Kongra Star (Kurdish for Star Congress), founded in 2005 under the name of Yekîtiya Star (Kurdish for Star Union of Women), is a confederation of women's organizations in Rojava, Syria. The name Star "refers to the ancient Mesopoamian goddess Ishtar, and nowadays the name also refers to celestial stars." They have been instrumental in the significant advances made in gender relations in the region. Its work is based on the claim that "without the liberation of women, a truly free society is impossible." One of its founding members is Îlham Ehmed, former co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council.
Founding principles The four founding principles of Kongreya Star are as such:
"Star Congress is based on the voluntary union of democratic organizations, institutions and democratic figures. It is a confederal women's organization which organises itself in the form of communes, assemblies, academies, cooperatives, foundations, associations, parties, etc." "Each organization, union or committee that joins protects its identity. It joins Star Congress based on principles of mutual dependency. The organization operates according to the principles of radical democracy." "Star Congress is responsible for the coordination, implementation and supervision of the decisions and policies of different institutions, organizations and canton assemblies." "Kongreya Star is flexible and embraces diversity and democratic participation."
The Congress of Kongra Star The Congress of Kongreya Star is an event head every two years in which all the organizations and groups under the umbrella movement of Kongreya Star assemble to reflect on work done in the past as well as goals for the future. Each congress has embraced the decision to fight for the freedom of leader Abdullah Öcalan, whose democratic confederalism has become the guiding principle for Rojava and the Kongreya Star movement.
History of the Congresses (2005–2016) The First Congress took place on January 15, 2005. Due to the secretive nature of the meeting, there were only a few women present. During this congress, the formation of Yekîtiya Star was declared. The women in attendance began reaching out to other activist groups to begin discussing women's oppression across Syria.
The Second Congress took place on July 9–10, 2007. 61 women were present for the conference. The Congress decided to expand the movement and get more women involved in the organization, but the Ba'ath regime had the women revolutionaries arrested.
The Third Congress took place on December 6, 2009, with 81 women attending the event. The Congress was held the slogan "we are not anyone's honor, our honor is our freedom," in order to raise awareness of the "number of women and girls killed in the name of family honor." The main talking points for the Third Congress were how to stop the spread of prostitution and drugs, amongst other oppressions faced by women.
The Fourth Congress was held on July 29, 2011, through July 30, 2011, in Afrin. Under the slogan "To increase the pace of the women's liberation struggle and build democratic self-administration," 100 women, representing women's organizations across western Kurdistan and Syria, were present for the conference. Understanding the importance of self-administration, the Congress decided to create assemblies and communes, as well as elect a 31-member body that would serve as Rojava's coordination.
The Fifth Congress took place in April 2013. 251 women attended the conference which was held under the slogan, "So that women will not remain outside of the organization."
The Sixth Congress was held from February 25 to 26, 2016, with the overarching theme of "To build a democratic nation in women's color." With over 250 women in attendance, the Congress decided to change its name from Yekîtiya Star to its current name of Kongreya Star (Star Congress).
Communes
Neighborhoods and towns in Rojava are organized in communes of seven to two hundred people; previously, these communes made up the cantons of Afrîn, Kobanê, and Cizîre. These communes are organized in two networks: those run by Tev-Dem, which are made up of men and women, and women's communes, which are the basis of Kongreya Star.
Within the women's communes, women are encouraged to share their opinions and be active members of society, often for the first time in their lives. Women have a high participation rate in the communes, with the average ranging from 50 to 70%, with some reaching 100%.
Committees There are five different types of committees present in every commune.The Committee of Diplomacy of Kongreya Star. Kongreya Star. The Committee Of Diplomacy Of Kongreya Star, 2016, pp. 2-32, https://undercoverinfo.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/k-star.pdf . Accessed 13 Nov 2021.
Education Committees One of Kongreya Star's main objectives is overseeing the education committees within the women's communes. The education committee is burdened with providing practical and ideological training to all commune members. While they have empirical courses, such as language classes, their main focuses is teaching the ideals of democratic confederalism. The committee has five departments focused on research, training educators which can provide courses with their respective lectures for the women to attend.
