Hero Ali
News Center – Activist and journalist Nagihan Akarsel, also known as Zîlan, was one of the pioneering figures in the Kurdish women’s movement. She devoted her entire life to the cause of women’s freedom, linking her personal struggle inseparably with the struggle for social liberation.
Born in 1976 in the village of Xêlik, near the town of Gulyazı in Konya, Turkey, Akarsel grew up amidst the vast plains and natural beauty of her homeland—a connection she often recalled in her writings and speeches. Nature and her village life instilled in her a deep sense of freedom and belonging.
From a young age, she experienced cultural oppression. In elementary school, she insisted on saying “Qonya” in her mother tongue instead of “Konya” in Turkish, despite her teacher’s repeated attempts to suppress the Kurdish language. This early defiance foreshadowed the determination that would later define her life.
Finding National Identity Through the Philosophy of Abdullah Öcalan
After enrolling in the Department of Media Studies at Ankara University, she felt alienated by urban life and capitalist culture. She soon found herself drawn to the Kurdistan Youth Union, where she embraced the philosophy of Abdullah Öcalan, discovering in his thought a deep sense of homeland and purpose.
Her political engagement led to her imprisonment between 2001 and 2007. Upon her release, she worked from 2008 to 2014 with Dicle News Agency (DIHA) as a reporter and editor, where she played a pioneering role in the development of free, independent journalism. She trained many women journalists, many of whom continue her work today.
Her commitment to women’s freedom later took her to Hacettepe University, where she pursued women’s studies and helped establish JinNews, the first women’s news agency in Turkey. She invested heavily in strengthening women’s media, mentoring female journalists across different communities in Turkey.
Spreading Jineology – Redefining Beauty and Truth
Jineology—“the science of women”—is a paradigm initiated by Abdullah Öcalan, and for Nagihan Akarsel, it became a wellspring of intellectual and spiritual fulfillment. From 2015 onward, she dedicated herself to grounding this discipline in theory and practice. She was not only a committed student of Jineology but also co-founder and editor of the Jineology Journal, helping to disseminate its principles widely.
Her understanding of beauty reflected her philosophy of life. She once said:
“True beauty is beautifying life. If we do not make life beautiful, then all appearances of beauty are under threat. Beauty does not lie merely in outward form—it arises from freeing the spirit and making life itself beautiful.”
With this vision, she inspired countless women and men alike, showing them a path to transform both personal and collective life.
Uniting Women Across Borders
Akarsel actively participated in the intellectual project “Self-Realization,” a collaborative effort with artists to deepen women’s understanding of their identities. She frequently emphasized women’s solidarity, often repeating: “Women must love each other and stand united.”
One of her dreams was to establish the Kurdish Women’s Archive, Research, and Library Center, aiming to unite women from all four parts of Kurdistan and the diaspora through shared history, culture, and knowledge. From 2019 until her final days, she tirelessly worked in Southern Kurdistan (Iraqi Kurdistan), collecting and archiving women’s research and building the foundations of this project.
Her writings reflected her poetic outlook on women’s resilience:
“In anger, a woman may become fierce, like a demonic circle. Yet she can also be peaceful—rooted in love for the land, like a flower, or free like a butterfly in the air. Women insist on life, for they refuse to forget the depth of their emotions, teaching us how to live in harmony with the elements: earth, air, and water.”
A Legacy That Cannot Be Silenced
On October 4, 2022, Nagihan Akarsel was assassinated in an armed attack near her home on Bakhtiyari Street in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She remained steadfast in her beliefs until her final breath, leaving behind a legacy of struggle and knowledge that continues to guide future generations.
Today, three years after her passing, she is remembered not only as a journalist and scholar but as a beacon of Jineology—a revolutionary who made life itself more beautiful and meaningful for women everywhere.