Stateless Democracy

Dear Friends,
I first of all would like to say that I am indeed very happy to
be here amongst you all in discussing the freedom struggle
of women in general but specifically the Kurdish women’s
struggle especially during such times. I personally never
thought that I would go through such history-making moments
in my own lifetime. We are indeed witnessing the
making of history in Kobanê, West Kurdistan. I thank the
organizers for such an opportunity.
I suppose beginnings are very important for everything
and everyone but especially for political movements. The
moral values and political principles that form the basis
of any given movement give it the ability to transform
and transcend itself. One can put the Kurdish freedom
movement and its main strategist and leader, Abdullah
Öcalan, in this category. Indeed, the Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK) came to life just after the tremendous revolutionizing
effects of 1968. Early group formation began in
the early 1970s and finally, the PKK was founded in 1978.
Thus, it did not end up being an organization that can
totally be considered to reside within the old-left nor the
new-left categories.
Yet there was a striking uniqueness about it. The founders
of the PKK came from all different walks of life — different
beliefs, different ethnicities, and women formed its
core group early on. This combination of rural and urban
youth, most of whom were students, gave a tremendous
dynamism to this young movement. Such a combination
also did not allow for dogmatism. Feudalism, chauvinism,
nationalism, and male domination in general were rejected
from the onset and gave the movement a good base upon
which to develop itself.
It would be unfair to claim that the depth of understanding
and analysis of the women’s question was as profound
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