War mentality is patriarchal mentality
We as Internationalist Young Women in Rojava woke up to the sounds of airstrikes and bombs this morning. How does it feel as a woman to be in a war zone? What is our specific role? Even if there are contradictions between the nature of the woman and the reality of war, why it is our responsibility to play the vanguard role in military self-defense structures?
In the night of the 23rd of October the Turkish state began attacking North-East Syria and South Kurdistan with shelling, airstrikes and drone attacks. Vital infrastructure such as roads, train stations, factories, granaries, bakeries, health centers, power stations and oil wells throughout North East Syria were struck. It is clear that the fascist Turkish state is aiming to eliminate the self-organized life based on the Women’s Revolution of Rojava.
As Rêber Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) evaluates the violent war that the hegemonic nation states are perpetrating on the people here in the Middle East has its roots in the oppression of women, in fact war itself goes against the nature of the woman. The woman does not act in the name of power, dominance and violence. But when the people, the nature and the life itself is under attack, the woman is the one that stands in the defense of the society with all means necessary. The women here in Rojava make this very clear. It is in these situations that the role, the responsibility and the importance of the woman reaches its highest level. It is because of the strength, the willpower and the hope of the women that the society is able to resist the enemy’s attacks under the hardest conditions. Day by day, the women continue to resist through culture, economy, education, military and ideological self-defense, aiming for the realization of an ethical, political and free society.
The 25th of October marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of Şehîd Berîtan. A courageous woman that resisted and struggled until her last bullet and chose to give her life instead of being captured by the enemy. With her fight she never betrayed the principles of love, freedom and justice. It is with her memory that women today, however they are facing the hardest attacks in the actual Third World War, find the strength to never give up and continue to bring the hope that can led all the society to the success.
As internationalist young women, most of us were born and raised in Europe, where the reality of the Third World War is mainly expressed through ideological warfare. Coming to Rojava shows us the full reality of the current global war and it is clear how the enemy focuses its attacks on society, women and nature as it knows their revolutionary potential and fears it. In all the four parts of Kurdistan and in the whole of the Middle East these genocidal attacks did not start on the 23rd of October, but is part of the ongoing process of assimilation and colonization brought forward by the imperialist forces such as NATO, Turkey, Europe and their allies.
For this reason the women in the society learned throughout the history of their ancestors the importance of never surrendering and of never letting the enemy shatter the hope of the Revolution. We learn here that a weapon in the hands of a woman is not aiming to destroy, but to protect and defend themselves, their own land and people.
The great efforts that Rêber Apo made in defining women and the youth as revolutionary vanguard is the foundation of this strength, hope and consciousness.
As internationalist young women we must have a strong and deep understanding of this reality in order to bring to light the history of women, fight for women’s liberation and defeat the war!
Especially as young women we must give a strong response acting united against this system of genocide and spread the struggle of the women and people of Rojava all around the world!
Join local actions, organize yourself with other young women or come to Rojava to directly join the Revolution