Genim Muhammed (Nuêbûnewe Magazin) inteviewed Tania Kurd Mirza:

“One of the major problems is that women are not treated with the dignity and respect they deserve as human beings!”

Tania Kurd Mirza, a master’s degree holder in law, is a prominent figure in combating violence against women and children. She is one of the most prominent and active women in the field of women’s and children’s rights in Kurdistan, and has dedicated her life to promoting their rights. Her writings have been published in various books and articles, including “Shorbay Pelaw” (Soup of Shoe), “Rehana’s Blood or bloody Mint”, “each hug means not love” (educational), and numerous articles and research papers.

A Heartfelt Conversation

I was honored to have this opportunity to conduct an interview with Tania Kurd Mirza in this new issue of the Renewal Magazine, particularly on the topic of women’s issues. I would like to extend my gratitude to her for her thoughtful and detailed responses to my questions. With her insightful and courageous approach, she has shed light on the wounds and sufferings of women, and has offered solutions to their problems. Her words are a testament to her dedication to the cause of women’s freedom and empowerment.

The Issue of Women’s Humanity Being Overlooked

As an expert, I want you to define the problem of women or the women’s issue. What is the core of the women’s issue in your opinion?

Someone links the women’s issue to the country and its laws, while others link it to religion and social norms. In my opinion, these are not the core issues. The core issue is that women are marginalized, they have been dehumanized and treated as a “women”. Women are seen as separate from humanity and are only recognized as gender based ‘women’, not as human beings. The main problem is that women are not considered as human beings. A woman who only accepted like woman not a human being, then her femininity becomes a problem for her.
To solve this problem, we need to start by teaching generation by generation that women are human beings before they are women. Then, we need to teach that the women’s issue is a human issue, not just a women’s issue.

In many countries, it’s rare to hear the word “human” used alongside the word “woman”. When the human issue is linked to gender, it creates a problem, whether it’s a woman or a man.
Using the term of ‘woman’ instead of using the term of ‘human being’, has brought great consequences to humanity and women themselves. In third-world countries, we rarely hear the word human alongside the word ‘woman’ or even after it.

When a person’s problems are linked to his gender, then his gender creates problems for him, whether he is a man or a woman. Why is there no mention of “men’s problems”? Obviously, if he has problems, because men’s masculinity has not been made a problem for him. When we talk about the problems of men, it’s often in the context of their roles as workers, fathers, or politicians. But when we talk about women’s problems, it’s often only about their gender.

Men don’t have a problem with being men, they don’t have problem because they are men because they are seen as human beings, and their problems are discussed as human problems. While women have a problem with being women, men have problems with lack of jobs, low income, limited or unlimited power, which are human problems, not men’s.
Even when men are victims of violence in war or in the family and at work, it is a big mistake to describe their problems as men’s problems, because their masculinity has not really been a problem for them. The female gender is so emphasized and so talked about that nothing else about women is seen, which is also a problem.

Is it true that the problem of women starts after the common era? Does this mean that this water has flowed since the time of class formation and women have been oppressed ever since?

The class stage has taken the women’s problem from one staircase to another, I don’t know whether one staircase is higher or lower. If it is higher, it is closer to explosion, and if it is lower, it is closer to collapse, I will let the answer for the future. Women had problems before the class stage, but as I said, their problems were different. When women had power in an era called “femininity stage”, it does not mean that women had no problems. Women had power, decisions, and men approved of their decisions, but does this mean that they had no problems?

Many people view women’s issues as being separate from human issues, but this is not accurate. Women are human beings, and their problems should be seen as human problems. When we only focus on the gender aspect of women’s problems, we risk oversimplifying the issue and failing to address the root causes.
If women have received this power because they are human beings, dominating society, running life and organizing the family, we can say that the class stage has brought problems for women and women have not had problems before, but fact is that women got power because they were “female”, women became dominant because of femininity not human being and that is the issue.

It is still a problem whether a woman is given or taken away her status and rights because she is a woman. The class period changed women’s issues. During this period, various excuses came up to redefine women. In this stage, various definitions of women have emerged, but they are not better than before.

The definitions and categorizations of women in this stage are not due to the fact that society and the era have recognized women’s humanity, but because the era and society have demanded that women be redefined once again, and some new roles are given to them, while old roles were still remaining. Once again, men tried to adjust women to their own market and interests, and impose their own definitions on them. This stage has led to a greater oppression or, rather, a distortion of women’s roles, not giving them new roles and treating them as human beings, nor taking away their old roles and giving them to men. In every stage, women are given authority as “women” or taken away from them as women, and this stage is the stage of women’s oppression.

Power and authority, if not in the hands of humans, if not limited by a modern, human-centered law, will lead to the oppression of those who have authority, and then others. This is also true for men, where a person with authority can use their power to dominate others, even talking about freedom. A woman can gain authority in the class era or even before, but having authority does not mean being powerful or freedom. A person can be powerful and free without having authority, but an authority figure who has gained power due to their gender and cannot be controlled by law is lack one and is not a free person. The class era has also failed to create a powerful and free woman, even if it has given her authority

Why doesn’t the discussion on women’s issues end and, and it’s like they say, ‘the more we talk, the more problems we create?

When we don’t know what the problem is, talking about it becomes a mere exercise in futility, rather than an attempt to find a solution. The issue of women is also like this. Each person talks about it based on their own beliefs and understanding, and that’s why no one knows what the solution is!The issue of women, like any other issue, needs to be defined and diagnosed, and most people agree on this later on and should looks for solutions. When everyone puts their own problem on the table and groups come together to discuss it, the problems are disappeared and we don’t reach a solution!

