Jalaa Hamzawî, a poet and painter from Raqqa, who escaped ISIS’ clutches 20 days ago stated that once her hometown gets freed she will return in any case to live there, if even in a tent.

Speaking to ANF, Hamzawî told that the ISIS gangs were trying to catch her, but each day she took refuge in a different home to not be captured by them. Hamzawî reminded how the female fighters are democratizing the inhabitants of Raqqa and the Arabic community, and how everyone is indebted to the sacrifice of female fighters who turn themselves into a bulwark for freedom.

ESCAPE FROM ISIS

Jalaa Hamzawî was born in Raqqa to a family with three daughters and four sons. She visited school and grew up in Raqqa where she took to read and compose poems. She wrote five books of poetry, of which three named Limen, Esavir and Ya Ebi have been published. Apart from her poetry, she is also painting pictures. Twenty days ago she was still in the Cemîle neighborhood where she was born and raised, before she found an opportunity to flee Raqqa. Jalaa Hamzawî spoke about the operation of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for Raqqa’s liberation as follows: “The moment our city, our streets and our houses are freed from the tyranny of ISIS, we will return to our soil. I will return to my home. Even if our house has been reduced to a rubble, I will set up a tent and live there where my childhood memories dwell.”

“I ITCH TO PAINT IN THE CITY CENTER”

Hamzawî expressed her desire, after the city’s liberation, to sit at the Clock Tower in the city center, lean her back on its side and draw a picture of freedom. Hamzawî told of the oppression and cruelty of ISIS as follows: “We had to endure huge oppression. Sometimes words are not enough to express the horror we have been through. But at this point I can see behind this curtain of sorrow that freedom is awaiting us because the SDF fighters are defying exhaustion and sleep, turn their own bodies into bulwarks and fight to free our land. They give much sacrifice.”

“THE CHILDREN OF RAQQA RETALIATE”

Hamzawî continued: “Because children of our city itself are participating in the liberation phase, the female fighters have been influenced a lot through that. It also helped democracy, women and human rights progress in our daily life.”

Describing the fight of Raqqa's children as the revenge on ISIS barbarism, Hamzawî said: “We expected the SDF to liberate our city as we learnt about the SDF forces’ advance through Ronahî television which we were watching in secret. We were filled with excitement because they closed in on. I wish they had come earlier to our rescue. If that much time hadn’t passed until the forces arrived, we wouldn’t have had to endure sorrow for a longer period of time.”

Hamzawî’s escape from Raqqa was entangled to the very end. She started her journey in March by heading to the village al-Mezyûn near of Hatuniyah. When SDF forces moved to liberate that village, the villagers moved to the vicinity of Xeyala’s villages to stay away from the imminent war zone and they set up their own camp.

One night when the ISIS gangs attacked the camp and burnt it, they had to move to the ISIS-ruled village of Sahlabiya. Hamzawî stressed that an escape of such a manner got her to the liberated regions, continuing, “I had to linger sometimes one day, sometimes three days and sometimes five days in one place. In the end we reached the hamlet of al-Jalaa which was liberated 20 days ago, and that’s where we still are.”

“THE SCOPE OF THE SDF OPERATION IS HUGE”

Hamzawî remarked that:“ Life under ISIS tyranny was very hard. I faced much hardship due to my membership in the Poets Union as well as the fact that I’m as a woman writing poems”, which made ISIS search for me, and which forced me to change my refuge permanently.”

Remarking that the launch of the operation to liberate Raqqa by the SDF made her cry out of joy, Hamzawî said: “They sacrifice their own lives to liberate our city, our land of birth. I witnessed how well their preparations have been made. I realized that the operation wasn’t only about armed liberation, but also the embodiment of a social and cultural upsurge and a huge wrath against ISIS. It’s due to the big sorrow ISIS subjected us to. There is no doubt that all those children of our land who joined the SDF forces have suffered at the hands of ISIS.

ISIS are barbarians, mass murderers, bandits. They perpetrate acts condemned by the world as terroristic and they are a very dangerous organization which inflicts much sorrow to people. Therefore, may God punish those who let that plague loose on us.”