Health Committees The health committee within the communes are responsible for coordinating between the regional health services and the communes themselves. The committee provides training on first-aid, natural medicine, and prenatal care. Recently, especially in the women's communes, several women's health care centers have been created.
Economy Committees The economy committees are responsible for supporting the commune's cooperatives, especially those that require using common agricultural lands.
Problem Solving Committees The problem solving committees are responsible for mediation of conflicts within the communes, whether they are neighborly or familial. Within the women's communes, the problem solving committees work closely with the House of Women, an institute that can be found in every town, which engages itself in "advanced conflict solution and juridical assistance to women in all types of conflict, including domestic violence."
Self Defense Committees The self defense committees are organized at the commune level by the People's Protection Units (HPC). These committees consist of both men and women who have received specialized training in defense. They coordinate with local security forces and are responsible for neighborhood security at times of conflict.
Education The education committees under the control of Kongreya Star have the responsibility of overseeing the instruction of the women in the communes, as well as the Star Academy. The education committees have three main goals: "furthering the education of women, spreading awareness of women's topics in society at large and transforming existing structures of education." An overarching theme that dominates the education committees is the initiative of "mak[ing] women wise again, in order to shed the attitudes towards men and women that serve patriarchy." Kongreya Star believes that when women are given a proper education, not only will they be able to begin to dismantle power structures in which men dominate, but also play a more active role in society. As Kongreya Star believes "emancipation can only occur when one knows oneself and one's history," having an accurate education that focuses on understanding the past and cultural conflicts is essential for the further liberation of women.
Education principles The educational goals of Kongreya Star are centered around understanding and dismantling current structures and institutions of power. In the classes, there is an emphasis on teaching how these systems of dominance came to be and how societies before them, especially during the Neolithic, Mesolithic and Paleolithic eras, were configured. Kongreya Star believes that "societies which existed before patriarchal and hierarchical systems became predominant were centered on women." The movement not only aims to include women in the traditional framework of knowledge, but also to reexamine and reshape these frameworks, questioning their place in society and disassembling powerful ideologies. For example, they often look at alternative ways of understanding language development, such as focusing on the importance of oral history and the effects of women singing and talking to their children from birth.
In the courses, participants are encouraged to follow their natural curiosity. They emphasize the principle that freedom and education are both part of collective processes, not individual ones. The classes themselves are discussion-based, and instructors support self-reflection. Another important aim of Kongreya Star education is the re-education of men and the unlearning of the patriarchy. Both men and women must understand that as women take on a larger role in society, men's roles will have to change in order to accommodate this transformation. Furthermore, they preach education as a method of self-defense. According to Kongreya Star, those who know their culture's history, politics, language, etc. are better equipped to defend themselves against dominance and use their education as a weapon against capitalism."We need to change the capitalist mentality – which is a patriarchal mentality – which seeks to make profit out of everything. But we cannot allow woman to become independent from man by putting herself in an exploited position [of employment]. It is not about integrating her into a capitalist system through work, it's about building up a new economic system." — Arin Khalil, Women's Economy Committee in Qamishlo
Jineology Jineology ('the science of women''' in Kurdish) is a type of academic study that focuses on feminist epistemology and the re-learning of science, which is typically written and taught from a male point of view. At the local level, Jineology is taught at "research centers, institutions and academies," through "conducting research, developing ideas and running seminars and training programs." Jineology follows the belief of Öcalan, that there cannot be a free Kurdistan, or any free society, without the freedom of women.
The Star Congress Training Committee The Star Congress Training Committee was established on January 1, 2016, in Jazira Canton. It has education centers in Hassakah, Qamishli, Afrîn, and Kobani. The committee has the goal of creating sub-committees in every commune as well as training women in these sub-committees to further educate local women. The committee instructs Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Chechens, and others.
The committee is split into five focuses:
Department of Research The Department of Research focuses on analyzing conflicts faced in Northern Syria, especially those conflicts faced by women. Through a series of questionnaires, data is collected to be summarized in a report and dispersed throughout the region by way of panel discussions and lectures.
Department of Trainer Education With the objective of training instructors, the Department of Trainer Education "defines the fundamentals of training, prepares objectives, presents facts, and provides an effective intellectual challenge so that trainers can learn how to effectively educate others and achieve better results."
Department of Courses