Interview with Zara Rasouli by Ainde.net

Ainde.net:
Zara Rasouli, thank you for speaking with us today. You have recently become a prominent voice in the Kurdistan Future Movement. To begin, what inspired you to join this movement—especially as a Kurdish woman?

Zara Rasouli:
Thank you. It’s quite simple. I joined because the Kurdistan Future Movement is the only space where I have truly felt seen—not as a slogan or a symbol, but as a whole human being. As a Kurdish woman, I’ve often been told I am respected, yet decisions continue to be made without us. This movement did not ask me to stand behind a party leader or support a man. It told me, you are the future. That changed everything.

Ainde.net:
In your statement, you mentioned that you once considered joining the ranks of PKK or PJAK. What led you to take a different path?

Zara Rasouli:
Yes, I did consider it. Like many Kurdish women, I was drawn to those movements because they spoke of resistance. But over time, I came to a painful realization—many women were sacrificing themselves just to protect or save men. The women’s struggle was there, but it was always in the background. I wanted something more—not just to resist, but to build. The Kurdistan Future Movement showed me that our liberation does not have to come through war. It can come through creation, through leadership, and through equality.

Ainde.net:
Some might argue that every political movement promises women’s rights. What sets the Kurdistan Future Movement apart?

Zara Rasouli:
Because it does not just promise—it delivers. It does not praise brave women in speeches and then imprison them. It does not use our faces on election posters and then silence us when decisions are made. This movement said: Let’s build a new table where women are not guests, but hosts. It invests in services, demands transparency, and listens to us—as mothers, as workers, as citizens. Not as decoration.

Ainde.net:
You’ve said, "I am in a movement that has no leader. I am in a movement that has no politics." Can you explain what that means?

Zara Rasouli:
It means this movement is not built on egos or power games. There is no man at the top directing us. What we have instead are ideas, unity, and shared purpose. And when I say "no politics," I mean no empty promises, no lies, no manipulation of our pain. This is a movement built on action, on honesty, and on real hope.

Ainde.net:
How do you see the role of Kurdish women within the movement?

Zara Rasouli:
We are not just evolving—we are leading. Finally. We are shaping policies, asking tough questions, and making decisions. For the first time in my life, I feel that being a woman is not a political disadvantage—it is a source of strength. This movement proves that real change begins when women are not followers, but founders.

Ainde.net:
What would you say to Kurdish women who are unsure or hesitant about joining?

Zara Rasouli:
To every Kurdish woman who feels ignored, exhausted, or used by politics: you are not alone. You deserve more than symbolic respect. You deserve real power, real space, and real justice. The Kurdistan Future Movement may not be perfect, but it is honest. It is real. And most importantly, it is the only movement right now that dares to believe that the future belongs to women too.

Ainde.net:
Zara, thank you for sharing your story and your strength. We will continue to follow your journey with deep respect.

Zara Rasouli:
Thank you. I speak not just for myself, but for every Kurdish woman who refuses to stay silent. The future has already begun—and it speaks with a woman’s voice.