Galawezh: Half a Century of Struggle Between Politics and Literature

By: Dr. Zhino Abdullah

Translated by: Lanja Ahmed

         Galawezh Salih Fatah, known as "Gelawêj Khan," was born in Mosul in 1930. She was the wife of the renowned Kurdish political leader, legal scholar, attorney, and novelist Ibrahim Ahmed (Bla). Her late father was from Zakho and belonged to the ancient and noble Qocha bagi tribe, which originally hailed from Northern Kurdistan (Southeastern Turkey).

Maternal Family Background:

          Her maternal grandfather was an Ottoman army officer who was martyred in World War I and came from Zozan in Northern Kurdistan. Her maternal grandmother was from the city of Van, also in Northern Kurdistan, and was the daughter of Seyid Suleiman Sirri Barzanji, who was related to Sheikh Muhammad, a descendant of Sheikh Musa Barzanji. According to Galawezh, her grandmother played a crucial role in raising her, saying, "My grandmother raised me, and I was always indebted to her." Her grandmother passed away during their exile to southern Iraq.

Migration to Southern Iraq:

          During World War I (1914-1918), her maternal grandparents' family faced severe hardships, forcing them to flee from the north (Turkey) to present-day Iraq. Before her grandfather was martyred in the war, he urged his wife and family members to escape the war's difficulties. They eventually reached her mother's aunt Maryam's home in Mosul, then part of the Ottoman Empire, which later became part of Iraq. This aunt, who often wore men's clothing, was affectionately called "Mamo" by Galawezh and other family children.

Decision to Stay in Iraq:

        After the end of World War I, when families of Ottoman army officers were called to return to Turkey due to improved conditions, her grandmother's family chose to remain in Mosul based on advice from trusted acquaintances. They settled there, and their children began attending local schools.

Birth Year and the Story of "Galawezh":

        Her birth year, 1930, coincides with a significant date in Kurdish political history, particularly the Battle of Bardarki Sara on September 6, 1930. Regarding her name, she was initially named "Sajida" (meaning "one who prostrates" in Arabic). This name was chosen because she was born on Laylat al-Muhya (Night of Revival) in Mosul. However, her maternal uncle requested a Kurdish name, suggesting "Zhiyan" (life). Later, when she became engaged to the distinguished writer and political figure Ibrahim Ahmed (1914-2000), he suggested changing her name to "Galawezh" after his magazine. He even devised a creative method to establish the new name: placing a collection box where anyone who called her "Sajida" had to deposit some money, which was later distributed to the poor.

         The Influence of Maternal Uncles and Their Love Galawezh grew up with her grandmother Halima at the homes of her uncles Hamza Abdullah and Muhammad. The late leader Hamza Abdullah was one of the prominent politicians and legal advocates of his time and was one of the founders of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, serving as its first secretary. Galawezh recalls, "When I was a child, Uncle Hamza worked as a lawyer in Zakho and was arrested on charges of having connections with the Communist Party. Uncle Muhammad, who was an army officer, was forced into early retirement at a young age. Thus, without my choice or having any hand in this decision, I became involved in the world of politics and Kurdish nationalism."

         Politics undoubtedly began in her uncles' household and later intensified with her husband Ibrahim Ahmed. "After marrying Hero's father, we never lived peacefully in one house for more than two years; we were constantly moving from city to city until we went to London. Ibrahim Ahmed was either in prison, underground, or in the mountains. Our life was spent in hiding and anxiety."

     Mam Jalal's Entry into the Family With the marriage of Comrade Mam Jalal to Hero, the eldest daughter of Ibrahim Ahmed and Galawezh Khan, politics became an inseparable part of their lives.

     A Childhood Memory When Galawezh was five years old, in 1935, her immortal uncle Hamza Abdullah graduated from law college and became a lawyer in Zakho. There, his first case as a lawyer involved a land dispute that required meeting with several farmers. At that time, when Iraq had a monarchical regime, the Iraqi Communist Party was the only political party that had emerged prominently in the country, particularly well-known among villagers and farmers, and was a fierce opponent of Iraq's political regime. Therefore, the party's activities were banned, and its cadres and members were arrested if identified.

