The Turkish state’s attacks on Rojava aim to dismantle the region’s strategic infrastructure, force the population into displacement, particularly from Kurdish lands, and worsen living conditions. As part of these assaults, the Tishrin Dam, crucial for the region’s energy supply, has been deliberately targeted.

Since the onset of the Syrian civil war, Turkey has backed radical jihadist groups, particularly using them against the Kurdish people. Hatice Kavran highlighted that women played a leading role in the Rojava Revolution, not only militarily but also by spearheading a social and ideological transformation. She pointed out that women’s active role in the resistance has made them primary targets for both jihadist groups and Turkey. "These groups are part of the gangs responsible for the assassination of Hevrîn Xelef and the massacre of hundreds of Kurdish women. Moreover, integrating such factions into the political structures shaping Syria’s future poses a serious threat," she said.

Kavran emphasized that the revolution in Rojava, led by women, is perceived as a threat by regional powers, which have deliberately exerted pressure to destabilize the region. She highlighted that the attacks on civilians, the systematic targeting of women, and the efforts to suppress the resistance in Rojava are not just isolated acts of violence, but part of a broader strategy aimed at shaping the future of not only Rojava but also the entirety of Syria.

Women bear the burden of war

Hatice Kavran emphasized that in every war around the world, it is women who bear the greatest burden. "Women have never been the initiators of war, yet they have always been wronged. Sometimes they lost their children, sometimes their homes were destroyed, and those who managed to survive suffered the deepest agony of all becoming refugees. Even after several generations, the trauma caused by these tragedies will not fade. The pain will not be forgotten, nor will those responsible be. History will curse those who started these wars, those who prolonged them, and those who failed to act to end them," she stated. 

Assessing the Syrian civil war and the hardships faced by women, Kavran continued: "For over 60 years, the Ba’ath regime ruled Syria through oppression and brutality. The Kurds and other opposition groups faced unimaginable massacres and persecution simply because they refused to accept this regime. As if this oppression were not enough, in the past 13 years, paramilitary groups, under the guise of being 'saviors,' entered Syrian territory, doing atrocities that even surpassed the Ba’ath regime’s cruelty. Many of these groups, backed by the Turkish state, used Islam as a pretext to gain legitimacy among Middle Eastern Muslims. 

However, their greatest betrayal was against Islam itself. Today’s devils set out with the slogan ‘We will pray in the Umayyad Mosque,’ just like their predecessors the Umayyads, who persecuted the oppressed Ahl al-Bayt while attempting to disguise their tyranny under the name of Islam. If their true concern was Islam, they would not have trampled on the lands of another nation or allowed their gangs to do so. It must not be forgotten that the majority of the Syrian people are also Muslims. Yet, having beards and turbans does not make these gang groups Muslim, they are the Abu Jahl of our time, the idol-worshipers of this era. In Islam’s understanding of conquest, harming civilians, the elderly, children, and women is strictly forbidden. However, these gangs have trampled upon even the most fundamental principles of Islam." 

The Turkish state seeks to block the Kurds gaining political status 

Hatice Kavran insisted that the real objective of the jihadist groups financed by the Turkish state was not to build a new life in Syria or establish a state, but rather to prevent the Kurds from gaining political status. She said: "Millions of dollars and tons of weapons were sent for this purpose. However, Kurdish resisters, especially women resisters, fought until their last bullet on Mishtenur Hill, sacrificing their lives to defeat these gang groups. The jihadists could not withstand this resistance and suffered their greatest defeat. When Turkey could not accept the failure of its gangs, it directly launched attacks on Rojava with its army and warplanes. Its goal was to destroy Rojava, the historical heart of Kurdish resistance, and to destroy the Kurds. The ones who bore the greatest suffering from this dirty war were Kurdish women. They faced the most brutal side of the war. They were specifically targeted, kidnapped, sold in slave markets, raped, and murdered in the most horrific ways. Thousands of them are still missing. And all of this was done under the guise of Islam. These gangs, who called themselves 'mujahideen,' were in reality the greatest enemies of religion."

Hatice Kavran added that the concept of jihad has been distorted and weaponized to justify barbarity, contradicting its true meaning in Islam. She said: "Jihad is not about death; it is about cehd, which means striving and making an effort. The Quran defines jihad as a struggle for divine revelation, but these savages mistook it for slaughter. 'So do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them with this (Quran) in a great jihad.' (Al-Furqan 52). If killing were jihad, God would have commanded, 'Take up arms and kill,' instead of saying, 'Struggle through revelation.' Even during the persecution of Muslims in Mecca, they did not kill a single person. In the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, prisoners of war were either released with a ransom or without one. Yet, these so-called 'Muslims' who committed atrocities, how did they justify selling Kurdish women in slave markets? How did they justify rape? How did they justify murder? When a 15-year-old Yazidi girl, after being brutally assaulted, asked her captor, 'How could you do this to me?' with what conscience did that man remain silent?"  

Kavran continued: "The horrific campaign against the Kurds, carried out under the name of Islam, has not only led to massacres but has also corrupted both the religion and social structures. True Islam is based on justice, mercy, and the protection of human dignity. Today, our duty is to reclaim religion and societal values from this barbaric ideology. Our struggle must stand against oppression and violence, and in defense of justice, equality, and human dignity. The Quran permits war only in self-defense: 'Permission (to fight) has been given to those against whom war is waged because they have been wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory.' (Al-Hajj 39). The message of the Quran is clear. The people of Rojava continue their rightful struggle and resistance. The Kurdish people have faced countless injustices throughout history, but they have never bowed down."

Kurds defy the odds, where armies flee

Emphasizing the legendary resistance of Kurdish women and its inspiration to the world, Hatice Kavran concluded her remarks with the following words: "Women chose to resist with their heads held high, despite fear, pain, and betrayal. As bombs rained down upon them, they refused to surrender and fought until their last bullets. They did not fight for money, like the barbaric mercenaries who came from all over the world; they fought for freedom. The Kurdish, Arab, Armenian, Syriac, Turkmen, Muslim, Christian, Yazidi, Sunni, and Alawite communities in Rojava came together, and they succeeded in building a democratic administration and a socially organized system. They set aside ethnic and religious differences to defend their shared homeland. 

Recently, those same jihadist gangs too afraid to even step in the shadows of Kurdish women have turned their atrocities against another vulnerable group: the Alawites. The same savagery, the same brutality, is now being unleashed upon them. However, just as Kurdish women have developed and embraced self-defense as a principle, they are now standing in solidarity against these attacks on Alawite communities. Through their resistance and their unyielding commitment to freedom, they have earned the respect of the world. Thus, the greatest honor of victory belongs to them. The right to rebuild Rojava, to rise from the ashes and forge a new life, belongs to them. They have shown the world their unparalleled will and courage. In a country where entire armies collapsed, where state leaders fled in fear, Kurdish women, against all odds, stood and fought against two states and the most ruthless gangs. And they are still fighting."