ANKARA - Kurdish woman parliamentarian Seher Aydar, who was elected as a member of the Norwegian parliament, said, "If the voice of the women is low in a parliament, it is a weak parliament" and stated that freedom and democracy are only possible with the freedom of women.

 

The left bloc led by Labor Party leader Jonas Gahr Stoere won the general elections in Norway. In the country's elections held on Sunday, September 13, the left bloc defeated the center-right coalition led by Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who has been in power for 8 years. Seher Aydar from the Red Party (Rødt), one of the left-wing parties that won a seat at the Norwegian parliament, is the first Kurdish female MP elected in Norwegian parliament.

 

Immigrated from Konya to Norway at the age of 12, Aydar grew up in the city of Fredrikstad. Taking part in the Women's Front, Norway's largest feminist movement, Aydar has also participated in numerous campaigns and initiatives, including the "Solidarity with Kurdistan" campaign.

 

It is estimated that between 25 and 30 thousand Kurds live in Norway, for political and economic reasons.

 

We spoke with Aydar, about her seat at the Norwegian parliament as a Kurdish woman, the problems women experience there, and the attacks against Kurds in Turkey.

 

You are the first Kurdish women elected as an MP in the Norwegian parliament. What is the importance of this in terms of women's struggle?

 

No matter where we are in the world, women's struggle is of great importance. As a Kurdish woman living in Norway, I took part in the women's struggle at an early age. There weren't a lot of young women like me in the Norwegian parliament. The fact that I am an MP in the Norwegian parliament is not about me in my opinion. It's nothing personal, it's about the struggle of the women's movement. The women's movement must take place in every parliament and struggle in every area of life. A parliament must be majoritarian and colorful. If the voice of women is low in a parliament, it is a weak parliament.

 

Worldwide, the struggle of women appears as an important opposition. What problems do women face in Norway? What do you think about the growing women's movement?

 

 

 

When we look at women's struggle more locally, for example, women in Turkey are fighting for their lives. Both for economic freedom and for staying alive, for their survival... Things look good from outside, looking at Norway. Norway presents itself as an egalitarian country. But Norway also has a male-dominated system. In Norway, women are paid less than men for the same job, no matter how professional they are or how long they have been in business. Violence against women also exists in Norway. Women are killed by their ex-husbands or their current husbands and boyfriends. One out of every ten women in Norway experiences sexual violence. All this happens in a country that advertises itself as egalitarian and democratic. All of these show us the necessity of uninterrupted women's struggle. 

 

The voice of the women demanding freedom is louder and louder everyday. Why is the freedom of women so important?

 

If there will be freedom and democracy in a society, it goes through women's freedom. If women are not free, if they are not safe, then that society is not a free society. For this reason, the opposition created by the women's movement is actually on behalf of the whole society. Organized women forming an opposition wing is hope for the whole society. We see this in Latin America, in many parts of Europe, and in the Middle East. That's why I look at the women's movement as a hope and a strength for all of us.

 

It is known that you were involved in the struggle against racism as well as women's struggle. Did you experience racism towards Kurds in Norway? What are the main problems of the Kurds living in the country?

 

 

 

Racism here comes from individuals, groups, and institutions from the followers of the Turkish state that support their system. As a Kurdish woman, wherever I am in the world, I have the right to engage in politics. But when I use my freedom of speech, I realize that the mentality that perpetrates violence against women in Turkey and imprisons journalists on unfounded allegations is also here to hunt us. If we think about Norway in particular, I can say the following; Right ideology has ruled Norway for eight years. Right ideology is the same all over the world, it is racist. Here, too, discrimination and racism are applied to women who wear headscarves. Therefore, it is important to fight against racism around the world. As a Kurdish woman, as a foreigner, and as someone fighting for freedom, I chose to fight against racism. Because as a Kurd, I know that unless our identity is free, we cannot be free.

 

 In Turkey we see that Kurds are subjected to racist attacks. A family of seven was murdered in Konya back in July. What is your opinion about the assimilation policies against the Kurds in Turkey. Do you have a plan to fight against this in Norway?

