Discussing the social variables at the first dialogue forum in Kobani

Writer and educator Hussein Mohammed Ali said that Kobani region in northern Syria has witnessed a large displacement movement, where tens of thousands of people had left the region to other countries such as Turkey and Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG), in addition to the emigration of young people to the European countries, that has left a vacuum in the society which was essentially imbalanced.
Mohammed Ali’s interview with North-Press came on the sidelines of the first dialogue forum addressing the social reality in Kobani, which has been held in the city since yesterday, in the presence of about 85 social and cultural figures from the city and its countryside.

Changes in values
“The Syrian crisis has led to many changes in the values and the disintegration of principles”, Mohammed Ali said, pointing out that holding such forum aims to reconsider these problems and to find out proper solutions.
He said that the forum pointed to the problems and crises experienced by people on the social, humanitarian, cultural and service levels.
Mohammed Ali said: “I wished that the forum’s slogan was (We want to talk), because it is time to refer to the shortcomings and crises that people are experiencing in the region, in order to find solutions and minimize the effects of this devastating crisis on human beings, society and the environment”.
Ali pointed out that there is a social system which was broken up and that the society is facing a strange phenomenon, which he called “transferring the city to a countryside”, while it must be the opposite and be urbanization of the countryside by transferring the system of civil values to the countryside, he also pointed out to real humanitarian, cultural and value crisis in society.

The civil status
For his turn, researcher Saleh Naasan stressed: “Dialogue is necessary in Kobani and in other cities because we are at a crucial stage, especially after the end of the military conflict and the transition into the stage of studying the civil situation, the civil dialogue,  the rearrangement of cities and the organization of relations between the population”, pointing out that this requires a lot of efforts, meetings and dialogues aiming at the development of the civil situation, in order to reach a kind of reassurance among the people about the civil status.
Naasan added: “Social changes are linked to events, so that since there are changes in events there will be social changes, which is normal, because it is the product of an extraordinary event”, adding that these social changes take time to be crystallized.

The target
Regarding the aim of the dialogue forum, the co-chairman of the Foundation of the Democratic Society Academies in the Euphrates Region (administrative division includes Kobani and Tal Abyad) Sharvan Muslim said: “The purpose of the forum is to diagnose the problems of the region in general, as a result of the recent situation, and diagnose the negative aspects that resulted from the events, in addition to submitting the proposals and recommendations regarding these problems for the concerned authorities”.
The Foundation of the Democratic Society Academies, in its recent conference, decided to study the sociological situation in the whole region.
Muslim pointed out that the preparation of this forum in Kobani began about three months ago, where about 85 social and cultural figures were chosen by their names and personal qualities, and not because of the institutions and parties to which they belong.
It is noteworthy that the dialogue conference has discussed the topics of values, customs and traditions of the society, and the topic of the population structure, in addition to the system of communes.
The forum will last until today, Monday, to discuss the topics of women, authoritarian political system, the experience of the Autonomous Administration, education, cultural reality, justice and control mechanisms, moral and religious norms, psychological structure and behavioral variables in society, in addition to the services related to health and municipalities.
It is scheduled to issue a final statement at the end of the forum containing recommendations and proposals regarding the problems and the disadvantages of the society in general, then submit these proposals to the concerned authorities.