By: Soma Khalid
Leyla Qasim was a woman who, amidst the darkness of oppression, transformed into a beacon of freedom, her name remaining immortal in the history of the Kurdistan struggle. Despite her young age, she advanced steadfastly toward the gallows with a powerful will, never wavering in the face of the Ba’ath regime’s injustice, leaving behind a name and a revolutionary path that remains alive to this day.
Leyla Qasim: A Ray of Freedom in the Darkness of the Ba’ath
Leyla Qasim was born in 1952 in the village of Bamili, belonging to Khanaqin, into a simple and impoverished family. She began her education in 1958 and moved with her family to Baghdad in 1971, where she enrolled in the Sociology Department at the Faculty of Arts, University of Baghdad.
However, Leyla was not merely a university student; from her early youth, she stood against the tyranny and despotism of the Ba’ath regime. In 1970, she began her political activism in defense of the Kurdish cause.
Through her comrade-in-struggle, Jawad Hamawandi, she established ties with the ranks of the Peshmerga. She continued her activities within the cities by supporting Peshmerga forces and participating in political action, eventually becoming a symbol of courage and sacrifice for Kurdistan.
Leyla Qasim: An Eternal Voice and a Symbol of Liberty
Leyla Qasim emerged from the heart of poverty and suffering in Bamili, Khanaqin, yet she carried a profound love for her homeland in her heart. From childhood, she chose the path of knowledge and awareness, transforming in Baghdad into a voice for a generation that dreamed of freedom.
When the noose tightened around Kurdistan under Ba’athist practices, Leyla stood against the oppression—not only with weapons but with awareness, words, and faith. She spread national consciousness among Kurdish students and sought to revive the spirit of struggle and revolution among the youth.
Along with her comrades, she chose the path of resistance and brought the voice of the Peshmerga into the cities, becoming a symbol of freedom. Even the gallows failed to silence her voice, and her name continues to echo in the mountains of Kurdistan today.
Leyla Qasim: The Flame of Revolution in History
In 1974, Leyla Qasim was arrested along with several of her comrades in Baghdad due to their political activism and the dissemination of revolutionary messages against the Ba’ath regime. After being subjected to torture and an unfair trial, they were executed by hanging at dawn on May 12, 1974, offering their lives in defense of their homeland’s freedom.
During their imprisonment, Leyla and her comrades endured the harshest forms of torture and pressure to extract confessions; however, this failed to break their will. They remained committed to their cause and their homeland until the final moments.
Leyla Qasim is considered the first woman to be executed for political reasons in Iraq. Through her courage and faith in freedom, she became a symbol of the Kurdistan struggle and one of the immortal female figures in Kurdish history.
The Bride of Kurdistan: A Woman History Could Not Silence
Today marks 52 years since the execution of Leyla Qasim and her comrades. She was titled “The Bride of Kurdistan” in recognition of her sacrifices for her people and homeland.
Her struggle left a deep impact on Kurdish women across all regions and contributed to changing society’s perception of the female activist. She proved that women do not only participate in the struggle but can also become a source for spreading thought and awareness—an influence that remains evident among Kurdish students and youth in the southern, western, eastern, and northern parts of Kurdistan.
Kurdish women continue their struggle against oppression and occupation, writing luminous pages in history through sacrifice and resilience, even as many Kurdish women face harsh conditions inside prisons due to their political stances.
Among these names are Pakhshan Azizi, Werishe Moradi, and Zeynab Jalalian, who face difficult conditions within Iranian prisons amidst ongoing fears for their lives.
This confirms that the Kurdish woman has remained present in the arenas of struggle in defense of her rights and ideas, and that their names have become part of the history of the continuous resistance of the Kurdish people.
Leyla Qasim has become a model of female courage, and Kurdish women today follow in her footsteps in the fields of education, politics, human rights, and even within the ranks of the Peshmerga and social institutions.
Source: rojnews
Note: This text is translated from the original Arabic version… Read the Arabic version: Click here
