Message from the President of Halabja University on the Anniversary of the Chemical Attack on the City
To the honorable and dear families of the martyrs of Halabja,
Every year, with the dawn of March, the pains and tragedies of Halabja awaken in our souls, choking us with its painful memory. Thirty-eight years ago, the defunct Ba'athist regime, in an attempt to eradicate this city and the Kurdish people, resorted to using internationally prohibited chemical weapons. However, Halabja refused to perish, surviving to become a capital of peace and coexistence.
Today, we are in the embrace of Halabja; a city whose history was not only written in ink but engraved with blood and the smoke of fires. The sixteenth of March is not merely a passing date or an ordinary number in our Kurdish and human calendar and memory; it is far more than that. It is a turning point in the human conscience worldwide.
In the Presidency of Halabja University, when we look at the history and present of this city, we do not merely see the image of a tragedy; rather, we see a profound academic and intellectual message—a message that teaches us how to transform a wound this deep into an energy for building humanity and knowledge.
Before falling victim to chemical weapons, Halabja was a sanctuary for the wise, a haven for poets, a cultural center, and a launching pad for new ideas and visions connected to its ancient heritage. The cultural dimension and pluralism in this city have deep historical roots; within its alleys blended the voices of the creative Nali, the wise Mawlawi, the innovator Goran, and Tahir Beg Jaf. Halabja has always been a city of religious and sectarian coexistence, a city whose mosques, tekkes (Sufi lodges), and religious chambers were not merely places of worship, but centers for the production of thought and literature. This cultural diversity made Halabja a living cultural identity for all of Kurdistan. But the enemies of life did not only target human bodies; they sought to silence that cultural identity and the diverse voices that carried the tidings of freedom and beauty.
The chemical bombardment of Halabja was not merely a war crime, but a "scientific genocide" as well. As an institution of higher education, we believe that our primary duty at Halabja University is to transition this catastrophe from the framework of emotional narrative into the space of scientific research. We must find answers to our questions: How do science and technology, in the hands of dictatorships, turn into tools of annihilation and mass destruction? And how can chemistry, which was created to serve medicine and life, transform into "poisoned apples" that suffocate adults and infants? Our academic duty compels us to study the long-term effects of toxins on human genetics and the environment. We aspire to make Halabja University an international platform and center for research related to genocide and prohibited weapons, to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies anywhere on this planet.
We are here to respond with science and research to the ignorance and darkness that sought, through toxic gases, to extinguish the light of this city. Our students, the post-disaster generation, are the best proof of life's victory over death; with their pens, they write the names of those children and champion their memory—those whom the poison deprived of attending Halabja's schools.
From a political perspective, Halabja is not merely a victimized city; its bombardment unmasked the true face of global political interests. The silence of the international community in 1988 and its aftermath was the greatest moral collapse of international politics. Halabja has taught us that when politics is not founded on the principles of justice and the protection of human dignity, it turns into a machine of destruction that drenches cities in poison and blood. Therefore, we strive at this city's university to prepare political cadres and students who believe in humanitarian diplomacy and the protection of human rights.
Halabja is a city of a thousand colors and voices; here, classical and modern poetry coexist alongside the sound of the daf, music, and contemporary theater. It is the homeland of dozens of sheikhs, righteous individuals, and women—models and icons of the love for life. Our cultural dimension is the essence of our resistance, for we prove through our culture and art that death has not and will never be able to erase our identity. Halabja University is not just a place to deliver lectures, but a home to protect this rich heritage that extends its roots deep into history and looks toward a bright future.
In the Presidency of the University, we pledge to you and reaffirm our commitment to making our university a scientific fortress serving this city. We will continue to search for truths, document crimes, and build a generation whose only weapon is science and humanity.
In conclusion... peace and eternity to the souls of the martyrs.