Şareza Osman, a member of the Jineoloji Academy, answered ANF’s questions about the messages Abdullah Öcalan has sent to women. Osman highlighted the historical achievements and the universal influence of Jineoloji, and calls on women to fulfill their ideological, social, and practical responsibilities in order to strengthen the freedom revolution through a confederal struggle against the sexist mentality.

In the letter Abdullah Öcalan sent to the Jineoloji Academy, he stated, “My work on women is now complete.” What have women achieved since the 2000s to complete the women’s liberation project that Mr. Öcalan once described as “my unfinished project”? Mr. Öcalan has said, “They are responsible for more than half of the successes achieved so far.” What has Jineoloji revealed during this time?

The letter that Abdullah Öcalan sent to the Jineoloji Academy gave us great excitement and strength. At the same time, we treat this letter as a perspective on how to carry our work forward. When Mr. Öcalan was taken captive, he said, “My project on women was left unfinished.” Since 1999, the Women’s Freedom Movement has made great strides and achieved significant gains. In the first years of the international conspiracy, Kurdish women moved toward forming a political party. They formed their own party based on the Women’s Freedom Ideology. What does it mean for a woman to build a party? It represents the center of thinking for herself, producing ideology, creating a perspective, and organizing self-governance. This was a historic step for women. At the same time, we witnessed important developments in terms of women’s self-defense in all four parts of Kurdistan. Dozens of women’s institutions and organizations were founded, and their work continues to grow in scale each day. All of these are the achievements of women.

Since 2015, the science of women, Jineoloji, has conducted extensive research. In his book The Sociology of Freedom, published in 2008, Mr. Öcalan mentioned Jineoloji for the first time. Since then, research and study efforts have been carried out. By 2015, Jineoloji had spread across Kurdistan, the Middle East, and the world. It drew widespread attention. Therefore, when Mr. Öcalan said, “My unfinished project has been completed,” he was referring to all of these achievements and highlighting how his ideas, through Jineoloji, had gone beyond Kurdistan and reached a universal level. Of course, when expressing all of this, he also points to the need for practical realization. Mr. Öcalan has already fulfilled his part, from conceptual theory to ideological framework. So what is expected from us as Jineoloji? It is our duty to give substance to the project and put it into practice. Fulfilling the content of these projects falls within our responsibility.

What kind of project must be developed, especially in this new phase, to realize women’s liberation, as Mr. Öcalan defines it? Where should we begin?

It must be stated that much greater and more comprehensive tasks await women. Of course, the current level reached, and the gains achieved are valuable. In particular, the achievements of the Rojava Revolution, and the fact that the revolution came to be defined globally as a women’s revolution due to women’s leadership, were historic milestones. Military, political, social, economic, educational, and diplomatic gains were all achieved. A women’s law was also enacted, and women are now preparing to introduce a women’s social contract. All of these are major achievements, but they are not enough. Every woman must benefit from education and organization. She must be able to express herself by taking part in the institutions of the revolution. There are still thousands of women who remain unorganized. I can say that there are thousands of women we have not yet reached through Jineoloji. It is our responsibility to help women recognize and understand their own identity and existence, and it is our task to carry out this work.

Although a Kurdish Women’s Confederalism has been formed under the leadership of Kurdish women, it is not sufficient. A Women’s Confederalism must be created on the scale of the Middle East and even the world. Because we do not consider the issue of women as a problem limited to a single region or the women of a single nation. Wherever she may be, the woman faces the same problem. In Kurdistan, women suffer the pain of slavery and this same pain is experienced by women around the world. The sexist mentality exists everywhere. It is not confined to one region or one country. Perhaps the methods vary, but the content remains the same. This sexist mentality can only be broken by bringing together women’s strength, struggle, and activities in a confederal system and uniting them in a common resistance. Women have carried out valuable work throughout the Middle East and across the world. Through Jineoloji, the connections between women’s movements have been strengthened, but they must be strengthened even further. And with the illumination provided by the Science of Jineoloji, we must ensure the success of the women’s revolution.