      "It was clear in our family that Uncle Hamza supported the Communists, and even as a student, he was under police surveillance," which led to his arrest. The moment of his arrest remains one of the painful memories etched in Galawezh's heart: "I remember when they first came to search our house and then handcuffed my uncle. When I saw him like that, I cried a lot, saying 'Don't take my uncle!' He consoled me, saying 'My dear, I'm going with them now, but I'll come back to you later.'

Exile from Kurdish Land and People:

      An Inhumane Tradition of Iraqi Regimes It's well known among the Kurdish people that any Kurd who participated in the struggles and revolutions of Kurdistan against the ruling regime of their time would be exiled from their homeland if they weren't killed in the most brutal ways of massacre. In this regard, throughout the legitimate struggle of the Kurdish people against successive Iraqi governments, thousands of families from Kurdistan's provinces, cities, and towns under Iraqi Arab chauvinist regimes were unjustly and inhumanely ordered to relocate to other cities, particularly those in Iraq's Arab regions in the central and southern parts.

Exile to Southern Iraq:

       Within the framework of this perpetual practice of anti-Kurdish regimes, Galawezh's family members were exiled in 1935 after her uncle's arrest in Zakho on charges of being a Communist. They were sent to several cities and towns in southern Iraq's provinces, including the desert of Afak (commonly known in Iraqi Arabic as Afaj), one of the districts of Diwaniyah province. "We were exiled to the desert of Afak when I was five years old. My sister and I attended school there. I spent my childhood among Arabs, which is why my Arabic is still good today, and it has been very useful to me."

Continued Exile, The Inspiration for a Novel:

          In their exile journey, they later moved to Diwaniyah, the provincial capital, where they stayed for about two years. Subsequently, they were relocated to Qurna in Iraq's southern Basra province. For the talented and imaginative Lady Galawezh, this relocation became a catalyst for her literary creativity, as it brought her closer to one of Iraq's most significant waterways in Qurna, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers converge. "The rivers met just below our house. I've written a novel, currently half-finished, called 'The Walls in the Water,' because our walls were right by the Tigris River. When ships passed by at night, their waves would create a loud roar as they crashed against our wall, keeping us awake." Galawezh's experiences and memories align with the notion that Kurdistan's landlocked nature and lack of direct access to oceans and seas, unlike neighboring countries, has created a certain limitation in Kurdish creative literature and arts. These natural, divine sources of enchantment and beauty can serve as powerful stimulants for emotion, thought, and imagination in both reality and fiction.

First Visit to Sulaymaniyah, the Capital of Baban:

         The presence of Uncle Hamza Abdullah in Galawezh's life represents a profound human love story between this mature, understanding uncle and his beautiful, capable niece. Even the story of her first visit to Sulaymaniyah - the Baban capital (as Sheikh Raza Talabani described it, or the "City of Life" as others called it, or the "City of Sacrifice" as Kamaran Mukri named it) - relates to this distinguished uncle's Kurdish struggle. Hamza Abdullah was among the Kurdish leaders and intellectuals who supported the Kurdistan Republic in Mahabad, Eastern Kurdistan (Western Iran), under the leadership of the martyred leader Qazi Muhammad. He secretly came to Sulaymaniyah and hid in Master Ibrahim Ahmed's house, sending word to his family to visit him. Regarding this, Galawezh says, "It was 1946 when we first came to Sulaymaniyah. At Ibrahim Ahmed's house (my future husband), Uncle Hamza Abdullah was a beloved and trusted friend of Ibrahim Ahmed."