Often, many solutions are presented for women’s issues, but without discussing the problem itself, it becomes just a topic of conversation, not a real solution. What’s important is to understand the significance of the problem and the community’s role in solving it not only presenting a solution without talking about the main issue. Talking about the problems is not like presenting solutions. Solutions are important, but we need to first identify the problems, find ways to address them, and then the solutions will emerge. Until now, discussing women’s issues has created more problems rather than solving them, and that’s why it’s like a never-ending cycle of problems. So, what’s the solution? The solution to women’s issues in the middle East is still just talk, and it’s not in the laws or in the people’s minds.

Do the Eastern and Western women have the same problem or are they different?

The answer is simple: yes and no. The problem of Eastern and Western women is the same, because “being women” is for both of them have been made into a problem. The Western woman is recognized as a “woman” within the Western system, that is, she is named as a woman, and in that system, she is considered next to a man, which is a common point of the problem of women.

However, the point of difference is that the Western woman is at least recognized as a human being by the law, with protected rights, given rights, and limits set for her authority. On the other hand, the Eastern woman is only considered a woman, a mother, but not a human being, which is a very significant difference.

If the Eastern woman’s problems are different, is the Western woman still trapped in the cycle of Eastern woman’s problems or has she been freed from that cycle? Where is she free and where is she not?

The problems of women around the world are similar in some aspects and different in others. Some problems are specific to women in third-world countries, while others are faced by Western women, but with different laws and regulations. The lack of inheritance rights, polygamy, honor killings, and extramarital sexual relationships are problems faced by Eastern women, but not by Western women, who have laws that protect their rights.

What has become a problem for Western women today is not a problem for Eastern women, because they have not yet reached the level of understanding what this stage and issue is. The Eastern woman is not free! When I say she is not free, I mean that all Eastern women are the same; no woman in the East or in third-world countries is truly free, regardless of their education, social status, or wealth. A free woman is one who lives in a country where she has legal freedom and protection, and where the law punishes those who violate her rights. The Eastern woman is not free because there is no country that provides her with freedom and protection.

On the other hand, the Western woman is free because the law supports and guarantees her freedom. In addition to the law, Western culture is dominant and powerful, and it values and protects women’s rights and freedom. The problem of the Western woman is not the lack of freedom, but rather the misuse of her freedom.

One of the problems of the Western woman is that she is forced to be free, and freedom has become a burden for her. This has created a paradox. I don’t mean that the Western woman should not have the right to freedom, or that she should not be human. What I mean is that freedom should not be a burden, because freedom is not a right that can be granted as a gift and forced women to take it or has a power to take away. Freedom has become a condition for the Western woman, and in some cases, it has led to her losing more of her rights. This is a new problem faced by Western women.

How Important is the Legal Solution to Women’s Problems? To what extent is the legal solution important in addressing women’s problems? Can the law be a barrier to protecting women and can it be the only solution to their problems?

The Limitations of Laws

The first, last and most important solution to women’s problems is the law, but what kind of law? In third-world countries, there are laws, but they are often inadequate and do not provide sufficient protection for women. In other words, the existence of laws is not enough; they need to be implemented and enforced. The law should prioritize women’s rights and protection, rather than treating them as mere objects and not laws that introduce women as machines to reproduce and satisfy men’s sexual desires.

In third-world countries, women are often treated as inferior beings, they have laws to regulate marriage, inheritance, and their rights in the event of divorce but their rights are not respected and there are no laws to protect their rights.. In Third World countries, a woman is treated as a child and an ignorant person from birth until her death. They are not allowed to make decisions about their own bodies, and their freedom is limited. They are often forced into marriage, and their inheritance rights are not recognized. Women traveling alone is still prohibited in most Third World countries (by law or culture) and must be accompanied by a man!

A woman in the East cannot own a house alone, the half of brother’s inheritance is given to her, she has no right over her own body, she cannot make her own decisions, and if she becomes pregnant, it’s not her choice, because her husband will be worried and might even kill her because of this!

In general, an Eastern woman does not own her body and cannot make her money (even if she works). These are all against the law. I’m not talking about a such a kind of law; I’m talking about the modern western law that can solve women’s problems. The law should recognize women as human beings, give them the right to make decisions over their own bodies, and provide them with the right to life and the freedom to choose their husbands, without the interference of their families.

There are always two lines, if they are not parallel, they will eventually intersect. These two lines are the law and social education. Education and awareness are crucial in promoting women’s rights and empowerment. These two lines are constantly intertwined in third-world countries and change places, which is another obstacle to solving women’s problems. Women’s problems need to be solved quickly and fundamentally, and that solution must be achieved by enacting modern laws, and then working to raise awareness in society. However, education and awareness alone are not enough; they need to be accompanied by legal and policy changes that promote women’s rights and empowerment.

The second step is to support the law, because the law itself has the power to be implemented. It is futile to hope for the solution of women’s problems through organizations, conferences, and gatherings. The law is a quick and effective solution, but raising awareness in society is a long and difficult process. Education and awareness can have a positive impact on human thought and behavior, but if this knowledge is not enough to create a positive change, what then?

In brief, we can reform society through law, because it has a penalty, either through education or not! Implementing laws that protect women’s rights is crucial in addressing women’s problems. The law should be enforced, and those who violate women’s rights should be held accountable. It doesn’t mean that we should give up on education. We must educate our children about modern laws that are available. A comprehensive approach is needed to address women’s problems, including legal, educational, and social changes. The law should be seen as a tool to promote women’s rights and empowerment, rather than a barrier to their freedom and autonomy.

The important point in education is that the government should not leave it to individuals, various organizations, and private schools to educate our children as they wish. There should be a comprehensive education system that the government oversees, and that education system should not be a substitute for the law. The law is above all for solving women’s problems, as the first and last option.