Can every Kurdish woman be an activist?

During an interview for the “Raise Breast Cancer Awareness in Kurdistan” campaign, a journalist asked me whether or not every Kurdish girl could be an activist. Although I quickly responded affirmatively, the question continued to linger in my mind. It also took me back to my childhood when my mother told us stories about her days as an activist with my father. Fearing her stories would be forgotten, my father purchased a diary for her; in which she has written for over a decade. Occasionally, she reads me excerpts from her diary and asks me to translate them for her. One of my favorite stories is one that occurred four years before I was born:

“In 1985, I left my daughters with my mother-in-law in Helebce and returned to Slêmanî with Azad and an undercover Pê to transfer secret papers which contained tasks that needed to be carried out by other undercover Pêşmerges in Slêmanî. Knowing we would encounter several checkpoints, we decided to put the papers between Hewramî bread. We took our seats at the back of the bus hoping we would attract less attention. It wasn’t long before our bus was forced to stop by Baath soldiers who boarded the bus shouting at us while inspecting our bags and anything else we carried. In an attempt to not appear pale with fright, I began to pinch my cheeks, hoping to regain some color. A soldier halted before me, reached for the bread and angrily asked, "What is that?" Calmly, Azad responded, ‘Hewrami bread – my mother made it for us.’ The soldier shot me a sceptical glance and at that moment I could think of nothing else but my daughters and the kinds of lives they would live without a mother or a father. Luckily, my fears were laid to rest as he turned around and walked off the bus. We reached 7 additional checkpoints only to be treated harsher each time.”

My father continuously reminded my mother that she could choose to live a different life, one that didn”t consist of constant danger and relocation. However, my mother was a firm believer in fighting for the Kurdish cause and would not hear of it - even after giving birth to her fifth child. Hearing such stories from my mother, aunts and sisters, I begin to think of other courageous women who have struggled for the Kurdish cause as well as women’s rights. One woman in particular is Leyla Zana who was imprisoned for pronouncing the concluding sentence of her oath in Kurdish. She was recently sentenced once again to another 10 years for her speeches. Aside from their birth years, my mother and Leyla Zana share significant similarities; they are Kurdish activists, mothers, and both worked under dangerous conditions but were persistent in their endeavor.


Our history presents us with countless stories of other brave women who fought endlessly for the same cause, under various circumstances. Some prominent female figures include, Adîle Xanim who received the title of Khan Bahadur by the British administration and saved the lives of several British officers during World War I, Leyla Qasim, executed in 1974 for working against the Baath regime, and Hepse Xanî Neqîb, who actively promoted education and handled the jailing of British Administrators under Shex Mehmûd Berzincî’s orders. In 1930, Hepse Xan sent a petition to the League of Nations protesting the encroachment on Kurdish rights in Iraq. Other women include, Zekîye Heqî, the first female judge in the Middle East, Asenath Barzani, one of the very first female rabbis, and Fatima Xanim, who administered 8 villages after her husband’s death. At a time only males were entitled to participate in parliamentary elections, she was chosen by the villages to vote on their behalf. The following women also contributed eminently to Kurdistan as well as Kurdish women’s rights movement; Rabi’a, Mina Xanim, and Meryem Xan. There are several other names but literature on Kurdish women is very limited.

Young Kurdish women in America have also stepped up and are, not only playing active roles in their communities but, demanding change. In an article entitled, "Supporting Our Young Kurdish Women," Ms. Sheinei Saleem talks about a young Kurdish girl’s determination in pursuing an education after high school. She points out that this individual was not permitted to attend college but her "personal courage and determination" helped her accomplish that goal. Ms. Sheinei will agree with me when I say, young Kurdish women everywhere need to demand equality and take all paths necessary to achieve their desired goals and dreams. To answer Gurgin Bakircioglu’s question, yes, every Kurdish woman can be an activist and our past and present provide clear proof of that.