Marriage and Strengthening of Friendships:

          In 1947, when Galawezh was 17 years old, Master Ibrahim Ahmed chose her as his wife at the age of 33. This marriage strengthened the friendship and close relationship between two prominent political leaders of the first half of the twentieth century in Iraq and Kurdistan - the late Hamza Abdullah and Ibrahim Ahmed. Their friendship reached a higher level through this marriage, which is a common pattern where close friends choose siblings or relatives of each other for marriage, combining their friendship, struggle, and shared resistance with stronger family bonds.

An Educated Woman, More Talented Than Degrees:

          Galawezh was fortunate to be born and raised in an educated family that cared deeply about their children's education wherever they lived. She attended school in every place they resided. As she says, "Our education was good, the (primary) school was in a large building. Later they built a school with good teachers. There was a teacher named Sabriya who lived there with her mother in a room they were given. She was very cheerful and would often check her watch saying 'Go tell my mother it's time for the rice'" - a fond memory from her school days.

        It's known that unlike her husband Ibrahim Ahmed, her son-in-law Mam Jalal, her daughter Hero, and many of her peers, Galawezh didn't complete secondary education or attend university to obtain higher degrees in important specializations. As she says, "I studied until first year of middle school and was married at age 17."

        It's important to note that in the education system of Iraq during the first half and second quarter of the twentieth century, any student who completed six years of primary education or attended literacy programs at an older age gained sufficient reading, writing and general knowledge skills. This enabled them to later participate in the teaching process and be employed as primary school teachers in the nationwide "Literacy Campaign" launched after the end of the monarchy in Iraq, which also benefited Kurdistan's population. They could also find employment in other government institutions, as job opportunities were plentiful while educated workers were scarce during Iraq's early stages of economic and social development.

       In this regard, Galawezh herself is a shining example proving that literacy isn't just about obtaining high degrees and specializations in major fields. Rather, the characteristics of literacy include being productive in reading, writing and language skills, alongside strengthening personality, self-development, understanding rights and duties, and active participation in life's domains. From this perspective, this pioneering lady is another trailblazer and distinguished figure in Kurdish society, serving as an example for many degree-holding women.

Coexistence, The Face of Former Iraq:

     Undoubtedly, Iraq's various communities and nationalities lived together in peace, harmony, and concordance throughout much of this country's ancient and modern history. This was reflected in the beautiful and noble family and human relationships that existed for many years between Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Chaldo-Assyrians, Muslims, Christians, Sabeans, Yazidis, Shabak, Kakais, Sunnis, and Shiites, far from the oppression of this country's tyrannical political regimes. Perhaps one example was the relationship of displaced Kurdish families to other regions inhabited by either Shiite or Sunni Arabs. Or the strong bonds between soldiers in the army regardless of race, language, and religion among Kurdish officers and soldiers and those of other nationalities, which may still exist today. There was also Kurdish integration in Iraqi universities, where many Kurdish students studied in other Iraqi cities before and even after the establishment of Sulaymaniyah University, becoming friends with other Iraqi citizens who held liberal views away from ideological and political extremism. Marriage has always been a factor for greater integration between these components, which sadly are now going through the worst stages of social, political, economic, and security life in Iraq's history due to division, terrorism, sectarianism, and many other factors. Here, it's appropriate to quote Galawezh's Kurdish testimony about that former Iraq which bore the features of coexistence, and where great political leaders like Ibrahim Ahmed, Hamza Abdullah, and President Mam Jalal advocated for Kurdish-Arab brotherhood. Our lady writer says, "Because we went there as children and mixed with them - they were all Shiites - when they learned we were Kurds who had been displaced and exiled by the government, they helped us greatly and became like parents to us and loved us very much. It was there that my grandmother, my dear grandmother, passed away. That's how our life was."

Ibrahim Ahmed, Knight of Dreams:

       Regarding her marriage to Ibrahim Ahmed, Galawezh says, "My Uncle Hamza and Hero's father were friends, so they said they would give me to him. I wasn't unwilling at all, and so I became engaged."

