In Iraq, captured Yazidi women fear the Islamic State will force them to wed
BY Agencies18 Aug 2014 12:00 AM GMT
Agencies18 Aug 2014 12:00 AM GMT
Hundreds of Yazidi women who were captured by Islamic extremists during their sweep through the town of Sinjar are being incarcerated at scattered locations across northern Iraq in what increasingly looks like a deliberate attempt to co-opt them into service as the wives of fighters.
As the militants with the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State surged into the area two weeks ago, they showed a marked interest in detaining women, notably the youngest and prettiest, according to witnesses.
Women were separated from men, then younger women were separated from older ones and most were shunted off in buses or trucks. Once in custody, the women are presented with a bleak choice.
Those who convert to Islam can be promised a good life, with a house of their own and a Muslim husband, because the extreme interpretation of Islam promoted by the Islamic State does not permit women to live alone. Otherwise, they have been told, they can expect a life of indefinite imprisonment or, they fear, death.
The accounts of the capture and detention have been assembled from multiple interviews with Yazidi refugees, witnesses, activists who have been able to reach out to the outside world using cellphones.
As the militants with the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State surged into the area two weeks ago, they showed a marked interest in detaining women, notably the youngest and prettiest, according to witnesses.
Women were separated from men, then younger women were separated from older ones and most were shunted off in buses or trucks. Once in custody, the women are presented with a bleak choice.
Those who convert to Islam can be promised a good life, with a house of their own and a Muslim husband, because the extreme interpretation of Islam promoted by the Islamic State does not permit women to live alone. Otherwise, they have been told, they can expect a life of indefinite imprisonment or, they fear, death.
The accounts of the capture and detention have been assembled from multiple interviews with Yazidi refugees, witnesses, activists who have been able to reach out to the outside world using cellphones.
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