Activists, journalists from Middle East support YPJ

A delegation from the Middle East Jineology Academy visited the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) headquarters in Hasaka on Tuesday, carrying messages of support from feminist activists and journalists from across the Middle East. The messages expressed their support for YPJ and their commitment to defending it.

The delegation was received by Rohlat Afrin; the member of YPJ General Command, and Roxen Mohamed, the unit's spokesperson, along with several other female leaders, and the messages were delivered to them.

On behalf of YPJ, Rohlat Afrin thanked the activists for their messages of support, stating, "We remain steadfast in our position regarding the official recognition of our forces." She added, "As long as our forces, the Women's Protection Units, are recognized by our people and within our society, this is the true and ideal recognition we seek, and we are proud of it."

Rohlat Afrin continued, "Our presence in our regions and the recognition we receive from our people is enough. We will remain in our regions, defending the rights of our people, and we are proud of that."

On the sidelines of the meeting, Zahida Ma'mo; the member of the Middle East Jineology Academy, stated to ANHA agency, "Our meeting today with the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) was to deliver messages from women in the Middle East who know and support YPJ."

She added that the messages were from activists and journalists from Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, and Sudan, who wanted to express their feelings about the role of YPJ and their support for it.

Zahida Ma'mu noted, "When feminist movements are talked about, wherever they exist, women try to connect with each other and stand by one another. Therefore, we thank the women who expressed their support for the Women's Protection Units (YPJ)."

Zahida emphasized that YPJ has become an example of free women in the Middle East as a result of their struggle against ISIS. This confirms that women can stand within any ideology and struggle for their rights.

Excerpts from activists' letters to the Women's Protection Units

In her letter, Egyptian journalist and academic Nesrin Maatouk wrote, "Guardians of the sun... How Kurdish women redrew the concept of heroism." She added, "In the history of contemporary conflicts, certain milestones stand out as indispensable when talking about popular resistance, and among the most prominent of these is the experience of the Women's Protection Units in North and East Syria."

Dr. Nesrin made clear that this experience was not merely a military response to threats, but rather an existential necessity to protect women's lives and dignity in a time when the forces of extremism and darkness ganged up.

While Yemeni journalist and feminist activist Majda Taleb wrote, "When protection becomes a path to peace: A message from a Yemeni woman to the Women's Protection Units: I am a woman from Yemen, but not only me. I am an extension of every woman who has found herself one day in the heart of war, on its margins, or under its heavy shadow. I write these words not as a victim, but as an eyewitness survived, and as a voice that refuses to remain silent. For over a decade, I lived, as thousands of women, in a world where wars recur and faces change, but the pain remains the same. In this world, we were always told that protection comes from the outside, from a higher power, from a greater weapon; however, the truth we, women, learned was entirely different. We saw women in conflict zones, in Syria and elsewhere, confronting extremist organizations like ISIS, not because they loved war, but because they understood that defending life could not be postponed. Those women were not merely fighters, but protectors of humanity, of memory, and of what remained of the meaning of the land."

In this context, Sudanese women's rights advocate and activist, Hedaya Taj al-Asfiya, expressed her full support for the Women's Protection Units' (YPJ) integration into the structure of the Ministry of Defense in the Syrian Interim Government. She also expressed her deep appreciation for their pivotal role in defeating ISIS and protecting civilians from oppression, violence, and extremism.

She emphasized that these units have set a remarkable example of courage, discipline, and humanitarian commitment, stressing that defending the homeland is inseparable from defending dignity, freedom, and equality.

She added that their institutional integration into the Syrian state army represents a step that transcends its security dimension, embodying the features of a new social contract in Syria based on equal citizenship, national partnership, and the recognition of women's role as key players in building security and peace, thus enhancing the professionalism of the military institution and redefining the relationship between the state and society.

In a message from Yemeni actress, media professional, and former presidential candidate, Dhekra Ahmed Ali, she stated, "The Women's Protection Units (YPJ) were at the forefront of forming a fully integrated female military wing, and you played a pivotal role in the war against extremist organizations, mainly ISIS, the most brutal and hostile, until you achieved victory over them."

She added: "When the need arose for you, you did not falter, but rather transformed the feminine role into a formidable force and determination, demonstrating both capability and military discipline. We support you in your demands, and you have every right to continue calling for your inclusion in the new Syrian army as fighters and an active female force, to be the nucleus of this military establishment."

In conclusion, Alaa Farah; the member of the Jineology Academy – Lebanon, wrote, "I write to you today with immense pride and gratitude, recalling the courage you embody every day. You are not only fighters on the battlefield, but living symbols of strength, will, and dignity.

You have proven to the world that women are capable of standing on the front lines, defending their land, their people, and their values with unwavering determination. Your struggle is not limited to bearing arms; it is a struggle for freedom, justice, and equality, and a message to every woman that her voice matters, and that her presence is not marginal, but fundamental in shaping the future."

At the end of the meeting, the leader, Rohlat Afrin, once again thanked the women who sent messages of support, and the Women's Protection Units presented a symbolic gift to the Jineology Academy in the Middle East.

ANHA