Because this council is the only one of its kind so far, Ahmad hopes the example may encourage other Kurdish towns and villages to set up similar initiatives. “Especially when the council succeeds in bringing social and material benefits to the village’s women,” she adds enthusiastically.
Another council member, Sajida Saleh, says she thinks the council has to do with the fact that there are a good number of well educated people in the village and that about half of the village’s families also live in the big city, Dohuk.
“That has changed the village’s culture into one where women are better supported,” Saleh explains. “This also means there are women with good qualifications who are able to participate in the village’s administration. Those same women could also take part in regional administration.”
“This council reflects how the people of this village take a more sophisticated view of their women,” says Abdul Jabbar Abdul Rahman, a sociologist from Dohuk University. “It also indicates that democracy is alive and well in this village, and also that women are going to be supported here.”
There would be some challenges though, he warned. “It’s possible that the council might be rejected by some here because it contravenes tribal traditions and the prevailing culture here in Iraqi Kurdistan,” he cautioned. “Things that have caused great harm to women’s rights in the past.”
As a result Abdul Rahman stressed the need for council to be supported in any way possible, and in particular by the authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan.
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