Islamic State: What About the Mass Sexual Crimes?
The
Islamic State (IS) has taken centre stage worldwide in the past few months with
its increased influence in the Middle East and threat to the rest of the world.
The media has incessantly notified us of the beheadings of western
journalists, of the torture, of the foreign recruitment and the advanced
propaganda but history’s wealthiest terrorist group has also been committing terrifying
sexual crimes against women. And it has been happening in obscene amounts, yet
we don’t really hear that part of the story.
The
IS has its roots in Iraq, forming in 2004 following the US invasion, and was
established a Caliphate in June 2014. Though their name suggests otherwise, the group
is far from being a state; rejecting the notion of borders and institutions[1]. Its
Sunni extremist ideology closely followed that of al-Qaeda’s and, to a lesser
extent, that of the Muslim Brotherhood, adhering to global jihadist
principles. However they have become so
radical that their reputation of extreme brutality led to them being disavowed
by Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s leader, earlier this year; and that tells us
something. The rapidly expanding group has been gaining control across Iraq and
Syria – and has promised to “break the borders of Jordan and Lebanon and to
free Palestine”[2] - by
taking advantage of the situation of decomposing states in the area and
annexing territory, callously killing thousands along the way.
The
news reports have continuously shed light on the disturbing crimes of the IS: burning
bibles, destruction of non-Sunni shrines, places of worship and ancient
scriptures; stealing money from banks; capturing military supplies; and promoting
religious violence though crucifying, decapitating, amputating and torturing
countless amounts of minorities in the Middle East. But the media has failed to
give more attention to the thousands of woman and children who the IS have
kidnapped, raped, trafficked and forced into marriage in the last few months.
An
estimate from the UN reveals that the IS has forced 1500 women (other sources
suggest this figure has increased), young girls and young boys into sexual
slavery. They are given as “rewards” to the militants and they are being sold
as slaves. What’s more, reports have revealed that British women[3] who
are part of the IS 'police force' have become heavily involved in the running
of brothels of captured Iraqi women created for the use of the fighters;
similarly to the Comfort Women of the Second World War. Melanie Smith, a
research associate at King’s College’s International Centre for the Study of
Radicalisation says that “they use these women as they please” because “to the
men of ISIS, women are of an inferior race, to be enjoyed for sex.”
Call me a feminist, but this story is just as sickening as the on-going murders carried out by
the group and it makes no sense for it to have not received as much coverage
and made the headlines. The level of ruthlessness towards these women should
not be regarded as a side issue or a ‘women’s issue’ simply because it does not
fit in with the more “mainstream” war tactics. It is a terror tactic. It is a
time of conflict. It should thus be given as much attention as the other
tactics of fear used by the IS and not just be labelled as a humanitarian
consequence of the Middle Eastern chaos.
Due
to the conflict conditions, it is of course hard for international
organisations and other governments to collect information about these sexual
crimes but that doesn’t excuse that they knew something was going on and failed
to make it a media priority. The governments of the region have kept quiet on
the issue despite being vocal on the other threats that the IS poses to
regional stability. Even if we put aside the media coverage part of the story, the
governments of Syria and Iraq as well as NGOs have been accused of not doing
enough to protect these women in the first place and provide those who have
been left abandoned and scarred with assistance. Why?
According
to former CIA military analyst, Tara Maller, threats towards women and children
in these situations are considered as “softer humanitarian concerns” in
comparison to beheadings, bombings and airstrikes that are viewed as “hard
security issues”. But rape is used as a weapon of war too. Another interesting
point made by Maller highlighting why this issue hasn't received as much media
coverage is that as political science students we are taught about sexual
violence in feminism or gender studies classes rather than in terrorism and
warfare classes. This means that we won’t necessarily directly associate
wartime sexual violence as a key element of war and conflict, when in fact, it
is. This means that policymakers will not address enough attention to
these issues or investigate further because combatting sexual violence isn’t considered
useful to show the Intelligence’s progress in fighting the enemy.
The
most shocking part of these sexual crimes, in my eyes, is that they are carried
out by men and women who have joined or are collaborating with the IS from
abroad; from Western countries; from countries where progress has been made to
reach universal values that bind civilisations; from countries where gender
inequalities have evolved and I would like to believe it were unthinkable to treat a
woman in this way. And I highly doubt that this crime against humanity reflects
the enforcement of codes of modesty and behaviour from the time of Muhammad and
his followers, as the Islamic State claims to be doing.
[3]
Researchers at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization believe
that up to 60 British women have gone to Syria to join the IS.
For
more information on ISIS:
For
more information on sexual crimes carried out by ISIS:
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