Leyla Qasim

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Leyla Qasim (1952 in Xaneqîn - May 12, 1974 in Baghdad) (Arabic: لیلى قاسم) was a Kurdish activist against the Iraqi Ba'ath regime who was executed in Baghdad. She is known as a national martyr among the Kurds.

[edit] Birth and Childhood

Was the third out of five children born to Kurdish farmer, Dalaho Qasim and his wife Kanî. She was born in Xaneqîn but was relocated to Irbil when she was four years old. The Qasims lived in wretched poverty, relying on rations for food and clothes. Leyla and her brother, Çiyako , were taught Arabic by their mother when they were six and eight and agriculture

[edit] Political Activism

When Leyla was sixteen years old when Abdul Rahman Arif was overthrown by Ba'ath party leader, General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. Leyla was disturbed by the violent takeover in the capital. During the late 1960s, Leyla and Çiyako wrote pamphlets on the horrors of the Ba'ath party including the new leader, Saddam Hussein whom they described as being against Kurdish independence.

Leyla spoke to several Kurds in the Northern region of Iraq about the Ba'ath regime and the loose morals of the members. Leyla was told that her words were inspiring sedition.

She was executed in Baghdad on May 12, 1974.