Abdullah Öcalan has become a symbol of hope for a meaningful life for all women. During the years, he carried out organizational and ideological work in Syria.

The Kurdish and Arab communities had the opportunity to meet him, and this encounter created a profound impact on the lives of women and the people of the region. One of those who met Abdullah Öcalan is Meryem Henan, who was injured in the attacks carried out by the occupying Turkish state and its mercenaries on the Tishrin Dam.

Known as the mother of Nîdal, Meryem Henan is currently involved in activities at the Institution of Martyrs’ Families.

Meryem Henan spoke to ANF about the time she met Abdullah Öcalan in Lebanon. She said: "I never received a formal education in either Kurdish or Arabic. However, my school and my philosophy was Abdullah Öcalan. Between 1988 and 1991, I lived in Tabqa.  At that time, Öcalan was in Lebanon. Every year, the anniversary of 15 August [1984, when the PKK carried out its first armed attack] is celebrated. In 1991, we also went to Lebanon for these celebrations. My son was with me. My only dream was to see Abdullah Öcalan. What would he say? What kind of inspiration would I receive from him? As a woman who was disregarded within the family, even a 15-year-old child would say to me, ‘This is not your business because you are a woman.’ But the only thing I was curious about was what Abdullah Öcalan would tell us."  

Henan added: "It was midnight, and an announcement was made over the microphone: ‘Everyone gather in the square, leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] will speak.’ At that moment, there was such a deep silence that if a needle had dropped to the ground, its sound would have been heard. No one in the square made a sound. Abdullah Öcalan said, ‘I woke you up because I will hold a meeting in this square.’ Then he started speaking. I cannot say I understood everything he said, but I grasped some key points. He said that women are the fundamental force in building society. He explained that women who had never been heard, who had never been recognized, were in fact everything. The more I listened to Öcalan, the stronger I felt. After returning to Tabqa, I immediately joined the movement."

Second meeting with Öcalan 

In 1991, when her son Nîdal joined the guerrillas, Meryem Henan moved to Aleppo. In 1994, she was told: "Get ready, we are going somewhere". She did not know where she was going or that she would meet Abdullah Öcalan. Although she does not remember the exact month, she recalls that it was either September or October when they went to the Assyrian neighborhood in Aleppo, to the home of Cemil Henîf from Efrîn (Afrin).

Henan described the experience as follows: "I sat in the closest chair to Abdullah Öcalan. There was little distance between us. Everyone had lined up to ask him questions. He would close his eyes, listen to the person speaking, and then respond. An elderly man stood up and said, ‘President, we cannot stop warplanes by throwing stones with slingshots.’ Abdullah Öcalan replied, ‘You have grown accustomed to living under the wings of others. If we become strong, tomorrow everyone will come to us.’ Seeing Abdullah Öcalan gives a person strength. He continued speaking and told us: ‘Mothers must take the lead. If mothers do not believe in themselves, they will disappear. Because it is women who build and advance society. If a man is absent in a household, that house does not collapse. But even if there are a hundred men and a hundred children in a house, without a woman's guidance, they cannot move forward. Women must not ignore themselves. Women have rights in society.’ Abdullah Öcalan is not just an individual; he represents justice. That is why we say, ‘Bê Serok Jiyan Nabe’ (There is no life without Abdullah Öcalan)."  

Henan continued: "Until now, we have lived without Abdullah Öcalan’s physical freedom, but it is no longer possible to live without his ideas. His thoughts have spread, been read, and been accepted in every corner of the world. Today, we have many gains because we are strong. This strength comes from Öcalan’s ideology and the armed struggle.  In 2005, I went to the mountains of Kurdistan. There, I saw a guerrilla fighter with long hair. I realized that he was a foreign fighter and asked him: ‘We are fighting for our own language, but why did you come to these mountains?’ He replied: ‘I came to learn about Abdullah Öcalan’s ideology. I came from France.’ This is how Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas spread across the world."

Öcalan is the leader of all oppressed peoples 

Henan concluded her speech with the following words: "The looters who massacre us, plunder our homes, and steal even chickens call themselves a ‘state.’ I am making a call from here: We must unite for Abdullah Öcalan. If we do not struggle for his freedom, we cannot protect our existence and our rights as a people. Unless the Kurdish issue is resolved and Abdullah Öcalan is freed, the problems of the Middle East will also remain unresolved.

Abdullah Öcalan is not only the leader of the Kurds; he is the leader of all oppressed peoples. His ideas are free, but he himself remains imprisoned. Yet, he has never accepted submission in prison. Today, we also resist through his ideas. I am one of those mothers. I was injured in the Turkish state’s attack on the Tishrin Dam. But we will continue to resist. As mothers of martyrs, we will stand firmly by Abdullah Öcalan for as long as we live. We want to see him among us. We live with the hope of seeing him free. Until the day Abdullah Öcalan gains his physical freedom, we will continue our struggle."