Western media refers to the Kurdish female soldier Asia Ramazan Antar as a poster girl among her people - she is highly praised by people for her stunning face and superb combat skills.
However, in the eyes of her comrades, the image Antar has been promoted in the media and social networks is surprising and disappointing.
The 19-year-old girl from the Kurdish city of Qamishli in Syria was killed in a firefight with militants of the extremist organization "ISIS" in northern Syria last month.
Some Western media reports are concerned about Antal's appearance, saying that Antal is known as the "Kurdish Angelina Jolie", but some of her compatriots denounce these comparisons with Hollywood stars as sexism and objectification of women.
Antar is a member of the "Kurdish Women's Self-Defense Forces" (YPJ). Her comrades said that their thoughts are simple and humble. No one will judge her based on her appearance and figure. Everyone must make sacrifices for the collective good.
Last year, despite resistance from conservative religious groups, Kurdish female fighters pushed the Syrian Kurdistan region to pass a series of progressive laws outlawing violence against women, forced marriage and polygamy. An all-female law enforcement police force has been formed.
One among many
Antar died fighting in Syrian Kurdistan, and to the Kurdish media here, she was just another fighter killed fighting ISIS. Antar joined the YPJ in 2015 and gave himself the pseudonym Viyan Antar.
After completing military training, Antar went to the front lines to fight against ISIS. After participating in five battles, she was killed on August 30 in Manbij, near the Turkish border.
Antar, a squad leader and machine gunner, has had six family members killed fighting ISIS in the past two years.
Just like Antar, hundreds of Kurdish fighters were killed in the fighting. Most of them were very young, only in their teens and twenties, but they failed to receive the same attention as Antar.
“Description of sexism”
Choman Kanaani is one of the Kurdish fighters who is disappointed with the image of Antar created by Western media.
He is now overseeing the reconstruction of the Kurdish city of Kobani. Kobani was once occupied by ISIS and suffered massive destruction between 2014 and 2015. Kurdish forces eventually drove out the jihadists.
Kanani has lost many comrades, both male and female. "The idea of YPJ is to fight against sexism and prevent women from being treated as sexual objects," Kanani said. "We hope to give women the correct position in social life and let them control their own destiny." Antar died for these ideals, but no one in the media discusses these ideals for which she died, and no one cares about what she has done for Kurdish women over the past four years. ”
Agrin Senna was a YPJ commander who lost her leg and many friends in the battle to liberate Manbij. Sena called on people to look at the photos of comrades who would rather die than live under ISIS's extreme Sharia law.
“Look at their pictures, they are all beautiful angels, and you can’t single someone out just because she looks like Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie or Julia Roberts,” she said, “They have nothing in common with these actresses, and they would rather die than bow to the most oppressive organization in the world for women. ”
(Translator: Wang Yinuo Editor: Zeng Yu)
