Upon the announcement of her passing, Syrians, Kurds, and international figures around the world began sending messages of condolence and support to Raqqa and the Autonomous Administration (AANES).<\/p>\n
\u201cSad that Leila Mustafa, former Co-Chair of the Raqqa Civil Council, has passed away. She was a force of nature who oversaw the reconstruction of Raqqa after its liberation from the ISIS Caliphate,\u201d former chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and long-time supporter of Rojava Nadine Maenza tweeted, attaching a picture of the two smiling together in Raqqa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe loss of Leila Mustafa is a loss for all the people of the city of Raqqa, and all areas of the Autonomous Administration in general,\u201d Mohammad Nour al-Din, co-chair of the Raqqa Civil Council who had worked with Mustafa since 2019, told KCS.<\/p>\n
Mustafa was born into a Kurdish family in 1988, in a village near the Rojava city of Gir\u00ea Sp\u00ee. Mustafa\u2019s friends and colleagues describe her as viewing herself as a daughter of Raqqa, and she went on to study civil engineering in Raqqa, graduating in 2006.<\/p>\n
When the Islamic State captured her beloved city, Mustafa and her family escaped to Heseke, where she stayed until the liberation of Koban\u00ea<\/span>. As early as 2015, she worked to rebuild cities which had been destroyed by ISIS. That year, she took on her first role as co-chair in Gir\u00ea Sp\u00ee, later working in Ayn Issa in order to prepare for the liberation of Raqqa. She became head of the Raqqa Civil Council in 2017, along with Sheikh Mahmoud al-Bursan, her co-mayor, representing the region\u2019s Arab tribes.<\/p>\n Mustafa had her work cut out for her from the start; more than 80% of Raqqa had been ravaged by the Islamic State and the subsequent Coalition airstrikes and battles that followed.<\/p>\n The city was \u201ca garden of rubble and mines,\u201d said Nour al-Din, adding, \u201cLeila Mustafa, with the administrative staff of the Raqqa Council in all its committees and offices, rehabilitated infrastructure and basic services for the people and returned them to their homes in order to return life and spirit to the city of Raqqa with almost non-existent capabilities\u2026 her hope for building the city of Raqqa has now been implemented on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n Mustafa also oversaw the reconstruction of the bridges into and out of the city, providing the war-ravaged population with critical lifelines.<\/p>\n In 2019, Mustafa described the achievement, recounting<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we first liberated Raqqa, it was a pile of mines and destruction. All the infrastructure was destroyed: education, health, humanitarian side. No place in the world has seen such destruction as Raqqa. With the efforts of the SDC [Syrian Democratic Council] and also the support from humanitarian organizations, we have achieved a big milestone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Though an ethnic Kurd, Mustafa was beloved by Kurds, Arabs, and all the diverse groups that made up Raqqa\u2019s population. She was dedicated not just to rebuilding useful and practical infrastructure but also the defining cultural and historic features of the city.<\/p>\n \u201cMustafa was not just a Kurdish girl. She saw herself as a daughter of the city of Raqqa and considered all the people of the city of Raqqa to be her people, from all walks of life. Her closeness to the people and components was balanced and she did not distinguish between sects or religions,\u201d said Nour al-Din.<\/p>\n Nour al-Din added that Mustafa was determined to rebuild both the destroyed Armenian church in the city, as well as the city\u2019s Grand Mosque, \u201cwhich had an impact on the people of Raqqa and was the most important feature for the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Mustafa\u2019s efforts eventually drew the attention of those outside of the city and the country.<\/p>\n \u201cI was totally shocked by the news of her death. She was super charismatic. She was spitting in Daesh\u2019s face. It\u2019s a tragedy that she died,\u201d Jeremie, the coordinator of an unnamed international NGO who worked alongside Mustafa from 2019 to 2021, told KCS.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t met many officials like her, to be honest,\u201d Jeremie, whose work in the humanitarian sector has taken him all over the Middle East and the world, said.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the first public things that she did in Raqqa when I was there\u2026 was to rebuild the lighting systems. I remember, it was a big deal, and everyone was concerned with other priorities at the time. But when you think about it, for Raqqa after Daesh, bad lighting at night was important for security \u2013 particularly for women. In this sense, she was thinking about the people of Raqqa as individuals,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n Jeremie described the ease of working with Mustafa, who would often approach NGOs with projects tailored to their specialties and connect humanitarian organizations with civilians who could help them rebuild the shattered city in the most inclusive way possible.<\/p>\n In 2021, Mustafa won the World Mayor Jury Award<\/a><\/span>, which the City Mayors Foundation awards to \u201cthe world\u2019s most outstanding mayors, mayors who have served their fellow citizens with integrity, courage, and diligence,\u201d according to the project\u2019s website. The 2021 award was given specifically to mayors \u201cwho have shown outstanding leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn a society dominated by tribal rivalries and a tribal society dominated by Arab men, as a young woman and a symbol for all Arab and Kurdish women, Leila demonstrates on a daily basis with her communication and behavior how traditional conflicts can be overcome by collaboration and a commitment to a joint enterprise,\u201d read the essay<\/a><\/span> supporting her nomination.<\/p>\n \u201cLeila has the determination and courage not to be defeated by these major problems, obstacles and threats to life. She shows on a daily basis, through her energy and commitment how people from different levels of this society can work together both at strategic Civil Council level but also, and perhaps more significantly on the front line. As joint president, Leila shows extraordinary energy and leadership by continuing to build coalitions of people to rebuild Raqqa. Her aim is not just to rebuild Raqqa but to help create a civil society built on democracy and reconciliation,\u201d the essay continued.<\/p>\n In the last period of her life, Mustafa suffered from liver problems and was transferred to Damascus for treatment. While undergoing surgery, she sadly passed away at age 35.<\/p>\n SDF General Mazloum Abd\u00ee, eulogized<\/a><\/span> Mustafa as \u201ca symbol of a free and ambitious woman\u201d who \u201cled the rehabilitation process after defeating ISIS\u2019 radical mentality\u201d; describing her as \u201ca great leader and symbol of equality and humanity.\u201d Likewise, \u00celham Ehmed, Executive Committee President of the SDC described Mustafa as a \u201cfree young woman with determination and initiative in strengthening the bonds of fraternal relations between the people of Raqqa and all its cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n The freelance journalist Solin Muhammed Amin remembered Mustafa as \u201ca symbol of support and encouragement for ambitious women striving for success.\u201d Adding, \u201cShe never hesitated to provide assistance and collaboration in my journalistic work and feminist activities.\u201d Ultimately, Amin provided a fitting epitaph, summarizing<\/a><\/span> that, \u201cHer memory will remain alive in the hearts of those who benefited from her efforts in rebuilding Raqqa.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to being commemorated by the City Mayors Foundation, Mustafa was immortalized in the French documentary 9 Days in Raqqa<\/em><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing is that we were freed from the nightmare called ISIS,\u201d Mustafa recalls to the documentarian, whose film was shown around the world and was part of the Cannes official selection in 2020. \u201cEverything feels\u2026 possible,\u201d she says to the camera with a smile. And thanks to her steadfast leadership, for the women of Raqqa, it still is.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nlka.net\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Leila-Mustafa-2.jpeg\")
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