Page 180 - The Danger of a Communist Kurdistan

Women Under the Mask of Imperialism

As the PKK began the tactical change in question in the 2000s it
also began admitting women to the organization. Major divisions had
broken out within the organization at that time, and it had been wea-

kened and suffered severe losses. Consequently, the real aim behind
the admission of women to the Party was to use women as fighters to
encourage male terrorists. As the PKK began producing female fighters
from that time, the way to competition among the male majority was
opened and men were encouraged by that means.

From that time on, the PKK made women a significant part of its
mask of imperialism. It manifested itself as a group that spoke of
women’s rights and giving women prominence in the Middle East,
where women are all too often regarded as second-class citizens on the
basis of radical ideas. This is a very sensitive point for the West, and

the PKK skillfully exploited this sensitivity. It attracted the West’s
attention as the only community to speak of women’s rights in a fun-
damentalist region that attached no value to women at all.

It needs to be made clear that it is of course essential to espouse
the freedom and superiority of women, and that it is one of the basic
principles of our religion. In that sense, the Middle East is a very back-
ward region, the main reason being that Islamic territories long ago
turned away from the Qur’an toward superstitions instead. Turkey
must be a pioneer when it comes to valuing women and must represent
an immaculate role model for the Middle East.

The subject of criticism here is not what the PKK says on the sub-
ject, but its hypocrisy. The PKK has adopted this language and these

policies regarding women solely because that is the easiest way of curr-
ying favor with the West. What women inside the organization say,
however, suggests the very opposite of those fine words.

178 The Danger of a Communist Kurdistan