Kurds in northern Syria face opposition from Turkey and Bashar al-Assad’s government, as well as the lingering threat of IS
have their own name for northern Syria: Rojava, which means where the sun sets. For decades that seemed fitting. Arab nationalists pushed them off their land and suppressed their language. Then came the jihadists of Islamic State . War with them levelled cities. But withdefeated those cities are rising again. One of the largest, Kobane, is bigger and taller than before. It sports a towering war memorial and is hosting its second art fair.
On social issues Rojava’s leaders are rather progressive compared with those in much of the Middle East. Polygamy is outlawed. A man and a woman co-lead every office in government. A woman runs Raqqa, whichonce declared its capital. Few, if any, senior female officials wear a veil. The Kurds, though Muslim, are distinctly relaxed about it—they openly drink and smoke during the Ramadan fast. Faith is considered a private matter.
Rojava’s demography makes ruling hard. There are thought to be between 500,000 and 1m Kurds in the region, compared with at least 1.5m Arabs. So Kurdish officials have tried to broaden their appeal. In September they replaced the name Rojava with the more inclusive, but wordy, “autonomous administration of north and east Syria” . They also moved the administrative capital from Qamishli, a Kurdish city, to Ain Issa, a drab Arab town.
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