Friends, Copied below is the note of solidarity I just received from our colleagues from the Jineology initiative in Rojava, Eastern Kurdistan - I thought I would share it with all of you as they are not on all the listservs on this email thread. Best, Pallav *Dear Pallav,* *Thank you for remembering our comrade and sharing your solidarity with us. The spirit, the love, the struggle and commitment of our friend Nagihan will always be alive and with us. As members of the Jineolojî Academy, as freedom-loving women and people we see it as our task to continue Nagihan's path by pushing forward to realize her aims and dreams... * *with greetings of solidarity,* *from Rojava* Am 10.10.22 um 04:12 schrieb Pallav Das: On Mon, Oct 10, 2022 at 2:59 AM [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear friends,
Last week, *Nagihan Akarsel*, a prominent Kurdish intellectual and political activist was brutally gunned down in Southern Kurdistan. She was a dedicated advocate for the Kurdish women's revolution and an inspiration for people reimagining and reconstructing the framework of democracy, both, in the Kurdish lands as well as abroad. REDWeb salutes the memory of *Nagihan Akarsel*. May her life and her commitment to the idea of Jineology, Democratic Modernity and the realization of the dreams of the Kurdish people inspire all of us to stay steadfast on our paths toward meaningful change, and may her martyrdom galvanize us to overcome our own fears to work boldly to construct a new world defined by socio-economic and political equality and ecological sanity. We stand in solidarity with all our comrades and colleagues in the Kurdish lands and beyond in this hour of mourning and profound sadness.
Copied below is the note of remembrance received from our colleagues at the "Academy of Democratic Modernity" as well as a link to a deeply reflective personal tribute to *Nagihan's* effervescent life by *Zilan Diyar*, a Kurdish women's activist.
https://democraticmodernity.com/in-memory-of-nagihan-akarsel/
We add our voice to the Kurdish slogan, "*Jin, Jiyan, Azadi*!" (Women, Life, Freedom!)
And, as we say in Hindustani: *"Saathee Nagihan Zindabad!"* (Long live Comrade Nagihan!)
Our colleagues from "The Academy of Democratic Modernity" and the "Jineology" initiative are copied on this email, in case you would like to express your solidarity with them in their moment of terrible loss.
In solidarity,
Pallav
Remembering *Nagehan Akarsel*
*Nagihan Akarsel* was a prominent figure in the Kurdish community and politically active for thirty years. She was a respected journalist and author, imprisoned for years for her bold and honest views and her active involvement in Kurdish women's liberation. In Rojava (Eastern Kurdistan), *Akarsel* promoted a highly innovative educational initiative in the field of Jineology - the science of women, and in the aftermath of the 2014 genocide and femicide wreaked on the women of Shengal (Sinjar) by the Islamic State (ISIS), she pursued an incisive and crucial investigation to bring the culprits to justice. Most recently, *Akarsel *worked with women from Southern Kurdistan at the Jineology Research Centre, where she established a Kurdish women's library, and also edited the "Jineology" magazine. Last Tuesday, *Akarsel* was gunned down with eleven shots in front of her flat in Sulaymaniyah (Southern Kurdistan). While the culprits have been arrested and an investigation is underway, all signs point to a state sponsored assasination.
With *Akarsel's* brutal murder, a warning has been sent to everyone working on the significant task of organizing and crafting the intellectual underpinnings of a movement for radical freedom for women. However, the commitment to pursue *Akarsel's *dreams is deeply set in the ideology and practice of Jineology. We are aware that activists and intellectuals, especially women who work with clarity and determination to build the path to a liberated society are a threat to the existing system. But, the memory of our comrade, *Nagihan Akarsel* and our deep commitment to her convictions gives us the strength to pursue our goal of "Democratic Modernity" in the inspiring company of our colleagues from the Jineology initiative.
In solidarity,
Academy Of Democratic Modernity