In his message to women on March 8, Mr. Öcalan stated, “Without women’s freedom, one cannot be a socialist, and socialism cannot exist,” thus establishing the standard by which men’s approach to and relationships with women should be measured. In this letter as well, he emphasized, “The fundamental principle of socialism is women’s freedom.” Within this framework, where does the man in society stand? Men face serious problems in relation to freedom. How aware are they of this? What ethical and aesthetic principles should guide their approach to women and their relationships? What are the criteria for men to live rightly with women?

Mr. Öcalan defined the issue of women as a dagger in the back of society. This is an extremely important characterization. In order to build a democratic, socialist society, that dagger must be removed. Woman is the foundation of life. It was woman who created life and a social existence. In essence, society was formed around women. The laws of life and society were shaped by the hands of women. That is why Mr. Öcalan assessed the socialist personality and the socialist society based on one’s approach to women. He has said before that if you want to understand a person or a society, you must look at how they approach women. You must understand that relationship. This standard is essential. In truth, one's approach to women reflects their approach to humanity, to society, and to moral and political existence. Unfortunately, we see serious problems when it comes to upholding these principles. Women are the primary victims of the sexist mentality. But at the same time, men are also victims of this mentality. Today, the capitalist system exploits both women and men for its own interests. By sacrificing and degrading women, the system has degraded the entire society, including men.

Mr. Öcalan’s efforts to raise awareness, foster transformation, and liberate women were also aimed at men. Through Mr. Öcalan’s enlightenment and philosophy, a segment of men has begun to develop a sense of self-awareness. One sign of this is that Jineoloji has not only drawn the attention of women but also of men. Because the mission of Jineoloji is not only to identify and define the identity of women, it is also to define male identity. When a man seeks to understand himself and his identity, he turns toward the Science of Jineoloji. He uses this science as a guide in his search. That is why Jineoloji resonates with men as well. Still, we find this insufficient. Mr. Öcalan developed projects for the transformation of men as well. For example, the Theory of Disengagement and “Killing the Dominant Male” were projects aimed at changing and transforming the patriarchal mindset. These were frameworks for escaping the mentality of male dominance and power. On MED TV, Mr. Öcalan once said, “I killed the man in me.” What he constructed within himself, he also wants to construct within society. Women have taken up the transformation of men as part of their mission. As Jineoloji, we have led numerous educational initiatives aimed at men’s change and transformation.

We can say that men have begun to recognize the reality of the patriarchal mentality. However, this awareness must be deepened through social, scientific, and philosophical struggles. Some steps have been taken, but they remain small. Women should encourage these steps. Because women and men complete one another. The freedom of both is interconnected, because we share life together. Mr. Öcalan once expressed the character of a socialist man in a single sentence: “A man who does not know how to live with a woman, how to greet her, how to speak with her, cannot be a socialist.” A man must know how to live with a woman. If he is to share his life with a woman, he must recognize that she has her own identity, her own existence, her own ideas, her own will, and just like him, her own right to life.

If a man wishes to build and beautify himself, his mirror is a woman. To be accepted by women, he must live in freedom based on democratic, egalitarian, and socialist principles. Women today are aware of their own existence. They are engaged in a great search for freedom, for a free and dignified life. Women no longer accept the traditional man. They reject men who belittle them or see them as property. Because they are sharing a life. Men must change. And as women build, create, and liberate themselves, they also influence men in a positive direction and push them toward transformation.

In his letter, Mr. Öcalan stated, “The existence of women must be accurately defined, and the identity and existence of women must be approached through the method of identification.” How should we interpret the “method of identification” mentioned here in relation to the woman’s construction of self and identity?

