SORGUL ŞÊXO

Hesekê –An Egyptian family’s story of migration started in Cairo and ended in the city of Hesekê, NE Syria. We listened to the life story of Seher Ebdil Mecîd, who left Egypt 20 years ago with her family and has lived in Til Temir district of Hesekê for 10 years. Being home to Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Assyrians, Armenians, and many Egyptians, Til Temir today hosts women and cultures from different ethnic groups despite attacks.

She has dual citizenship

Seher Ebdil Mecîd told us that her family left Egypt to Syria to build a new life. “I have lived in Syria for more than 20 years. We first settled in Hesekê and then in Til Temir. We didn’t have any problems entering Syria. We had our Egyptian IDs and officially entered Syria. Now we have dual citizenship.”

Her two children are behind bars

Stating that they left Egypt due to pressure they faced, Seher Ebdil Mecîd said, “We faced pressure in Egypt but we still face pressure by the Baathist regime. The Baathist regime arrested my son Merwan Hesen when he was 16 years old and my other son Salih Hesen when he was 15 years old. My son Salih Hesen was arrested for putting the badge of Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan on his collar and he has been held in prison for nine years. My children and many people were subjected to torture by the Syrian regime.”

She also lost a child fighting against ISIS

While two of her sons have been held in prison by the Syrian regime, Seher Ebdil Mecîd lost one of her sons while fighting against ISIS. “When the Revolution in Rojava started, my son Şahin joined the YPG and he was martyred while protecting the people. In fact, if the revolution had not started, she had planned to return to Egypt. When the revolution started, he decided to stay and fight. He was martyred on January 11, 2019, while fighting ISIS in Deir ez-Zor.”

“There is a great women’s revolution in Rojava”

Noting that her husband is also a member of the defense units, Seher Ebdil Mecîd said, “I want my nephews and nieces to be members of the defense units because there is a great women’s revolution in Rojava and we must stand by this revolution. Many women from different nationalities have taken part in the women’s struggle for freedom and I think there is a space for us, too. The success of women in the revolution sets an example for the whole world.”