'Iranian women's uprising not first feminist revolution, we must take note of Kurdish Revolution in Syria'

'Woman, Life, Freedom'--the slogan that has become a global war cry in the wake of the women's uprising in Iran--has its roots in Syria, stressed UK-based author, journalist and activist Rahila Gupta stressed in her recent article in an independent online magazine to draw global attention to the ongoing 2012-born Kurdish Women's Revolution in Syria's Rojava. Even as international media paints the movement in Iran as 'the first feminist revolution in the world', Gupta tells Sharmila Ganesan Ram why Iran, India and the world at large must take note of its oft-ignored precursor

As a UK-based journalist who chopped off a lock of hair in London in solidarity with the women's movement in Iran last year, what prompted you to call out the tropes of the Iranian movement's reportage in your recent piece on the Kurdish women's revolution?
This was not about sectarian point scoring but about setting the record straight. The Kurds are a substantial minority in Iran as well where they have been oppressed and discriminated against for years. Jina Amini, the woman who was killed for letting her hijab slip, was a Kurdish woman and the Kurdish areas of Iran have taken the greatest hit in terms of police brutality. It's very heartening that a mass movement of women (and men) has been sparked by this event. By drawing attention to the fact that a woman’s revolution was already in existence, just across the border, I wanted women all over the world to be inspired by the possibility that we can dramatically change the conditions of our existence and, in doing so, bring about equality for all.

When and how was the Kurdish women's revolution born?
The revolution itself which took place in Rojava, NE Syria, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022. But the Kurdish women’s struggle, which culminated in Rojava, has been ongoing for over 40 years. It is here that the slogan, 'Jin, Jiyan, Azadi'--which has been adapted to 'Zan, Zindagi, Azadi' in Iran--was popularized. First chanted on 8 March 2006 at International Women’s Day demonstrations by Kurdish women in cities across Turkey, the words are attributed within the Kurdish freedom movement to Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who used the words in 1993, not as a slogan, but as a pithy evocation of the goals of the movement which is based on collective responsibility.

Who are the key figures of the movement?
There are many women who carry out various functions – spokesperson, alliance building, administration etc. These posts are rotated in the spirit of equality and power sharing. Women who have died for the revolution are given special status. Sakine Cansiz, who founded the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) along with Abdullah Öcalan and who was assassinated by the Turkish state, is recognised as one of the leaders. Her mobilisation of other women prisoners during her imprisonment in the 1980s and her heroic stance against the brutal regime of Diyarbakir prison in Turkey, are cited as key events that raised the revolutionary consciousness of Kurdish women.

What have been the major achievements of the movement so far?
Against the backdrop of civil war, the growing ISIS caliphate in Syria and Turkish hostility to the Kurds who were labelled terrorists by the Turkish state, these achievements have been phenomenal. ISIS, with its medieval and barbaric hatred of women, was attacking Rojava wherever and whenever it could. It was the defence forces of Rojava, led equally by men and women, and supported by air-cover provided by the US coalition, that led to the rout of ISIS in Syria. Kongreya Star--the women’s umbrella organisation set up in Rojava in 2012--has succeeded in abolishing child marriage, forced marriage, FGM and polygamy; honour killings, violence and discrimination against women have been criminalised and any attempt to stop a woman marrying of her own free will, is banned--a piece of legislation which would be really useful in a place like India. Also, women, regardless of their marital status, have been given the right to custody of their children until the age of 15; a woman’s testimony has been declared equal to a man’s; a woman now has the right to equal inheritance; marriage contracts are issued in civil courts. Besides, Jinwar, a self-sufficient village was built exclusively for women who wanted to live lives shielded from male violence.

Why has the Rojava women’s revolution received little coverage in the mainstream media?
It is my strong belief that the ideas powering the Rojava revolution are a threat to the Western world as well as to countries like Russia and China. It is anti-capitalist, anti-state, secular, pro-ecological sustainability, truly inclusive of all ethnicities with women’s rights at the top of its agenda for change. Until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, Western Imperialist foreign policy was always about containing the threat of Communism (also problematic in so many ways) even if it meant courting religious fundamentalist forces. For all its avowed commitment to promoting democracy throughout the world, the West has always been more comfortable with dictators and religious extremists (Saudi Arabia is a case in point) than true democracy. Furthermore, Turkey, which has a large Kurdish population, sees them as ‘terrorists’ a convenient label for anyone fighting for self-determination. It has bombed, invaded and occupied parts of Rojava – little of which is reported in the mainstream media. After all, Turkey is a NATO member, and is currently polishing its halo as peacemaker in the Ukraine war. Why would Western media and western powers want to poke around in its backyard?

What kind of pushback has the movement run into?
As more and more of the ISIS caliphate came under the sway of the Rojava self-administration, the demographics changed, and Arabs, who had not been exposed to the revolutionary ideas of Öcalan, became part of the Rojava polity. While most of the Arab population was relieved to have escaped the strictures of ISIS rule and was won over by the democratic impulse of the revolution which allowed them self-rule, there was considerable pushback on women’s rights and the teaching of subjects like 'Jineolojî' (the science of women) in schools. This has led to local tensions and in some areas. Polygamy, for example, has to be tolerated in order to get buy-in from the Arabs--an example of democracy trumping women’s rights. The Rojava administration is hoping their policy of immersive education for all will give Arab women the confidence to make demands on their own behalf.

What can India and the world at large learn from Kurdish feminism?
I would urge activists everywhere to acquaint themselves with Rojava to try and understand how they can implement some of its ideas and policies. The Kurdish women are urging women all over the world to adopt their model of governance, the World Democratic Women’s Confederalism, and adapt it to their local circumstances. With the developments in Rojava and now Iran, and even the #Metoo movement with all its limitations, something is stirring and it makes my heart sing. If this is possible in the Middle-East, where women have been forced to lead such restricted lives, should it not be possible for all of us to deal patriarchy a serious blow?