Pari Omar Khailani
In human history, the attainment of basic rights and freedom has been a long path filled with sacrifice. On a global level, women’s struggle emerged in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a reaction against oppression and exploitation, evolving in the twentieth century into demands for legal and political equality. At the same time, violence against women, as a multifaceted and global phenomenon, has crossed geographical and cultural boundaries, with no society being immune to its consequences.
In Kurdish society, this struggle has run parallel to the national struggle; the Kurdish woman has not merely been a passive recipient of events, but an active character and decision-maker in building history. However, in recent years, a trend has developed both inside and outside Kurdistan that attempts to attribute individual crimes or undesirable social phenomena to the “Kurdish national identity” and depict Kurdish society as a “femicidal” one. This perspective is not only sociologically flawed, but it also violates historical justice.
An academic experience of Dr. Shawnam Yahya (holding a PhD from Sorbonne University), when she faced this prejudice during an academic session in the French city of Grenoble, serves as a clear and dangerous example of the misguided perception of Kurdish culture. She was told by several female voices of different nationalities that: “The Kurdish nation is known as femicidal!” This occurs when media reports link the crimes of individuals to the generalization of an entire nation. Therefore, Dr. Shawnam believes this issue raises an ethical and sociological question:
(“Can the crime of an individual represent an entire society? Scientifically, the answer is undoubtedly ‘No.’ If a crime is committed by a Persian, French, or German individual, there is no scientific basis to accuse that entire nation; the exact same principle applies to Kurdish society.”)
Certainly, defending national identity does not mean denying social problems or the patriarchal roots that part of our society still suffers from. Criticizing gender-based violence and striving to eradicate it is a shared social responsibility; however, there is a clear distinction between analyzing the cultural and legal causes of violence sociologically, and producing a negative discourse that labels an entire nation.
What matters to me here is the contemporary and ancient history of the Kurds, which stands as undeniable evidence testifying to the active agency of Kurdish women. Looking at history from an intellectual and literary perspective, Mastura Ardalan (1805–1848), as a historian and poet, documented the family history of the principality during an era when women in most parts of the world were deprived of the right to education. Furthermore, in terms of political awareness, Hapsa Khan Naqib (1891–1953) cemented the decision-making status of Kurdish women in international archives by sending a political letter to the League of Nations in 1930.
On the frontlines of struggle and resistance: the Kurdish nation possesses the example of the martyred university student Leyla Qasim (1952–1974). As a symbol of political willpower, the martyr Khaja Bawa (1945–1991), who was a field leader during the 1991 uprising, as well as the struggle of female fighters in Rojava (Western Kurdistan) in defeating ISIS terrorism, prove that the Kurdish woman is not merely a “victim,” but a primary participant in historical transformations.
Today, the presence of hundreds of female professors, judges, researchers, and activists in academic and legal institutions is a continuation of this same living agency.
Therefore, to overcome this distorted image and achieve a healthy society, we must move beyond the stage of taking pride in history toward modernizing institutions. Combating violence against women requires strengthening the rule of law, reforming the educational system, and creating independent economic opportunities for women. In this way, the Kurdish woman will not only preserve a proud past, but will also remain a true partner in decision-making and society-building in the present and future.