When we speak of struggle, we evoke an image as old as human civilization: the eternal tension between oppression and freedom, silence and voice, captivity and liberation. But rarely in history does this dichotomy find such vivid expression as in the ongoing journey of Kurdish women in Rojava (northern Syria) and Southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). Their story is one of defiance, resilience, and transformation, a tale that marries poetry and resistance, and a story that demands both our admiration and our solidarity.

Kurdish women have long been bound by a legacy of marginalization, not only by the patriarchal traditions of their own communities, but also by the oppressive regimes that have sought to erase Kurdish identity itself. Yet from these ashes, they have risen—phoenix-like—into leaders, warriors, and visionaries. They are architects of a feminist revolution, a vanguard in the fight for gender equality in some of the most hostile terrain imaginable. Their struggle, though specific to their cultural and historical context, resonates universally, calling all of us to reimagine the possibilities of freedom.

But to understand the magnitude of their achievements, we must first acknowledge the context of their oppression. For decades, Kurdish women in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran were triply marginalized: as Kurds within oppressive nation-states, as women within deeply patriarchal societies, and as individuals within a global system that often overlooked their plight. Rojava, the autonomous region in northeastern Syria, and Iraqi Kurdistan have become crucibles for their resistance.

In Southern Kurdistan and Iraq, the scars of the Anfal campaign remain etched in collective memory—a genocidal assault under Saddam Hussein’s regime that claimed tens of thousands of Kurdish lives, leaving countless women widowed, displaced, and vulnerable. Similarly, in Rojava, the Syrian civil war created a vacuum of governance and security, into which patriarchal violence, extremist ideologies, and systemic neglect threatened to engulf Kurdish women.

But Kurdish women did not accept victimhood as their destiny. Instead, they redefined it, wielding their oppression as a weapon of defiance, forging solidarity, and creating spaces for autonomy, rights, and dignity.

Nowhere is this defiance more evident than in Rojava, where Kurdish women have spearheaded a feminist and ecological revolution that challenges not only patriarchy but also the very structures of state and capital. At the heart of this revolution is the principle of “Jineology”—a Kurdish feminist philosophy that derives from the Kurdish word for “woman,” jin, and reclaims women’s central role in society.

Jineology offers a radical departure from both traditional gender roles and Western liberal feminism. It insists that the liberation of society as a whole is impossible without the liberation of women. In Rojava, this philosophy has translated into tangible governance structures. Women serve in all levels of political leadership, from local councils to military command. The co-chair system mandates that every leadership position is shared by a man and a woman, ensuring gender parity in decision-making.

This is not merely symbolic. Women in Rojava have rewritten laws that once legitimized forced marriages, honor killings, and domestic violence. They have built women’s houses—centers for education, mediation, and support—and established cooperatives to promote economic independence. These are acts of quiet revolution, rooted not in theory alone but in lived, practical transformation.

The world first took notice of Kurdish women’s struggle during the battle of Kobane in 2014, when images of young women in fatigues, armed with Kalashnikovs, began circulating in global media. These women, members of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), stood on the frontlines against ISIS, one of the most brutal and misogynistic forces of the 21st century. Their courage and tactical brilliance turned the tide of battle, reclaiming Kobane from ISIS’s grasp and earning the admiration of the world.

But this is not just a story of military triumph. For the women of the YPJ, armed resistance is an extension of their feminist ideology. They do not fight merely for territorial sovereignty but for a broader liberation from patriarchy and authoritarianism. In their eyes, the gun is not a tool of domination but a vehicle for dismantling the structures of oppression.

In Iraqi Kurdistan, the struggle for women’s rights has taken a different but equally significant path. Here, Kurdish women have emerged as activists, politicians, and advocates, challenging entrenched cultural norms and pushing for legal reforms.

Organizations like the Kurdistan Women’s Union and the Kurdistan Women’s Rights Organization have campaigned tirelessly against gender-based violence, child marriage, and female genital mutilation. Their efforts have led to important legal victories, including the criminalization of honor killings and the establishment of shelters for survivors of domestic violence.

Yet progress is fragile. Traditional norms and political instability continue to pose challenges. For every woman who enters parliament or leads a protest, there are countless others whose voices remain unheard, whose rights remain unfulfilled. But even here, Kurdish women draw strength from their collective struggle, refusing to relent in the face of adversity. You also have the troubling situation where many Kurdish women activists are targeted for drone strikes or assassinations by the Turkish military, as we have seen repeatedly over the last several years.

Yet, the accomplishments of Kurdish women extend far beyond their immediate context. They have become a symbol of resistance and an inspiration to feminist movements worldwide. Their struggle challenges Western feminists to reconsider the intersections of gender, ethnicity, and colonialism. It reminds us that liberation is not a gift bestowed from above, but a hard-fought battle waged from below.

Kurdish women have also forged transnational solidarities, collaborating with feminist organizations across the globe to amplify their message. Their work has shown us that feminism cannot be divorced from questions of economic justice, ecological sustainability, and ethnic self-determination. It must be holistic, intersectional, and uncompromising. In this way, the ideology of Democratic Confederalism is significant and the writings of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan.

In reflecting on the Kurdish women’s struggle, we must also not overlook its poetic dimension. Their revolution is not merely a political act; it is also a deeply cultural one. Through their songs, dances, and storytelling, Kurdish women have preserved their heritage and imbued their resistance with a profound sense of identity and purpose.

Listen to their voices, and you will hear echoes of Mala Jin—the Kurdish women’s houses that are at once spaces of refuge and revolution. You will hear the defiant chants of women in Kobane and the impassioned speeches of activists in Sulaymaniyah. You will feel the rhythms of a people who, even in the face of unimaginable suffering, refuse to surrender their hope.

As I conclude, let us ask ourselves: What does the struggle of Kurdish women demand of us? At the very least, it demands that we bear witness. It requires that we tell their stories, amplifying their voices in a world that too often silences them. But more than that, it calls us to action. It challenges us to dismantle the systems of oppression in our own communities, to fight for gender equality not as an abstract ideal, but as a lived reality.

Kurdish women have shown us what is possible when courage meets conviction, when feminism becomes not just a theory but a practice, a way of life. They have taught us that liberation is not a destination but a journey, one that requires us to walk together, hand in hand, toward a future where every woman, everywhere, can live free. That is the true essence of the Kurdish slogan “Jin, Jiyan Azadi” (Women, Life, Freedom), which you can hear being chanted all around the globe.

Suorce: WKI