This is the first time Mr. Öcalan has used this specific concept. However, we have been discussing and researching women’s existence and identity for many years. It is not possible to speak of freedom where there is no existence. For years, we have explored the concepts of existence, becoming oneself (Xwebûn), and consciousness. These concepts are interconnected, interdependent, and closely linked. One must not only exist but also become oneself; and in becoming oneself, one must also be aware and conscious of one’s identity. These are inseparable concepts. Mr. Öcalan has often placed his ideas in dialogue with Hegel’s. This is also something that can be found in Hegel, he treats identity and existence as a pair that complement one another. He argues that one gives meaning and substance to the other. As Jineoloji, taking up this method is a matter of study and inquiry, because it is a subject that belongs to science, philosophy, and society. But Mr. Öcalan’s new evaluation is not disconnected from his earlier analyses. Therefore, it is not separate from the concepts of becoming oneself, existence, and consciousness. Still, rather than being quickly consumed or superficially defined, this concept must be examined and researched in greater depth. As Jineoloji, we will approach this concept with excitement and commit to studying it more thoroughly.

In a previous letter, Mr. Öcalan criticized women by saying, “You are surviving with only ten percent of the culture of freedom.” In his most recent remarks, he also stated that a truly effective women’s leadership has yet to emerge, both globally and among the Kurdish people. What do you think is the reason behind this absence of impactful women’s leadership? To what extent is this influenced by the system of capitalist modernity?

Every woman who works and struggles within the Women’s Freedom Movement should take this as a criticism. It is a matter that requires deep reflection and self-criticism. History advanced for a period under the culture of the mother goddess. But eventually, we see the emergence of a dominant male culture. We used to speak of a history spanning five thousand years. Now we speak of thirty thousand years. One of the most difficult things in life is to be a woman. It is a source of pride and joy, but it also brings with it pain and hardship. A glance at history shows that what women have endured is far from negligible. Women, who laid the foundation of life and created social existence, were erased, their identity ignored, their will, feelings, and thoughts denied, and their history taken from them. Nothing that women created was left to them. What they produced was taken, and no space was left where they could express themselves. They were only defined in relation to men, as beings that belonged to men. This situation has caused deep wounds, pain, and ruptures in women.

In the history of women, we evaluate these ruptures in two major phases: the first occurred through mythology, and the second through religious instruments. Of course, women do not accept this condition easily. Women have always been engaged in resistance and struggle. If we look at the history of the world, the Middle East, and Kurdistan, there are many pioneering women. Zarife was a powerful woman. Leyla Qasim was a powerful woman. Zenobia, Semiramis, Nefertiti, Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin, were all powerful women. So why did such powerful women never rise to leadership? Because everything was against them. Social norms, religious traditions, state laws, and the patriarchal system were all stacked against women. Even in the socialist revolutions, Rosa Luxemburg was a highly conscious woman who offered serious critiques of Lenin and Marx. But the patriarchal mentality persisted, even under classical socialism. Because that was the limit of what women were permitted. And this remains true today. Women continue to suffer from these same historical conditions. The narrow framing of the women’s question only perpetuates the problem. The greatest obstacle has been the state and the capitalist system, which have directed violent attacks at women and continue to do so. Mr. Öcalan says that women live every hour of the day under the assault of a culture of rape.

Feminist movements have at times asked, “Why is the leader of Kurdish women a man?” We view this critique and the framing of Mr. Öcalan as merely a man, as deeply flawed. Mr. Öcalan has lived and struggled in alignment with the culture of the mother goddess. Biologically he is a man, but we do not view Mr. Öcalan through the lens of male identity in terms of his mentality, philosophy, or ideology. He walks in the footsteps of the mother goddess tradition. Abdullah Öcalan once said, “I killed the man in me.” This statement reveals the depth of his approach to women and also reflects the nature of our relationship to him. In fact, this is also a self-criticism for us. Clearly, we have not adequately conveyed Mr. Öcalan’s ideology and philosophy. We have not successfully communicated or made people understand his approach to women, the way he views and engages with them. Mr. Öcalan does not see women as property, nor does he look at them through a classical lens. Just as he defines himself as a militant of the Women’s Freedom Struggle, we as members of the Jineoloji Academy must say that it is just as necessary to define and construct the identity of the free man as it is to define and build the identity of the free woman.