by Hamma Mirwaisi
2017
Sakine Cansiz is a Kurdish heroine who survived torture and war but fell victim to an assassin. Her life is thrillin gin its own right; it also tells us a great deal about the Kurdish community as a whole. Since appearing apparently out of nowhere in the current chaos on Iraq and Syria, many people are starting to ask questions about the Kurds. Who are they? Why do they fight so valiantly, and for what? Why are we just now hearing about them? How do we understand all the chaos in Syria, in Iraq, in Turkey? And why do the Kurds keep appearing in the picture? Who ARE those people? The Accidental Martyr helps to explain this complex part of the world and this little-known people through the life and times of Sakine Cansiz. From the age of 20, Sakine Cansiz was ready to die a heroine's death for Kurdish freedom, if that was how things turned out, but she never planned to be a martyr, seeking out a heroine's death in order to make a point. She never wanted to die at all, except maybe during the worst part of ten years of unspeakable abuses by jailers who were so sadistic that even their own repressive regime eventually executed them. She didn't want to be a heroine either: she just showed her bravery when heroic circumstances were forced on her, which was far too often. Like the rest of the Kurdish people, she didn't set out to be heroic, just to survive; life among the Kurds and Turks would make that challenging enough. After her years of torture, she became a famous guerrilla leader, actively fighting for the cause of Kurdish rights against enormous odds and expecting to die at any moment. Several times, she came all too close to having that opportunity. After a decade of battling with one of the most advanced military forces in the region, she survived that too, becoming a legend as a brave, powerful (and yes, female) fighter. Eventually, she became too valuable for the Kurds to lose her in an insignificant firefight in the remote mountains. They sent her to the civilized, peaceful cities of Western Europe to become a diplomat and fund-raiser for the Kurdish cause. She had to give up combat patrols in order to print pamphlets and meet with heads of government. She excelled in that too, so much so that some government agencies got nervous. Eventually, one of them caught up with her. In civilized, peaceful Paris, she hadn't sought death out, but there it found her, not on the battle field but in a simple rented office. It was the very mundane nature of her death that turned her from leader into icon, not just to Kurds seeking liberation but to women across the Islamic world. She didn't intend become a martyr. It happened anyway. This is her story. It's also the story of the Kurds for whom she suffered, fought and died. The phases of her life and the questions surrounding her death can only be answered with an understanding of who the Kurds think they are, and who their neighbors in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey think they are. The Accidental Martyr follows the path of Cansiz' life to explore the trail of Kurdish history from the glory days of the Medean Empire, 3000 years ago, to their resurgence today. They've both benefited from and suffered through the wavering US policies of the Bush and Obama administrations, and now they must deal with sharply different views from the Trump administration. If you've ever heard a mention of the Kurds and wondered who they really are, this book's for you. While The Accidental Martyr may infuriate Turkish nationalists and frustrate historians and diplomats, it is a must-read to understand where the PKK has been and where Turkey and Syria's Kurds may be going. (Michael Rubin, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute).