Kurdistan Parliament unveils portrait of Mother Aisha

A portrait of the late Mother Aisha, who passed away in July, was unveiled in the Kurdistan Parliament building on 2 September by Speaker Rewas Faiq. Mother Aisha became a national symbol of Kurds’ sacrifices after losing her three Peshmerga sons killed on the same day in the war against ISIS in 2014. She became known for her patience and patriotism in the face of great suffering and loss.

Forty days after Mother Aisha’s passing, to honour her patience and bravery Speaker Faiq unveiled the portrait. Mother Aisha’s family, Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami, Secretary Muni Kahveci, heads of the parliamentary blocks and several MPs also attended the ceremony.

Khorshid Osman, Mother Aisha’s son, thanked Parliament’s presidency and all MPs for holding the ceremony and unveiling the portrait in his mother’s honour.

In a speech Deputy Speaker Hawrami said on behalf of Parliament’s Presidency, “Mother Aisha’s suffering and enormous sacrifices spur us to have greater national unity and put aside ideology and party politics. Kurdistan is facing severe economic, political and health challenges, and it is the duty of each and every one of us – MPs, politicians and the public - to protect Kurdistan as an entity, tackle corruption, improve people’s welfare and livelihoods, carry out reforms, be honest with each other, and build confidence.”