@Velocity](#): > > Before you pointed out the similarity to “Muslim,” I had no clue what \*\*AK84 \*\*was even getting at. You still have no clue, I assure you. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/272 "2019-10-14T17:43:42Z")
[maẓlūm] [apparently means](https://en.bab.la/dictionary/arabic-english/%D9%85%D8%B8%D9%84%D9%88%D9%85): oppressed tyrannized wronged treated unfairly treated unjustly It’s hilarious once you get it. :rolleyes: I guess he may have acquired the nickname because he was oppressed, tyrannized, wronged, treated unfairly or treated unjustly. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/273 "2019-10-14T17:56:31Z")
“I once met a guy who everyone called Fatty. The funny thing was, though, he was really fat! I couldn’t stop laughing!” ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/274 "2019-10-14T18:02:02Z")
A _General_ is oppressed? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/275 "2019-10-14T18:09:15Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > A _General_ is oppressed? From [his Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazlum_Abdi): > [@](#): > > Ferhat Abdi Şahin, better known by his _noms de guerre_ Mazlum Abdi, Şahin Cilo, and Mazlum Kobanê, is a Syrian Kurdish military leader, serving as the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). > > Abdi first served with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party within Syria and was detained several times by the Syrian authorities. He later left Syria and went to Europe where he was engaged in political work, later travelling to Iraq where he was involved in military work. Sounds like he was oppressed before becoming a military general. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/276 "2019-10-14T18:14:35Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I don’t think the media is making “it all” up, but it’s very obvious ABC News made up this particular attack. How so? Are you saying that this video is their only evidence of the attack? And if so, how do you know that? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/277 "2019-10-14T18:21:14Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > How so? Are you saying that this video is their only evidence of the attack? And if so, how do you know that? The attack may have been real, but the footage may have been completely unrelated. You can’t show a news segment saying, “Fire blazes in Chicago downtown district” and then cut to a TV clip of a fire in a warehouse in Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/278 "2019-10-14T18:38:45Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > How so? Are you saying that this video is their only evidence of the attack? And if so, how do you know that? I’m saying the video doesn’t show the attack like they claim it does. In a word, they’re _misrepresenting_ events. It’s certainly _possible_ that the Syrian border town (I don’t even want to begin to guess at how it’s supposed to be spelled) actually was attacked (I don’t know, I wasn’t there, and I certainly wouldn’t take ABC News’ word for it now), but they don’t present any evidence to support that assertion other than this video, which they say they “obtained”. I’m purposely trying to avoid accusing them of “lying” because I’m not sure if they did it deliberately or if they were duped and have insufficient processes in place to verify footage they’re provided. Either way though, they can’t be trusted. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/279 "2019-10-14T18:42:03Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > A _General_ is oppressed? Everyone else is named Mazlumer. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420/280 "2019-10-14T18:45:06Z")
You can’t blame ABC when it reports lies. He’s the President. You have to cover his speeches. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-betrayed-the-kurds/841420.md?page=15)