      From this simple narrative, it becomes clear that the marriage between Galawezh and Ibrahim Ahmed, which lasted more than half a century (1947-2000), had no previous romantic or love story background. Yet, unlike some love marriages that end in separation or unhappy lives full of pain and difficulty, their marriage was filled with love despite all the hardships they faced in their lives. In this regard, Galawezh refers to Ibrahim Ahmed as "the knight of my dreams," a title that reveals the highest levels of satisfaction with her husband and love in her family's heart. She speaks of entering the golden partnership, saying, "In 1947, I began my married life with Ibrahim Ahmed, with an intellectual, patriotic, selfless, and sacrificing person. Hero's father was the horseman of my dreams and imagination.

      This heroic woman loves her husband so deeply that in a few emotional lines, she expresses their eternal love, saying: "These lines I've written express what was between us. When I dedicated a book to him, I wrote at the first loving moment of our beautiful time. for my unparalleled loyalty. for the final lines of my love and affection. he was my companion on the mountains. he was with me in my exile and displacement. for someone purer than purity and truer than truth. he was the high castle of my hopes and dreams. for being passionate about my appearance and mad about my revolution. he was my boundless sea of faith and tenderness. Now how can I live without him? How can I believe that in the blink of an eye, he has disappeared from me?"

Maternal Pride, Pride in Her Children:

       Children are the great gift of God for couples, the most beautiful outcome of life for every woman and man who believe in bringing a child into the world as a product of their mutual love. This lady's marital life was quickly brightened by the realization of one of women's greatest wishes - motherhood - "After a year, I had Hero". That Hero, whose Kurdish identity compels her to continue on her parents' path, choosing a life of struggle, resistance, Kurdish nationalism, peshmerga life, and supporting her husband until reaching the goals of the Kurdish people and their just struggle. That Hero who, at 6 months old, was deprived of her father's embrace and voice for 2 years - "Hero was 6 months old when they came and arrested (her father Brahim) and he was imprisoned for nearly 2 years."

      These struggling couple are blessed to become parents to six daughters and two sons named (Hero, Shanaz, Hataw, Liloz, Kurda, Hevi, Halo, and Hawre). "My second and third children were born in Kirkuk and are Kirkukis. Our life has been back and forth."

Mrs. Galawezh has a pride-filled feeling for her children:

       "I am very proud of my children, especially Hero and Halo. Hero has left her own children and gone to the mountains with Mam Jalal. I raised her children. At that time, Mam Jalal was in Cairo, they hadn't yet gone to the mountains, PUK hadn't yet been established. I raised Hero's children with tears, because exile is very painful. Mam Jalal and Hero were in the mountains."

      This great and beloved personality, a grandmother with a mother's warmth, recalls the Kurdish proverb "Plants grow on their own roots" by the fact that Mrs. Galawezh, after years of living with her own grandmother, repeats the same role and experience of that kind grandmother with her granddaughters, continuing the spirit of self-sacrifice and dissolving in service to her generations and children.

Kurdish identity, Pride, and Displacement:

       Kurdishness (Kurdish identity) meaning political activism inside and outside the country to confront the oppressive and tyrannical regimes, has been emerging in this country for decades. While for many inhabitants of South Kurdistan, Kurdishness was a path their fathers and grandfathers walked, for Mrs. Galawezh, it was a path made more prominent by the notable personalities of her family and household, such as Teacher Hamza Abdullah (Uncle), Brahim Ahmad (husband),Mam Jalal (son-in-law), and Hero Khan (eldest daughter), each of whom individually or together played significant literary, intellectual, political, organizational, partisan, media, and governance roles in various stages of the Kurdish people's righteous struggle.

         Although Kurdishness was not a path strewn with flowers and involved immense sacrifice, hardship, displacement, sorrow, and extensive suffering, for those who chose it, it was the only way to survive with dignity. Therefore, Kurdishness is a way of thinking that begins in mind and thought and extends to embodiment in action, manifesting itself in loving and choosing your people and land, rejecting and distancing yourself from the oppressors and exploiters of your people.

