WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kurds in the United States and others will rally at the Washington Monument in the heart of the US capitol on Sunday afternoon, on the heels of the US advising against the referendum and saying they cannot support it.
The Kurdistan Regional Government's Representative to the United States encouraged people to come.
"Join the Kurdistan referendum rally in Washington, D.C., this Sunday..." Representative Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman wrote in a tweet on Tuesday. "Live Kurdish music, flags, and fanfare."
She told Rudaw that the event is a chance for the Kurdish people in their large numbers to show the people in America and the world that the Kurdish support for independence is not like that of Scotland.
“When the American people see that the people of Kurdistan are with the referendum, are with voting, and are with independence, it makes a difference,” Rahman said on Friday.
“We don't want the Americans or the Europeans to think... that the Kurds are 50-50 [on independence] like Scotland, where it [the vote] was almost 50-50, but ‘No’ had the majority... it is very important for the people of America to realize that the people of Kurdistan, those who live in Kurdistan and those who are here, are all with referendum, and are all with independence.”
The event on the National Mall begins at 1 p.m. and runs until 3 p.m. (EDT). The end time was previously scheduled for 6 p.m.
Rudaw Media Network is the exclusive media sponsor.
The long-planned event comes days after the US State Department and White House have expressed that they do not support the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum.
“The United States does not support the Kurdistan Regional Government’s intention to hold a referendum later this month,” read a statement from the White House on Thursday.
The United States, United Nations, and United Kingdom presented an “alternative” to Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani in a meeting on Thursday as they tried to persuade him to postpone the referendum.
Barzani said on Friday that no alternative has been offered that can replace the independence referendum.
Earlier this month, Rahman responded to a New York Times editorial board piece that slammed independence, calling it a "risky dream" that would "heighten tensions" between the Shiite majority government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region.
"You are right to say that Kurdistan’s independence has risks, but you don’t consider the risks of staying in Iraq," wrote Rahman, a former journalist.
She pointed out that the "sectarian government" of Iraq since 2003 "has violated 55 out of 144 articles in an Iraqi Constitution that the people of Kurdistan endorsed overwhelmingly."
Rahman concluded: "Staying in Iraq offers only a never-ending vista of civil war and uncertainty."
Kurdistanis in diaspora are eligible to vote in the upcoming referendum for independence. Registration for e-voting continues through September 22, a day before diaspora voters can cast their ballots for or against independence.
Thousands of Kurds live in D.C. and surrounding Maryland and Virginia. It is also expected Kurdistanis from states like Tennessee, Michigan, where there are large Kurdish and Chaldean populations, will attend. Many rallies for Kurdistan's referendum have already taken place abroad, including a large one in Cologne, Germany, on August 8 where an estimated 20,000 people took part.
Back home in Kurdistan, many rallies have taken place in different cities, mainly in Duhok and Erbil provinces. The largest rally in support of the vote was held in Zakho, close to the Turkish border. There on Thursday, more than 20,000 people waving the flags of Kurdistan welcomed President Barzani who said that the votes will go ahead as planned.
In Sulaimani, the “No for Now” campaign that opposed the Kurdish independence vote staged what it called the “great festival” for No-Sayers, but the rally attracted just over 1, 000 people. Reuters put the number at about 2,500, filling one-third of the arena that was meant to be packed by people.
The Kurdistan Regional Government's Representative to the United States encouraged people to come.
"Join the Kurdistan referendum rally in Washington, D.C., this Sunday..." Representative Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman wrote in a tweet on Tuesday. "Live Kurdish music, flags, and fanfare."
She told Rudaw that the event is a chance for the Kurdish people in their large numbers to show the people in America and the world that the Kurdish support for independence is not like that of Scotland.
“When the American people see that the people of Kurdistan are with the referendum, are with voting, and are with independence, it makes a difference,” Rahman said on Friday.
“We don't want the Americans or the Europeans to think... that the Kurds are 50-50 [on independence] like Scotland, where it [the vote] was almost 50-50, but ‘No’ had the majority... it is very important for the people of America to realize that the people of Kurdistan, those who live in Kurdistan and those who are here, are all with referendum, and are all with independence.”
The event on the National Mall begins at 1 p.m. and runs until 3 p.m. (EDT). The end time was previously scheduled for 6 p.m.
Rudaw Media Network is the exclusive media sponsor.
The long-planned event comes days after the US State Department and White House have expressed that they do not support the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum.
“The United States does not support the Kurdistan Regional Government’s intention to hold a referendum later this month,” read a statement from the White House on Thursday.
The United States, United Nations, and United Kingdom presented an “alternative” to Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani in a meeting on Thursday as they tried to persuade him to postpone the referendum.
Barzani said on Friday that no alternative has been offered that can replace the independence referendum.
Earlier this month, Rahman responded to a New York Times editorial board piece that slammed independence, calling it a "risky dream" that would "heighten tensions" between the Shiite majority government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region.
"You are right to say that Kurdistan’s independence has risks, but you don’t consider the risks of staying in Iraq," wrote Rahman, a former journalist.
She pointed out that the "sectarian government" of Iraq since 2003 "has violated 55 out of 144 articles in an Iraqi Constitution that the people of Kurdistan endorsed overwhelmingly."
Rahman concluded: "Staying in Iraq offers only a never-ending vista of civil war and uncertainty."
Kurdistanis in diaspora are eligible to vote in the upcoming referendum for independence. Registration for e-voting continues through September 22, a day before diaspora voters can cast their ballots for or against independence.
Thousands of Kurds live in D.C. and surrounding Maryland and Virginia. It is also expected Kurdistanis from states like Tennessee, Michigan, where there are large Kurdish and Chaldean populations, will attend. Many rallies for Kurdistan's referendum have already taken place abroad, including a large one in Cologne, Germany, on August 8 where an estimated 20,000 people took part.
Back home in Kurdistan, many rallies have taken place in different cities, mainly in Duhok and Erbil provinces. The largest rally in support of the vote was held in Zakho, close to the Turkish border. There on Thursday, more than 20,000 people waving the flags of Kurdistan welcomed President Barzani who said that the votes will go ahead as planned.
In Sulaimani, the “No for Now” campaign that opposed the Kurdish independence vote staged what it called the “great festival” for No-Sayers, but the rally attracted just over 1, 000 people. Reuters put the number at about 2,500, filling one-third of the arena that was meant to be packed by people.
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