Salih Muslim was a Kurdish politician capable of reading the spirit of the time. He used to say, “One must learn from the mistakes of the 20th century.” He emphasized the necessity for a people living under colonial rule to determine their own destiny. He was a true leader of the people, a political figure who walked in the hearts of millions.
News of his death created deep sorrow across a wide geography. Since the evening hours of March 11, the silence of time and this painful news have deeply saddened everyone. He left behind not only a life, but also a legacy. While continuing a long marathon of struggle, he would narrate in a story the days of war and resistance, and the rise of a people in his heart. He carried the politics of the Kurds and the historical journey of an ancient people.
In the autumn of 2015, when I called him one day and said that I wanted to conduct an interview about the Kobanê resistance and developments in Syria, his answer deeply affected me: “I am a bit of a lazy person; I cannot write these days.”
When I told him, “It will be enough if you answer my questions verbally and we record your voice,” I once again realized how sincere this modest approach was.
Afterward, I thought: what kind of Salih Muslim are we talking about, a man who speaks so many languages? A figure who knows the history of Rojava, Syrian politics, and the complex balances of the Middle East in depth; someone recognized in international circles and influential in regional diplomacy… We are speaking about a politician deeply committed to his people and who best understood the existential and social values of the Kurds.
Salih Muslim was not merely a political actor. He was a figure who carried the memory of his people and embodied the meaning of resistance in both his words and his stance. Every interview with him was not simply a conversation; it was the recording of a voice passing through history, a testimony filled with experience and witness.
Bavê Welat [Father of the Homeland], who left his mark on the last half century of Rojava politics, stood out not only as a politician or diplomat but also as a figure representing the region’s memory, resistance, and social transformation. Born in 1951 and educated in chemistry in Turkey, Bavê Welat personally witnessed the turbulent history of the Middle East during his life journey from Kobanê to Damascus, from Aleppo to Turkey. The memories and political contacts he shared with Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan made him one of the important actors of the Kurdish political movement.
Being known as “Bavê Welat” throughout Rojava and across Kurdistan was a reflection of the strong bond he established with the people. His modest personality, the dialogues he built with wide circles, and the contacts he maintained with different segments of society turned him not only into a leader but also into a storyteller. He was a representative of a stance that conveyed the historical realities of the Kurds and declared through his political identity, “We will not give up our honor.”
The life of Bavê Welat was a concrete example of resistance and sacrifice. As the father of Şervan, he played a leading role both within his family and in the social struggle. The years he spent in Syrian prisons made his resistance against oppression and tyranny even more visible. In this sense, he became a deeply rooted plane tree in the memory of his people.
His leadership was not limited to the political sphere. His efforts to ensure unity among the Kurds, his work strengthening social solidarity, and the labor he devoted over many years left deep marks on the social fabric of Rojava. Writers, journalists, poets, commanders, youngsters, elderly, women, children… the bond he built with every segment of society carried him beyond an ordinary political figure. Salih Muslim passed through this world, leaving behind a life woven with struggle and a memory filled with stories.
For him, Kobanê was not merely a city but a symbol of resistance and rebirth. He was a narrator who carried the hope of a wounded fighter, sorrow, and longing in his words. In the streets, neighborhoods, and villages of Rojava, his name is spoken and his memories are shared.
The passing of Bavê Welat resonated not only in Rojava but across a wide geography, from European countries to Turkey, from southern Kurdistan to all parts of Syria. His photographs are being shared, his memories discussed, and the legacy he left behind is being remembered again. What is being said after him points not only to a leader but to a period, a memory, and the spirit of resistance of a people.
Bavê Welat was one of the pioneers and most influential Kurdish politicians of the last century. I will always remember his memory and the struggle he carried out throughout history. As a leader of the Kurdish people and the peoples of the region who walked with honor toward freedom, he will live on both in our memory and in our lives.
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