To the women of Australia,
As the Kurdistan Women’s Liberation Movement – KJK (Komalên Jinên Kurdistan) we send our greetings to the March 4 Justice women‘s uprising in Australia.
Your chanting from the streets of Australia are heard by the women in Kurdistan and we are deeply inspired by the masses of you that are opposing the ruling patriarchal system and searching for women‘s freedom.
As Kurdistan Women’s Liberation Movement we see the basic problem of freedom and democracy of human history in the relations between the genders. Patriarchy marks the first oppression in human history and could develop its ideology in a 5000 year old history. The violence and oppression that we are facing now is a product of this mentality that strengthened and organized itself withing capitalism and nation states. We see the urgent necessity to break this murderous ideology that not only oppresses us as women but also peoples and the planet. Our fight for freedom is not a fight against men, but an ideological one to liberate our societies from the oppressing, male mentality.
As Kurdistan Women’s Liberation Movement we are fighting since 1987 against the sexism of feudal structure in Kurdistan as well as patriarchy that the liberal capitalist system is forcing on our societies. Through our struggle in all areas of life, especially in those that traditionally were regarded as “belonging to men” we gained self-confidence and could achieved serious changes in the mentality of our society.
We are challenging patriarchy everywhere where we are organised. Our country Kurdistan is divided between Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. The struggle in each part of our country is influencing the situation of women and society in the other parts.
In Northern Kurdistan women are leading the resistance against Turkish state fascism. In Eastern Kurdistan women challenge the Islamic-misogynist regime of Iran. In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq women are the motor force of the struggle for true democracy, freedom and justice.
We consider each sphere of the struggle as scene of the women’s revolution. Since 2011 we are creating a new society within the Rojava Revolution in West Kurdistan/North and East Syria. The Rojava Revolution is a women‘s revolution that builds up the idea of Democratic Confederalism, that our imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan developed.
Democratic Confederalism is not a far-away utopia but a concrete alternative for a society how to organize in direct democracy guaranteeing women‘s freedom and ecology. This stateless democracy is being built up with women as the leading actors. In all spheres of life we as women built up own structures like education systems, justice institutions, communes and councils and our own self-defence forces.
The women protection forces YPJ fought alongside the mixed-gender peoples defence forces YPG against the misogyny of ISIS and the fascist attacks of the Turkish state. The women of the YPJ proved that women can defend their will, their physically integrity and the freedom of their societies. The women’s revolution in Rojava led to serious changes in the traditional, ruling mentality of men towards women and is not a project restricted to the Middle East.
Men and women from all around the world came to Rojava to support the social revolution. Three comrades from Australia (Jamie Bright, Reece Harding and Ash Johnston) gave their life while fighting in the lines of YPG protecting the women based revolution against ISIS. These sacrifices are of incredible value for us and we promise to continue their struggle and fulfil their dreams!
Dear friends, women’s resistances against nation states that are attacking our will and our bodies are growing in all the world. Your marches in Australia are a clear sign for us that we as women are the ones who can stop this system and built up collective freedom. If we fight united we can built a system in which everybody — no matter which nation, gender or class — can live in equality and freedom.
We believe that Democratic Confederalism is a key concept leading humanity out of the crisis caused by nation states, capitalism and patriarchy. We live in times where big changes are possible, and so we want to invite you to make the 21st century to the century of women's revolutions. The only way to stop this violating system is to build up an alternative – our alternative in which the people make decisions and not the powerful, in which the will of women are respected and in which diversity creates unity.
From Kurdistan we sent you strength and hope — hope, that another life is possible!
Jin, Jiyan, Azadî — Women, Life, Freedom!
March 18, 2021
Revolutionary Greetings,
Komalên Jinên Kurdistan (KJK) - Kurdistan Women’s Liberation Movement
Committee for Democratic Relations and Alliances