Women's resistance against international conspiracy

 

NEWS CENTRE - After the international conspiracy against PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, the level of development of Kurdish women has inspired women globally with the philosophy of ‘Jin jiyan azadî’.

 

The abduction of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on 15 February 1999 by an international conspiracy and his return to Turkey marked a turning point in the Kurdish people's struggle for freedom. This process also led to a transformation for Kurdish women, leaving a deep impact both ideologically and organisationally. This challenging period also marks a period in which the Kurdish Women's Movement rebuilt itself with original strategies and created a model of struggle that transcends national borders. The ideological, organisational, political and diplomatic transformation developed by the Kurdish Women's Movement during this period created an inspiring paradigm not only for the Kurdish people but also for the women's liberation struggle worldwide.

 

The philosophy of ‘Jin jiyan azadî’, which became the symbol of this struggle, emerged as a libertarian ideology developed by Kurdish women against the male-dominated mentality, capitalist modernity and the nation-state system. Today, this philosophy serves as a guide for women's struggles against the oppression of the male-dominated system in a wide geography from the Middle East to Latin America.

 

In this part of our dossier, we discuss how the ideological and organisational transformation developed by the Kurdish Women's Movement following the international conspiracy against PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan inspired the global women's struggle on the axis of the philosophy of ‘Jin jiyan azadî’ and presented an alternative social model based on women's liberation.

 

Organisational and ideological Transformation: The construction of women's authenticity

 

Following the international conspiracy, the Kurdish Women's Movement entered a process of organisational and ideological transformation on the basis of women's uniqueness. At the centre of this transformation was the idea of creating structures that strengthen women's unique identity in the struggle.

 

Women's Party

 

The strongest response of Kurdish women to the international conspiracy was partyisation. Women's partyisation was not only a unique organisational breakthrough, but also the basis for an ideological development. It reinforced the leadership role of women and paved the way for their representation in every field and the development of their original organisations.

 

Women's Science

 

While the ‘Women's liberation ideology’ developed by Abdullah Öcalan shortly before the international conspiracy formed the ideological basis of the Kurdish Women's Movement, the theoretical systematisation of this ideology was developed through Jineolojî (Women's Science).

 

Jineolojî criticised the positivism of capitalist modernity by criticising the domination of women under the male-dominated system throughout history and by introducing an alternative understanding of science to ensure gender equality. This approach has more strongly promoted both the writing of women's own authentic history and their equal participation in all aspects of social life.  

 

Jineolojî became not only a theoretical framework but also a guide to scientific struggle that transformed social practices. From the Women's Revolution in Rojava to Shengal, the practices that have enabled women to come to the fore in every field from social life to politics, education, diplomacy and economy are examples of the realisation of this paradigm.

 

Women's leadership Co-chair system

 

The most fundamental institutionalisation that developed the Kurdish women's freedom line and struggle was the co-presidency system. This system and model, which has been vitalised in every field starting from politics, has increased the visibility of women and developed an understanding of governance based on equality. Today, this system has become a symbol of the struggle for equal representation in Turkish politics.

 

Women's development in ensuring social peace

 

Abdullah Öcalan's principle that ‘Society cannot be liberated without women's liberation’ paved the way for women to assume a fundamental leadership role in the processes of honourable peace and social transformation. Kurdish women began to act as active pioneers not only in the struggle for national liberation but also for honourable social peace.

 

Global ekti Jin jiyan azadî

 

The Rojava Revolution was a turning point that led to the Kurdish Women's Movement being recognised not only nationally but also globally. The Women's Defence Units (YPJ) set an example for the empowerment of women not only in the military field, but also in the social and political field. The philosophy of "Jin jiyan azadî” became not only a slogan, but also the basic principle of the social system being built.

 

The cooperatives, popular assemblies and educational institutions led by women in Rojava showed how gender equality can be institutionalised. This model also offered an alternative example of a new social structure for women's movements around the world.

 

Especially after the assassination of Jîna Emînî in Iran in 2022, it led to a social revolt led by Kurdish women. "Jin jiyan azadî" became the most powerful slogan of this resistance and soon spread from the Middle East to Europe and Asia. This slogan transformed women's demand for freedom into a universal resistance against the male-dominated system.

 

Inspiring the global women's movement

 

The Kurdish Women's Movement has also inspired women's movements from Latin America to Europe. Thanks to solidarity networks, the struggle of Kurdish women has gained an important place on a global scale. Especially the women's revolution in Rojava has revealed that it is an alternative model against the male-dominated capitalist modernity system.

 

From women's liberation to social liberation

 

The Kurdish Women's Movement has become an inspiring model not only for the Kurdish people but also for humanity's quest for equality and freedom, with the development it has experienced after the international conspiracy against Abdullah Öcalan, the ideological and organisational level it has demonstrated and the freedom struggle it has developed on the basis of the philosophy of ‘Jin jiyan azadî’. While Abdullah Öcalan's paradigm on women's freedom constituted the ideological framework of this movement, women's self-organisations put this ideology into practice.

 

Today, the struggle of Kurdish women is not just a local movement, but a symbol of a global resistance based on women's freedom. ‘Jin jiyan azadî’ resonates as a universal cry that expresses the demands for freedom and equality not only of Kurdish women, but of all women around the world.