The 38-year old new mayor, Nuxsha Naseh, is from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Her party came first in the last election in the city two years ago.
Ms Naseh’s new role comes after the Kurdistan Region upgraded the administrative status of Halabja to that of a province, meaning it will have more powers on the local government level and importantly, its own budget. Halabja is now the capital city of the new province.
“I have a good feeling that I have been given such a post,” the new mayor told Rudaw. “I believe there is no difference between women and men, especially in administrative work. I had administrative experience in the past and I was able to fully execute my responsibilities.”
For seven years she was the commissioner for the Biyare sub-district that falls under the Halabja administration and lies on the border with Iran. At the time, as part of her responsibilities, she held several meetings with her counterparts in Iran to ease trade and transportation across the border.
This senior position in the world famous city, though, was not easy to win. Some local members of her own party favored her predecessor, Mamosta Akran, and it caused her inauguration to postpone for several days.
Nonetheless, she was able to win the support of senior PUK leaders, including the powerful Hero Ibrahim Ahmad, who is a leading member of the politburo and former first lady of Iraq.
She said her priorities are to work with the Kurdish national government to ease the impact of the current financial crisis on the city, and to help encourage businessmen and women to attract investment.
Adela Khaum’s statue is within a walking distance from Ms Naseh’ office, and in fact a local school behind her office has the same name. Both there is always the thought that her role weighs heavy because of Halabja’s history and will be measured against Khanum’s successes.
One British writer, Major Soane, described Lady Adela as the uncrowned queen of the Shahrizur plane, which included much of the area between Halabja and the city of Sulaimani. Under her rule, Halabja rose to fame: among other things, culture and literature flourished. Her two sons became renowned poets in Kurdish literature.
Lady Adela was the wife of Usman Pasha. He was Halabja’s mayor and chieftain of the Jaf tribe. Martin van Bruinessen, a Dutch anthropologist, in his research titled ‘From Adela Khanun to Leyla Zana: Women as Political Leaders in Kurdish History’ describes her celebrated rule:
Usman Pasha was already the (mayor) of Shahrizur, and a widower, when he married Adela Khanum. She joined her husband at Halabja, the central village of the Jaf territory, and set up her household in the Persian aristocratic style, quite a change from the unsophisticated way of life to which Halabja had been used. Inviting craftsmen from Sine (a Kurdish city located in Iran), she built two fine mansions in the village, the likes of which could not even be found in the proud town of Sulaimaniya. She had Persian-style wooded gardens laid out and transformed Halabja from a dreary dusty place into a pretty, green little town. She also had a bazaar built after her own design in Halabja, and she attracted merchants to the town (many of them Jewish), seeing to it that Halabja developed into a significant centre of trade. Due to Adela Khanum's efforts, the fame of Halabja spread far afield.
According to some historical sources, the modern foundation of Halabja today goes back to the early 18th century. It was designated as a district by the Ottomans in 1889.
Not only do Halabjans easily remind the city’s visitors of the proud history of having the first female mayor in Kurdistan, they also take pride in their record in the lowest reported violence against women. The city’s officials believe it could well be a model for the rest of the region in this regard.
But there is a long way for women to take their equal share in government positions. Indeed, of all forty director positions in the city’s government offices, there is only one woman.
Nuxshe Naseh is among those women who called for the allocation of equal representations of women in the government, including the ministerial positions. She told Rudaw in 2013 that the era of one woman in the entire cabinet is over, and that the Kurdish leadership should take new realities into considerations.
Mr Bruinessen notes that Adela Khanum's remarkable power and authority in this otherwise male-dominated society was of course to a large extent due to the prestige of her family. Without such a family background, and without a tolerant husband, it would be extremely hard -- if not impossible -- for a woman to achieve a position like hers.
From what it seems, Nuxhse Naseh, a law graduate, has achieved her current position with her personal achievements, and less because of her family’s background. She also said that her husband has supported her throughout her career.
Lady Adela ruled Halabja for more than a decade, and Nuxshe Naseh said her current mandate is only for two years. The question remains whether the city has all the ingredients, and of the course the time, to give birth to a second ‘uncrowned queen’ in the city’s history.
