Kurdishmedia.com needs YOUR help

Please help bring KurdishMedia.com back!

For years, KurdishMedia.com has been the leading Kurdish news source for Kurds and others following the situation of the Kurdish nation. It has maintained its independence and consistently provided its readers with breaking news reports, political analysis, cultural insight, and information on Kurdish events worldwide. The KurdishMedia.com team, a group of volunteers, has dedicated countless hours to maintain the site without ever receiving any monetary compensation. Some journalists have gone to great lengths and taking great risks to get stories that have captivated our readers. As you know, unfortunately KurdishMedia.com has been down for weeks and “friends of KurdishMedia.com” have rightfully expressed their concern about this. Here are some examples of their recent comments I have received.

- “KurdishMedia.com is one of the most reliable serious Kurdish voices.”

- “(Blocking KurdishMedia.com) is similar to trying to silence Martin Luther King from bringing Civil Rights Movement to America, but at the end they all failed.”

- “KurdishMedia.com has become the icon of free speech for English-speaking writers and reporters interested in promoting Kurdish cause by peaceful means.”

- “In its many years of public service, and through its pioneering web-based free forum, KurdishMedia.com was able to earn the respect and admiration of the English-speaking Kurdish community around the world and in the homeland.”

- "Many of us have published articles in defense of the Kurdish voices and democratic rights on this very prominent site."

- “This is a challenge to all of us and we must stand united at least once to let the world now that we are one nation and we deserve a recognition and respect. We must demand this respect not asking for, and this demand comes only if we are united."

- “It provided a medium for ‘free speech’ for a nation that has been continually robbed of that luxury in its homeland.”

- “Targeting this democratic outlet is the symbol of their weakness and true influence of this web site in reflecting the demand of the Kurdish people for the right of self-determination.”

- “KurdishMedia.com has been very successful in enlightening our people and standing up for their rights.”

- “As a busy student in my last step of my Masters, but I can say I am ready to do my all the best shoulder to shoulder with you.”

- “To be proud of being victims is something we should avoid. Stand up and start again, we will help you.”

As you are well aware, KurdishMedia.com was attacked. To combat similar attacks KurdishMedia.com needs an updated, less vulnerable technological platform, which obviously costs. To get KurdishMedia.com back, we will need to raise funding of approximately $20,000.00. Many of friends of KurdishMedia.com have stepped in and plan to help bring KurdishMedia.com back by organizing fundraising events in various parts of the world. The next of such events will be in Southern California that I have been invited to attend. We are reluctantly asking friends like you for financial support. Any contribution is appreciated as recognition of the work that KurdishMedia.com has done and will continue to do following its return.

Methods of payment:

1. For the fundraising event in Southern California, you may participate in person on June 3rd, 2007, 4pm at: University Community Park, Multi-use building, 1 Beech Tree Lane, Irvine, CA 92612.

2. You may also send your checks or money order prior to May 28th, 2007 to Kurdish American organizations that you are familiar with such as Art-in-Mind, KAES, KNC, etc., with a memo for KurdishMedia.com to: P.O. Box 50822, Irvine, CA 92619. Please contact those organizations about tax deductibility rules.

3. To send a check or money directly to London, the address is: KurdishMedia.com, 71 High Road Ickenham, Middx UB10 8LQ, UK

4. For wire transfer to London, the Bank account detail of KurdishMedia.com is: NatWest Bank, Account name: International Kurdish Media (IKM), Account Number: 52651347, Sort code: 60-21-03

Yours Truly,

Rebwar Fatah, Ph.D.
And the entire KurdishMedia.com team and friends of KurdishMedia.com