“I am certain that every individual in Kurdistan is proud of this brilliant mathematician. I warmly commend Dr. Cochar all his past accomplishments and the great awards he has earned,” PM Barzani said in a speech during the event.
Following Barzani’s speech, Ahmad Dizayee, the director of Salahaddin University, presented Birkar with the honorary doctorate. Also among the audiences were Birkar’s parents, who, speaking with Kurdistan 24 in August, expressed great joy at the news of their son’s acclaim.
In a special speech he delivered after receiving the degree, he outlined his personal story of growing up in tumultuous times in Iran. He said his older brother, Haider, served as a role model and inspired curiosity in him as an “innovator.”
Birkar hoped that Kurdish youth and society, in general, would become more welcoming of outward expressions of passion for the sciences and mathematics.
Born Fereydoun Derakhshani, Birkar took on a new name shortly after arriving in the UK.
“I changed my name to Cauchar Birkar [Kurdish for "migrant mathematician"] because I wanted it to reflect my personality,” he added during the event, explaining that it is also meant to convey someone “voyaging through mathematics.”
Editing by John J. Catherine