 

Norway, a NATO member, has good relations with Turkey. As activists living in Norway, we have been fighting hard for Norway to stand with the people of Turkey, not with the government. To put pressure on Turkey for it to be respectful to human's rights. But NATO chooses to stand on the side of powerful. We aim to change that. We want a freer Norway that respects human rights. Yes, there has been a racist attack in Konya as a result of the policy of assimilation and racism that has been going on for years. That attack came from a mentality that want to annihilate you. Annihilating the Kurds can manifest in different ways. Sometimes they may throw you in prison for speaking up, they may lynch you for speaking in Kurdish or singing in Kurdish, they may kill you because you are Kurdish, they can ban your language. Sometimes they do this with violence, sometimes with assimilation policies. But the main goal is to destroy you. This is the deepest and most brutal form of racism. For this reason, we have to take a stance against both assimilation policies and violence. This also goes for Norway. You see yourself as a 'country of peace', but at the same time, if you are in a relationship with Turkey through NATO, you have to at least respect people's right to life. As long as this does not happen, there is no value in saying "I am a peaceful democratic country". That's what we're fighting for. At the very least, we want them to pressure Turkey to become a country that is more respectful of human rights and the right to life through political and economic pressure. The fact that we had to fight for this already shows us how deep the racism goes.

 

 

After you were elected as a member of the Norwegian parliament, pro-government media in Turkey referred to you as a " PKK member". What is the attitude of political parties in Norway regarding anti-Kurdish sentiment in Turkey? In this context, is there a perspective of struggle that you have planned in the Norwegian parliament?

 

 

 

When you criticize the current government in Turkey, many things are said about you. I saw the news you mentioned; I said 'Wow, Look what I have done, is this really me? Whatever we do, we do it before the people. And what we do is to exercise our freedom of expression. The fact that unfounded things are said about us shows how limited Turkey's freedom of expression is. The journalists writes a story, when the government does not like it, they imprison the journalist and call him a 'terrorist'. It's that simple to be a 'terrorist' in Turkey. This news about us clearly shows the situation in Turkey. We would like to reveal the conditions in Turkey by showing this news as an example. You are Kurdish, you have gone to another country, you have achieved something here, they cannot even tolerate it even if you are far away from them. They want to destroy that success. This attitude of Turkey shows that there is nothing they won't do to stop a Kurdish woman wherever they are in the world. It also shows how just, right, and necessary our struggle is.

 

You talked about the struggle of Kurdish women. Kurdish women waged an important war in Rojava. How does the experience in Rojava reflect on Norway?

 

The women's revolution in Rojava is an inspiration for the entire women's movement here. Middle Eastern women were generally seen as "oppressed people" in Europe. Of course, we know that this is not true. The women's movement in Rojava completely changed this perception. The struggle of women in Rojava has not only set an example for all women's movements, but has shown the world how women can defend their own lives, their futures, and the future of their society. This situation radically changed the perspective of the Europeans about the region and the women there. The women in Rojava became a hope for the women of the world. From this perspective, they were seen as hope for all women's movements in the west. Currently, all women's organizations in Europe are following the developments in Rojava on a daily basis and adopting the Kurdish women's struggle. The struggle in Rojava is not only the struggle of Kurdish women, but of all women living in the region, whether Arab, Assyrian or Turkish, who are fighting for freedom.

 

The political pressure operations carried out against the HDP turned into a party closure case. As the Red Party, are you in contact with the HDP in the face of this pressure? What does the Norwegian parliament think about the pressure on the HDP?

 

 

 

All left parties in Norway have communication with the HDP. Because the way to freedom and democracy in Turkey passes through HDP. For this reason, we have had continuous relations with the HDP. Our party sends delegations, visits HDP, and sometimes guests from the HDP come visit us here. For us, this is not just solidarity, but strengthening each other. We stand by the HDP as the Red Party. The pressure against HDP is not just pressure against one party. The pressure is aimed at extinguishing people's hope of self-determination. Therefore, for us, like every left party, being in contact with the HDP means being in solidarity with the struggle for freedom and democracy in Turkey. We condemn this political genocide against HDP. As the elected, we condemn the violation of rights of the elected people there. The existence of HDP is extremely important for Turkey's future.

 

Women are the ones who suffer the most in authoritarian regimes like Turkey or in wars in the Middle East. However the women's struggle have become a power on its own that inholds a great power of opposition. As a Kurdish woman in politics, what message would you like to give about the women's struggle?

 

We women can both win and lose everything. As you said, women lose the most in wars. But we can also win everything in our struggle and through our massive collective work. When I say we can win anything, it is not just for the women. I am speaking for the freedom of the society. Therefore, what I can say to all women is not to stand alone. We have to fight together. All the examples we have seen so far show us that when we act organized, women can be the greatest force for change. This power that exists in women comes from the resistance of women from the previous generations. Women fight for their freedom and existance in their homes, on the streets, in their workplaces. Let's continue to walk together for the freedom of ourselves, our society, and our people by using our power collectivel. First of all, as a woman, I want to thank all the women who are fighting in the Middle East. The price paid in that struggle is very different from the price we pay here. Those prices were paid for the freedom of all of us. I believe that even though certain things may seem dark, there is a little light in them. The pioneers of this light are women. 

 

MA/ Gözde Çağrı Özköse