Houzan Mahmoud
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Houzan Mahmoud (born 1973) is a Kurdish feminist, writer and
anti-war An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...
activist born in South Kurdistan. She was one of the speakers at the anti-war rally in March 2003 in London and is the co-founder of the Culture Project, a platform for Kurdish feminists, writers and activists.


Biography

Mahmoud grew up under the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and her earliest memories were of the Iran-Iraq war of 1980–88. "From the day I was born, all the way to this moment, all I have witnessed is war, a never ending war in Iraq", she has said. She started reading feminist literature, which inspired her activism against patriarchal violence, in particular honour killings, female genital mutilation, and forced marriages. Mahmoud received an MA in Gender Studies from SOAS. She has also worked as a representative of the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq. Mahmoud has led many international campaigns in defence of women's rights among them campaigns against
Sharia law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the Five Pillars of Islam, religious precepts of Islam and is based on the Islamic holy books, sacred scriptures o ...
in Iraq and Kurdistan.. Her articles have been published in '' The Guardian'' and '' The Independent''. She is the editor of ''Kurdish Women's Stories'', an anthology of women's autobiographical writings from across the regions of Kurdistan. The accounts took two years to gather, though the work of Culture Project and features women from the ages of twenty to seventy, including activist Lanja Khawe.


Publications

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References


External links


Houzan Mahmoud's Profile
''The Guardian''. Iraqi Kurdish feminists Iraqi Kurdistani politicians 1973 births Living people Iraqi anti-war activists Iraqi women's rights activists Iraqi feminists Iraqi socialists Iraqi communists 21st-century Kurdish writers 21st-century Iraqi women politicians Iraqi Kurdish women Kurdish communists Kurdish women in politics Kurdish politicians {{Iraq-bio-stub