        In this Kurdishness, Mrs. Galawezh and her political husband say, "We went to Iran twice as refugees. Uncle Jalal and Hiro were in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and we also went and were in Egypt. We were in Syria for a while, and when the Union was established, we were all in Cairo - my own children and nieces were there. Finally, we went to London, the capital of Britain, because Hero's father was sick, and I went several times with him to London."

         As they say, Kurds are a people of loyalty (wefa) and never forget the kindness of their friends. In this, Galawezh provides an example when speaking about London, saying, "Truly, it became clear to me there that the English are very good people. It was actually planned that we would go to London permanently."

Homesickness:

      In English, there is an expression to describe the psychological state of those who are far from their homeland, known as "homesickness" - a condition that few people escape when, for whatever reason, they are distanced from their birthplace, life, and family. In this, Galawezh is no exception to this human feeling.

       Her first writing was even influenced by the distance and separation from her people and her longing for her homeland. She wrote: "When we left, I was very impatient, thinking of Kurdistan. I wrote something and said: My beloved Kurdistan, I'm so worried for you, my mind and heart are with you. No city, no country, no joy or dream can, for a moment, remove you from my memory. Oh, land of my ancestors, my heart is with the peshmerga, with Aziz and Hana, with the people of the cities, with the villagers and the poor, because their enemy is unfair, a wild and mad wolf, wanting to erase the Kurds' name and identity. But let him die with his narrow imagination, the Kurd remains and will remain. This was my first writing."

       In this short poetic prose, the names Aziz and Hana are mentioned after some questions and answers. Galawezh revealed that Aziz was Jalal's companion, and Hana is Hero Khan.

Distance from Politics:

        Despite her strong attachment to Kurdistan and continuous support for her husband's and son-in-law's leadership in the Kurdish liberation movement, Galawezh chose to be different from most people in this country by staying distant from politics, meaning she was not a member of any political party. She says, "I do not get involved, I have no right to politics, I am not officially in any party. When Abdul Karim Qasim gave permission to the party to work openly, I went with them to see Abdul Karim Qasim, but I never officially entered politics because I was tired of politics, my patience was exhausted. But despite that, I loved my people very much."

Master Ibrahim Ahmed's Legal Competence:

         In the published biography of Master Ibrahim Ahmed, it is mentioned that from 1953 to 1964 (the year of the Political Bureau wing's separation), he was the Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which was established on August 16, 1946, and led under the leadership of the late Mulla Mustafa Barzani. It was the most important and strongest political party in Kurdistan. At the Iraqi level, he was also a strong opponent of Iraqi regimes. However, this political leader and activist was fundamentally a skilled and competent lawyer and legal expert before his final commitment to Kurdish struggle, as he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Law from the Law College of Baghdad University in 1937. For this reason, he served as a judge in both Erbil and Halabja cities during 1942-1944.

        In discussing the competence of this Kurdish mentor, Galawezh says, "They wouldn't even let Hiro's father practice law. Hiro's father was the most intelligent lawyer, so talented that cases would come to him from Cairo. They would call him a genius. When he was in school, they used to say to him (Bla Blimat)."

       It is worth noting that a number of recognized leaders in the political wing led by Ibrahim Ahmed as an intellectual and progressive leader were distinguished by being university graduates with high-level degrees. For example, Master Ibrahim himself, as we mentioned, was a lawyer. Companion Uncle Jalal likewise graduated from the Law College of Baghdad University.

       Although Ibrahim Ahmed moved to London, the capital of Britain, in 1975 and distanced himself from Kurdish political spheres, historical sources indicate that the separation of this intellectual and progressive political wing became the foundation for establishing the Kurdistan National Union on 1 June 1975, with Companion Mam Jalal becoming the leader of the Kurdistan Liberation Movement and its Secretary-General. This party, which was given the nickname of "Workers of the Arm" (Ranjdaran), was responsible for reigniting the revolution known as the New Revolution after the previous revolution's collapse in 1974.

