Palestinian researcher: Joint struggle with Kurdish women is important
“The struggle of Kurdish women has a long history,” said Palestinian researcher Donia Al-Amal Ismail, pointing to the importance of a joint struggle to fight the patriarchal mentality in the Middle East.
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Gaza- Women fight gender-based violence, femicide and special war policies by strengthening their joint struggle. They resist both the systems and social structures in their countries. In the 21st century, Kurdish women are shown as the pioneers of this resistance. In an interview with NuJINHA, Palestinian researcher and writer Donia Al-Amal Ismail pointed to the importance of women’s joint struggle in the Middle East.
‘They wage an incredible struggle in four parts of Kurdistan’
“There are social roles imposed on women and that women are expected to accept these roles without questioning them,” Donia Al-Amal Ismail said, “The Middle Eastern women also suffer from these gender roles imposed on them.” Noting that the main problems faced by women are injustice, inequality and the increase in gender-based violence, she said, “The determination of Kurdish women to fight against these is encouraging. The Kurds live in Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq and they always face oppression, attacks and conflicts. The Kurdish women have waged an incredible struggle in four parts of Kurdistan. They struggle in all spheres of life.”
‘The Kurdish Women's Movement is a social movement’
Underlining that the Kurdish women have been growing their struggle in recent years, Donia Al-Amal Ismail emphasized that the roots of the struggle of Kurdish women go back to ancient times. “The struggle of Kurdish women has a long history. The Kurdish Women’s Movement is a social movement fighting for freedom.”
Speaking about the oppression practices against the Kurds, she said, “The Kurdish people are subjected to political, social and cultural oppression. Therefore, the Kurdish women decided to resist, instead of being enslaved. They have waged a comprehensive struggle for freedom. They have been playing an important role in all spheres of life. The women’s struggle always aims to create stability in their society and we know that we have a long way to achieve this. The struggle of the Kurdish women is very important. We should unite to struggle together.”