Kurdish Perspective

Daughters of Smoke and Fire not only informs us about the Kurds and their fight, it also takes us inside their movement. How does the author achieve this? Why does it matter that we see the Kurds inside their culture than simply as outside western observers? Does it matter that the author is a Kurdish woman?

I was very affected by this passage from the book. Shiler says: "I can't fucking stand the degradation anymore. If you are leftist, they kill you; if you're an activist, they kill you; even if you don't believe in anything...they kill you. Maybe not physically, but they kill you inside. In this country we are subhuman. We're women and we're also Kurdish. I need some dignity, something to hope for. I'm going to die anyway, so why not do it with some pride and honor? "

This statement shows the hopeless plight of Kurdish women from Shiler's viewpoint. However, it is very illustrative of the real situation for not only Kurds but Kurdish women.