The People's Pain, the Foundation of Kurdish Novels:

       According to academic experts and researchers, Master Ibrahim Ahmed is one of the prominent pens in Kurdish literature, and several of his poems have been turned into songs. For example, the Maqam Shirin Bahar (by Master Tayer Tawfiq), and "We are Kurds and We Will Be Kurds" (with melody by Shanaz Khanum, daughter of Hamid Baneyi, and music by O.J. Sagirma).

     The beginning of Master Ibrahim Ahmed's novel writing in Kurdish in 1933 is considered a major literary turning point in Kurdish history. In this field, the Master owns the novel "The People's Pain" (1956), which is considered the torch of the novel path in Kurdish literature. In 2007, it was made into a cinema film with the same name, produced by Suli Film Company and directed by Jamil Rostami, and was submitted to the Academy of Arts and Film Sciences in America for the foreign film group at the 80th Annual Oscar Awards Ceremony.

       Galawezh Khan says about her husband's masterpiece, "I really loved the novel (People's Pain), this came from our life, meaning our own life." Then she introduces us to some information that might be told for the first time: "The day Jean grabbed me by my daughter's lullaby was the day Sheikh Mahmoud al-Hafid passed away. The day they were bringing him back, we were in Kirkuk, they were taking him to Imam Qasim near Ashour's tea shop. At that time, they were bringing back the sacred body, Hero's father and the late Uncle Omar Dababa and several others went with him. At that time, Jean was grabbing me. Hiro's father was forced to leave me and went. When he returned after 6 days, I had given birth. He said, 'Never mind, a great novel has been created in my mind.' I said, 'What?' He said, '(People's Pain)'."

       (26) Literary Works Galawezh Khan is one of those female writers who has a distinctive mark in the fields of stories, novels, and memoir writing. Her works include (Towards the Cave of the Brave, which is in three parts, Mother and Son, Autumn's Bride, Pie and Khuncha, The World is a Jungle, A Wandering Traveler, The Servant, On the Wings of Simurgh, Kurdistan Journey, Papers from My Personal Biography, The Legend of Nawgirdan People, Three Stories for Children, Administrative Bird Translation, the first part of the memoirs Never Forgotten (Me), and some of these works have been translated into Arabic). Galawezh Khan narrates political and social realities very simply and beautifully in a literary form. "In writing, I want to write very simply so that everyone can understand me, not like today's writers who themselves don't know what they're saying."

Literary Influence of Her Husband:

      The love, compatibility, and mutual understanding between Galawezh Khan and Master Ibrahim Ahmad was such that it allowed for mutual influence and shaping each other's personalities as a complete complementary process, which is one of the goals of any successful marriage. In this regard, Galawezh Khan, as a rightful acknowledgment to her beloved husband, openly discusses the literary influence and mark of the writer Ibrahim Ahmad on her literary personality. "Yes, he had a great influence on me. From my childhood, I loved books very much. I wrote an article and sent it to the newspaper (Cinema and Kawakeb) which was an expression of my feelings towards Sabah the artist. They published it, and he liked it very much. After that, I used to buy newspapers and read them. The first novel I read was by the Egyptian Tawfiq al-Hakim, titled (Diary of a Deputy in the Countryside), which had some words I didn't understand. I used to read the works of Naguib Mahfouz (Nobel Literature Prize winner in 1988) and Maxim Gorky. But I started writing books from the mid-eighties. When I started writing a novel called (Towards the Cave of the Brave), I first wrote a page. Later I showed it to him, he said 'Bravo, go on with it.' I asked, 'Really?' He said, 'Yes, really,' so I started writing and completed it. That was my first book."

