Women's Media Union organizes dialogue seminar

To mark Kurdish Press Day, the Women's Media Union (YRJ) organized a seminar on "The History of Kurdish Media" and "Hate Speech." The seminar was held at the Training Academy in Qamishlo, where the hall was decorated with photos of martyred journalists: Delishan Ibish, Muhammad Rasho, Hogir  Muhammad, Wedat Erdemci, Dilovan Kafar, Rizgar Deniz, Saad Ahmed, and Jihan Bilkin. Members of the YRJ and representatives from media organizations in Rojava participated in the seminar.

The seminar began with a minute of silence. It was moderated by Amal Muhammad, spokesperson for the Women's Media Union, and journalist Avin Yusuf, a member of the union.

Amal Mohammed spoke about the history of Kurdish media, and gave a brief historical overview, saying: “If the history of a people or a woman is written by the hands of others, it will not be written correctly. When the occupier writes my history, he will not express the truth. The pen that began its journey in 1898 and worked under the name (Kurdistan) is a very important pen, and we are following that legacy to this day.”

She added: “Dozens of people have shown extraordinary heroism in order to write a single Kurdish word, and they have borne a great responsibility, and the work is still ongoing. Currently, dozens of journalists are in prisons in Northern Kurdistan (Turkey) and are living through great difficulties because they express the truth about the Kurdish people. In Eastern Kurdistan (Iran), they are subjected to arrest, execution, and obstacles for the same reason. In Rojava, dozens have sacrificed their lives to convey the voice of the revolution. Female journalists have also made a great effort in this struggle, and today we find that the majority of journalists in Rojava Kurdistan are women.”

Then, Avin Yousef spoke about "hate speech" and its impact on the media.

Avin began by welcoming the guests and explained that hate speech, racism, and sexism have a profoundly negative impact on society. She said, "This hate speech became glaringly apparent during the recent attacks on North and East Syria. As a result, many were killed and many people suffered; the root cause of all this was hate speech. This has developed through religious intolerance, as we saw examples of in the Syrian coast and in Swedia, where women were targeted and attacked. This discourse is not new, but it is not inherent in human nature. Rather, individuals acquire it from their environment and family, and it is cultivated by authorities due to their exclusionary (unilateral) approach. In Syria, the Kurdish people have been subjected to this exclusion, which has occurred in all four parts of Kurdistan."

“To eliminate hate speech, we need new laws, education, and concepts.”

 Regarding hate speech directed against women, Avin Yousef continued, “When attacks occur, women are targeted first, suffering physically, economically, and psychologically. Since women are the ones who raise children and shape society, this also affects their children and generates feelings of revenge. In recent attacks, we saw the extent of hate speech being used in media outlets close to the Syrian Interim Government. The impact of social media is also very significant; we saw that what was published there had a tremendous effect on the people. Because public awareness has not yet reached the required level, and because the seeds of hatred have been planted in their hearts since childhood, such cases emerge.”

She explained that another issue is the entities controlling virtual media, which are backed by authoritarian forces from foreign countries. Avin Yousef stressed the need to activate laws and ensure democratic education, clarifying that the media must be cautious in its terminology and work to end this situation.

Following Avin Yousef's remarks, a discussion ensued, during which it was noted that hate speech is used more frequently against women. Therefore, female journalists must be vigilant about this, organize training, and conduct research on the subject. It was emphasized during the discussions that the Rojava Revolution is a women's revolution, and therefore, women must bear the full burden of the revolution and strengthen their voices to tell every woman's story.

The seminar concluded with the end of the discussions.

ANHA