The Kurdish people are one of the oldest resisting peoples in history. From the very first day that the dominant mentality emerged, the geography of Kurdistan has been a geography in which women have taken part in resistance.

Throughout history, Kurdish women have been among those who most strongly challenged dominant civilizations and male domination. From protecting their own tribes to rising up against the ruling system, Kurdish women have always been in a state of essential defense. They practiced their essential defense by choosing to fight rather than fall captive to the enemy, by choosing to throw themselves from cliffs rather than surrender to occupiers, and by resisting until the end rather than betraying their values. Kurdish women have been a force of resistance at every stage of history and have played a leading role in resistance.

Just as the Kurdish people’s resistance in defending themselves has not been written, the resistance that Kurdish women have shown throughout history for the purpose of essential defense has also not been written. While the lands of Kurdistan were caught in the grip of genocide, Kurdish women carried out their essential defense by protecting their traditions, culture, language, and Kurdistani way of life. Leader Apo says in his book “Defending a People”: “The traditional agility, strength, and courage of Kurdish women stem from a very old historical tradition.” If we take a look at this historical tradition, we see the following:

One of these examples is Mîrbanû Dayfa Khatun, the niece of Saladin Ayyubi, who was born and raised in Aleppo. During the Mongol and Crusader attacks, she took control of the administration of the city of Aleppo and defended it. Dayfa Khatun ruled Aleppo for sixteen years, and when the Mongols attacked the city, she protected Aleppo and its people and defended her land. She stood at the head of her army and fought against the Mongols.

Another example is Encam Yalmuki, the president of the first Kurdish women’s association, founded in 1919, the Association for the Advancement of Kurdish Women. She carried out essential defense through democratic actions and work for the freedom of Kurdish women and the Kurdish people.

At the opening of the association in Istanbul, Encam Yalmuki delivered the opening speech in Sultanahmet Square and said:

“Ladies, we Kurds, since the emergence of Islam, which brought different peoples together as brothers — that is, for centuries — have been the most loyal lovers of the Turkish nation, its strongest friends, and its most enthusiastic brothers. Today, at a time when the destinies of all nations have taken different forms and every people has been granted a right, we too demand our own right, because there are millions of Kurds, and there is a great Kurdistan. We owe thanks with our entire being to those who wish to work most for sacred aims and who have proven their love for their nation through their sacrifices. Our honorable ladies and sisters, who rushed to the opening ceremony of the association, gave their Kurdish word that they would support us in every way and would do without hesitation whatever is necessary for the rise of Kurdishness. For a long time, the phrase ‘A Kurd does not go back on his word’ has become a proverb. I say with conviction and faith that a Kurd does not promise everything, but when a Kurd gives a promise, he does not go back on it…”

These words, even under the difficult conditions of that period, are an example of the conscious stance of Kurdish women who defended their people.

Another example of essential defense in the resistance of Kurdish women is the woman fighter known as Kaja Ne Ghadi, who was one of the leading resisters in the Mahabad Revolution. Kaja Ne Ghadi grew up in a patriotic family, resisted for the Kurdish people, and played a major role in the establishment of the Republic of Mahabad. This young heart became known among her people for her courage and ability, and she fulfilled the responsibility that fell upon her in the national struggle. After the Iranian regime executed Qazi Muhammad, it also issued a death sentence against Kaja Ne Ghadi. In Iranian prisons, she was subjected to torture and harassment, yet she always chose resistance. Even when her eyes were blinded during torture, she did not give up resistance. Kaja Ne Ghadi was executed, but she left behind an exemplary stance to be remembered in the struggle of honorable Kurdish women for essential defense.

In the Kurdish women’s struggle, Leyla Qasim, praised by many Kurdish poets in their poems, is also among the symbols of the stance brought forth by the struggle of essential defense. Leyla was born in Kirkuk. In 1971, while studying sociology at the University of Baghdad, she became interested in the Kurdish question and women’s rights. She wrote and distributed leaflets against the Baath regime’s oppression of the Kurdish people. By educating the women around her, she and her comrades carried out democratic actions that drew the attention of Kurdish women. When democratic actions received no response, Leyla Qasim and her comrades also carried out actions that made their voices heard by wider circles, including the hijacking of a plane from Baghdad Airport.

In 1974, Leyla Qasim and her comrades — Jawad Hamawandi, Nariman Fuad Masti, Hasan Hama Rashid, and Azad Suleiman Miran — were arrested and imprisoned by the Baath regime. During torture, the torturers asked Leyla Qasim: “Who are you, and what are the names of your comrades?” She answered:

“My name is Leyla. In our country, people are known by their fathers’ names; therefore my name is Leyla Qasim. I have many comrades. I do not know which ones you are asking about. My comrades are Djamila in Algeria, Clara and Rosa in Saxony — which one are you asking about?”

The torturer shouted and asked: “How did you enter this path?” Leyla Qasim replied:

“I did not enter this path; I was already born on this path. I am the woman Kawa. I am the Native American in America. I am the Black woman in Harlem. I am Mesopotamia, the place of civilization. And I am Leyla Qasim.”

Leyla Qasim left her mark on history. Before being executed, she cut a lock of her hair and sent it to her mother. She was executed on September 12, 1974. Leyla Qasim showed a national example of heroism in the essential defense resistance of Kurdish women.

In Rojhilat Kurdistan, the resister Qedem Xêr, as well as Shehnaz Khatun of Ardalan, who disguised herself in men’s clothing and fought against the Iranians with an army made up of 500 women, are also among the pioneers of the resisting Kurdish woman.

Thus, the Kurdish Women’s Freedom Movement, whose name has become known throughout the world, has risen upon the legacy of this universal and national culture of resistance.