Mam Jalal, a Rare Beloved Brother-in-Law:

        It's been almost half a century - Galawezh Khan, mother of Hiro Khan, the mother-in-law of Comrade Uncle Jalal, who established a family with Hiro Khan in 1970. In this relationship, Uncle Jalal has become a uniquely beloved brother-in-law. Although Uncle Jalal, as a historical political leader of our people, has been deeply loved by many Kurdish mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters across different ages, intellectual levels, social and economic backgrounds, party affiliations, and ideological perspectives, what distinguishes Galawezh Khan from other Kurdish mothers is that her love is not just from a distance or just in her heart, but with soul and spirit and togetherness. Uncle Jalal was involved with Ibrahim Ahmad's household long before marrying Hiro Khan and has been granted several special pages in Galawezh Khan’s life itself. "Before becoming our son-in-law, Uncle Jalal was 16 years old and would visit us. Every time Hero's father would say people think I love Mam Jalal because he's my son-in-law, but I've loved Uncle Jalal so much that I wanted him to become my son-in-law."

        Eventually, this wish comes true for both the teacher and student, leader and supporter, friend and beloved Ibrahim Ahmad and Uncle Jalal in 1970. Galawezh Khan describes Mam Jalal: "He's an intelligent, honest Kurdish-loving man, selfless and tireless. In my opinion, a person like Mam Jalal will never be created again." Regarding her love for Uncle Jalal, she said, "All my children are on one side, and Mam Jalal on another. I don't know how to describe it, our natures are very similar."

        In the continuation of our conversation, Galawezh Khan remembered that time: "In the end, the world was good, and he (Mam Jalal) could come from Iran to our place in London to see his sons, especially Qubad, whom he had never seen. Hiro was in the hospital with Qubad at that time. Mam Jalal was with several others trying to establish the Union, so Mam Jalal left and didn't see him."

       When he comes to our place, Qubad opens the door and says, "Who are you?" And he replies, "Your father." I used to show him pictures of Uncle and Hiro, saying "This is your mother, this is your father." Qubad had never seen him, but Pavel was better, because when they went to Syria, they were with him for a while. At that time, he was 2 years old, but later, before he turned 4, I took him to London.

      Galawezh Khan and Mam Jalal During Mam Jalal's presidency as the first Kurdish president of Iraq, Galawezh Khan complained that they rarely saw each other. "One day, I had a big argument with him and said, 'Mam Jalal, we also want to see you up close. I know your duties are difficult and you get tired, but we want to have a chat with you.' He said, Galawezh Khan, you're right, but what can I do? My duties are like this, I have no choice'." When asked what names they call each other, Galawezh Khan said, "I call him Mam Jalal, and he calls me Gala Khan."

     Hero Khan, Galawezh Khan’s eldest daughter and Mam Jalal's wife, is one of the female Peshmerga of the mountain era, one of today's prominent Kurdish women who has served remarkably in many fields. She was a photographer of events in the mountains and owns a rich archive. Her mother said about her, "Hero has endured many hardships. When she was the second child, she left and went with Mam Jalal. Both her sons (Pavel and Qubad) were raised by me. I raised them and my own children with tears. Hero was a Peshmerga who made great sacrifices in those mountains."

      Discussing Kurdish Clothing "Kurdish clothing is history, like the Hewler Castle, like the Kirkuk Castle. This is history, it cannot be changed, it cannot be removed." Is there anyone who would not love and respect Kurdish clothing as Galawezh Khan does? Even if such people exist, few have spoken out about it as she has, seizing every opportunity and platform to express her criticism and complaints.

"Some designers say they've created new designs, but they shouldn't claim it's Kurdish clothing because it's not Kurdish clothing. This change for me is like a crime. Now in London, anyone who does something like that gets punished. In London's celebrations, men wear kilts. This is Scottish clothing, and the queen's husband wears it. The queen's son wears it."

She also complains about the current style of Kurdish writing and orthography: "The writing has become such that when I look at a newspaper, I see the writings have changed. Writing should be written in a way that the Hajis of Qaysari Naqib can understand."