THE ANGEL OF KOBANE: THE LIFE OF A RESISTANT KURDISH WOMAN

Thousands around the world on social media have shared the image of the "Angel of Kobane" or "Rehana", a Kurdish fighter who has become a symbol of resistance against Islamic State. According to the stories, she's slain as many as 100 Islamic State fighters.

The world is still watching the town of Kobane in northern Syria. Kurdish fighters there, backed by air strikes from an international coalition, are battling with Islamic State. But it's hard to get images from inside Kobane, with access for journalists limited. Against this backdrop, stories are being shared on social media networks of fighters who become internet legends. And none more so than "Rehana" whose image has come to symbolise the female fighters pitted against the Islamic State, whose respects for women's rights are seen as severely limited. Thousands have shared this picture on Twitter and Facebook, with stories of her bravery and the idea that she has killed large numbers of IS fighters.











On 5 October, rumours of her death began to trend. An influential Saudi Twitter user known as @alfaisal_ragad posted an image to her 200,000 followers saying that a Kurdish woman has been beheaded by an IS fighter. On 10 October Twitter user @Kurdistan_Army was among those sharing the image of the beheading beside the photo of the woman who would come to be known as "Rehana" smiling for the camera. The association had been made. The rumours and speculation continued.









Despite the fact that some were claiming she was dead, it was on 13 October that others started naming "Rehana" (still alive in this version). This is also when her story went truly global. It happened through a tweet which was retweeted 5,500 times. And so the Angel of Kobane came into existence.

Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton's photograph of the young woman. Copyright 2019.

3 March 2019

by George Peterson
@georgepetersonnyt

"Rehana has killed more than a hundred #ISIS terrorists in #Kobane," that tweet said. "RT and make her famous for her bravery."

"She captivated everyone with her pretty eyes and blonde hair. She has a huge fan base," says the Kurdish blogger Ruwayda Mustafah. "Everyone that I come across admires her because she symbolises what everyone wants to see. That women and men are standing up against barbaric force in the region."