Women are pioneers

Today is the anniversary of the liberation of Kobanî. The women, who displayed a historical resistance against ISIS, which attacked Kobanî with the support of the sovereign powers, have put their stamp on history. The revolutionary women defeated ISIS and liberated Kobanî. Berivan İsmail, a member of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), spoke to NuJINHA about the spirit of women’s resistance in Kobanî. She told us that women have worked for the solution to the Syrian crisis.

BERÇEM CUDİ / DILUCAN BOZİ

Kobanî – The male-dominated system has tried to maintain its power through wars since the beginning. This system, which causes women, children youth, and many segments of society to suffer, has tried to control the Middle East through methods such as hunger, poverty, war, and forced displacement. ISIS, a group against humanity, of course, didn’t emerge on its own; it emerged with the support of the sovereign powers. The members of ISIS attacked people’s living spaces, abducted, raped women and sold them in slave markets and killed people, and then shared the videos of these brutal practices. Their aim was to create fear not only in the Middle East but also all around the world. While the sovereign powers were happy thinking, “We got what we wanted”, the resistance of the people of Kobanî, particularly women’s resistance failed their plan. This victory has been gone down in history thanks to the resistance of many people such as Meryem Kobanê, Arin Mirkan, and Gulan Botan.

Attacks were failed

In 2013, ISIS began to carry out massacres in the Middle East and then tried to take control of Iraq and Syria. Turkish state supported ISIS and used them to attack the Kurds. In 2014, ISIS took the control of Jarablus with the support of the Turkish state. In the same year, ISIS committed genocide in Shengal. After the genocide in Shengal, ISIS tried to occupy Kobanî. But the attacks of ISIS have been failed thanks to the resistance of the Kurds and Kobanî was liberated from ISIS on January 27, 2015. The women’s revolution, which started in Kobanî on July 19, spread across Rojava Kurdistan. After the revolution, women began to take part in every part of life. Berivan İsmail, a member of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), spoke to NuJINHA about the spirit of women’s resistance in Kobanî.

“Resistance started the revolution”

Speaking about the attacks of ISIS, Berivan İsmail said, “The Syrian crisis started at the end of 2011. The resistance of the heroes started the revolution. The Turkish state has attacked under the pretext of combating terrorism. We can say that the war has been going on since the beginning of the crisis. Many civilians and politicians were targeted in the attacks. The Turkish state wants to create a new crisis in chaos. For this reason, it continues to threaten. The Turkish state also attacks political, social, and cultural areas. The Turkish state started a special war because it lost the military war.” Stating that women have begun to take part in every sphere of life, Berivan İsmail emphasized that women want to solve the current Syrian crisis.

“Women are active in politics now”

Stating that they have held many talks for the solution to the Syrian crisis, Berivan İsmail said that the Baathist regime has not taken any positive steps so far and that the regime wants to return to the end of 2011. Noting that the Baathist regime doesn’t want the Syrian crisis to be solved, Berivan İsmail said, “Despite this, we make efforts to resolve the crisis. Many women politicians, such as Hevrin Khalaf, have been targeted but women are determined to be active in politics now.”