Glass Half-full: Half The Sky

Somalia, Eritrea, Latvia, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Iraq, Kurdistan, Palestine, Iran, Pakistan, India ... we’ve had women from all these places coming to ‘Your Learning' over the past two years at Coventry Jesus Centre. They usually come in with smiles but every life carries a story with it ... sometimes I’m told a little, I never probe. Sometimes the story is left untold.

I’m reading ‘Half the Sky’ at the moment (authors: Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn). Shocking in its revelation of the extent of the suppression, oppression and abuse of women globally, it offers a persuasive call to empower women through education and micro-financing projects - among other things. The empowering of women in such ways, the writers tell us, is a sure way to better the prospects of societies generally that are struggling with poverty in the developing world. A new breed of ‘social entrepreneurs’ has/is arising to arrest the problem of gender inequality worldwide - described by Kristof as the ‘paramount moral challenge’ of this century.

It’s one of those must-reads for women (indeed, men as well) that care; it’s greatly changed my understanding of just what women throughout the world suffer. Now when they come and take their place in class I wonder ...

Recently two female students from Kurdistan introduced me to one of their heroes, Hapsa Khani Naqib, a twentieth century Kurdish social entrepreneur. With their help I wrote out the story of her life and I asked one of them to lead a group involving reading and talking about her life. After reading ‘Half the Sky’, I can understand a little more why she is their hero. 

My friends, Ro and Mim, are starting a new project ‘Glass Half Full’. Their aim is to encourage small scale manufacturing in the developing world (starting with Bangladeshi women) by finding a market for their goods in the UK.

Glass half-full? A situation (such as a woman’s prospects in the developing world) can be a cause of optimism (a glass half-full as opposed to empty) or pessimism (only half-full or half–empty).

Personally I find such projects exciting; they’re providing new opportunities for people with little prospect; they’re doing something and every little something is better than nothing.

Meanwhile, these women are also on our soil, actually down the road, next door, in our class. It’s an opportunity...
   
 The empowering of women, enlarging the often narrow visor of their life-possibilities, is a must. As the Chinese saying goes, ‘women hold up half the sky.’

Hapsa Khani Naqib: Kurdish Hero

HapsaKhani Naqib and her brother

This is a reading text I wrote for two of my Kurdish female students, Siti and Silan. They asked if we could learn about her in our ESOL class. For very obvious reasons, she is one of their heroes.

The story is written simply so it can be easily understood. Silan led the group, reading and discussing Hapsa Khani Naqib's life.

Hapsa Khani Naqib (1891-1953) was a strong and determined reformer. She campaigned for independence for the Kurdish people. She also campaigned for women’s rights.

Hapsa Khani Naqib was born in the city of Sulaimaniyha in 1891. Sulaimaniyha is in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. 

Hapsa Khani Naqib was married to Sheikh Qadir Hafid. The British forces occupied Iraq at this time. Many of the people of Iraq wanted independence. Sheikh Qadir Hafid played an important role in the revolution against the British forces.

Hapsa Khani Naqib, like her husband, wanting freedom for the Kurdish people. She also wanted freedom for women. She believed that women as well as men should be educated. At that time, most women were not educated in Kurdestan.

Hapsa Khani Naqib started a night school for women in Sulaimaniyha. She also campaigned for the downtrodden and oppressed women living in her neighbourhood.

Hapsa Khani Naqib founded the first Kurdish women's organization in Iraq. This was called the ‘Kurdish Women's Association’. 

 Hapsa Khani’s house became a centre for Kurdish women’s rights. 
 Hapsa Khani said, "There is no difference between men and women...so I am going to continue..."

 In 1930, Hapsa Khan sent a letter to the League of Nations. She asked them to support the rights of the Kurdish people.

The Republic of Kurdistan was founded in 1946 by Qazi Mohammed. Hapsa Khani supported the Republic.

 Hapsa Khani Naqib died in 1953. She was 62. After she died her home became a school. This is just what she wanted!

Today Hapsa Khani Naqib is greatly admired by the Kurdish people. She lived for them. She struggled for them. She did not give up! She played a very important role in their struggle for freedom.