When remembering the heroic stories of women who went out to repel the coup attempt by FETÖ members on July 15th, we remember the life of Ayşe Aykaç, one of those fearless women. Ayşe was 44 years old and from Kastamonu. She was martyred on the Bosphorus Bridge, beside her husband, standing out against the coup attempt.
Crying whenever she saw martyr families and saying to her husband, “I wish that God will destine us with martyrdom, I’m not worried about the martyrs, only their families,” Ayşe was martyred while resisting putschists on the Bosphorus Bridge.
Shot by a tank artillery in her chest
Immediately preparing to go out with her husband, after finding out about the coup attempt, Ayşe performed a prayer. She rushed outside upon President Erdoğan’s call. The couple went out to the Bosporus Bridge together. They were towards the front of the violence and were raked by traitors on tanks. Mustafa was not injured from the gunshots, yet, Ayşe was initially shot by a bullet in her arm and then another to her chest. She started reciting shahada after she was shot and was taken to the hospital with the help from the people around her. Yet, despite medical attention, she passed away.
“She passed away in my arms”
Ayşe and Mustafa had four children together. Mustafa expressed that the family felt sorrow for being left alone but not for her becoming a martyr and said, “My children are supporting me instead of me supporting them. She passed away in my arms on the bridge after she was shot. God gave her such a beautiful martyrdom, her confession of faith in her last breath was more intense than most imams’.” Mustafa stated that his wife wouldn’t usually go out for riots and resistance movements; however, she could not remain unresponsive to the President’s call.
The name Martyr Ayşe Aykaç was given to an Anatolian imam hatip high school in Üsküdar, İstanbul.
