Woman and the ISIS: Looking Through the Lenses of Farida Khalaf and Nadia Murad Usha Kumari Shah M.Phil

International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 28, No. 15, (2019), pp. 936-941

Woman and the ISIS: Looking through the Lenses of Farida Khalaf and Nadia Murad Usha Kumari Shah M.Phil. Research Scholar Department of English Assam University, Diphu Campus P.O. Diphu, Karbi Anglong, Assam India PIN-782462

Abstract Global Gender Gap Report declares the Arab region the lowest to achieve the aim of gender equality. One of the notorious and the deadliest terror groups, causing conflict in MENA region, particularly in Iraq and Syria, is ISIS whose manifesto was published in 2015 for the purpose of serving as a guideline for women where it emphasizes that both men and women have different roles to play under Islam and are hence they can’t be equal. Through their propaganda, ISIS exploits women by objectifying them. The ISIS justifies sexual jihad and enslavement of women of different believes particularly Yazidi women on the grounds of Fatwa. The victims of all these cruelties who could survive depicted their experiences in a number of texts written during 21st century. These texts hold a mirror to the pervert mindset of the men living in ISIS controlled areas. The book The Girl Who Escaped ISIS: This is My Story by Farida Khalaf and The Last Girl: My Story Of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Nadia Murad portray the life of victims of violence and their remarkable journey of survival. This article is a study of these aforesaid novels to show their extraordinary courage to fight against all the odds of violence and present before the world their stories of survival which is full of hope, courage and bravery.

Keywords: ISIS, sexual jihad, Yazidi, Farida Khalaf, Nadia Murad

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Women down the ages have always suffered gender inequality in one form or other and are being subjected to various kinds of injustices all over the world. Even after years of struggle against oppression and suppression of women, they are still the sufferers, who are suffering in the society due to lack of attention paid to their well-being. No part of the world is able to achieve full gender equality and respect for women which feminist movement once sought to promise. In this regard, Global Gender Gap Report declares the Arab region, which includes a grouping of 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, lowest to achieve the aim of gender equality. There are certain countries like Qatar, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates, which has made some progress in women’s economic sphere, but still the region has 39% gender gap which will take many years to end. Arab world in the present time witnesses violation of women’s rights and freedom in the patriarchal structure in midst of increased conservative movements and so there is low political willingness to achieve gender equality. In many Arab countries, like Syria, Palestine and Iraq, the concept of stability has become an impossible dream. The MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, especially the area of the countries like Iraq and Syria, is affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis, which has many consequences for the people residing in the area. One of the notorious and the deadliest

International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 28, No. 15, (2019), pp. 936-941

terror groups, causing conflict in MENA region, particularly in Iraq and Syria, is ISIS, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. In recent times ISIS has become the growing concern internationally and a threat to the world peace. In the span of a few years ISIS has become largest terrorist group from being unknown group of a few militants. The group operates as a self- declared Caliphate and also as a state and has expanded its territory in the vast areas of Iraq and Syria. The group works on the grounds of sharia law, having a different interpretation provided by its leaders, which is based on brutality, one-ended and where human life is devalued. Their interpretation of sharia law is criticized by Muslim community all over the world. ISIS emphasizes extreme Wahhabi and Salafi- inspired interpretation of Shria and Islamic law. Their definition of Islam is crucial for the recruitment of fighters from other countries. Till recently, ISIS had hold on large parts of Syria and North -West Iraq. Study has been done in order to find out why young people and also people living in western countries are so attracted to ISIS. The group’s justification of the brutalities serves as the propaganda, which ultimately helps in more members joining the group. Through their propaganda, ISIS exploits women by objectifying them. The cases of Nikkah al jihad which allows summoning of Sunni women and publication of price rates for Yazidi slave women illustrate this. Women have a very special role in this propaganda with regard to their portrayal where women are portrayed in different roles according to purpose which only serves ISIS’s men. The ISIS’s portrayal of women has three distinct stages: the first is where ISIS issues manifesto for women; the second is women from western countries as “jihadi bride”; and the third is Fatwa justifying “sexual jihad”, which is the reason behind sexual enslavement of Yazidi women. The ISIS manifesto for women drafted by al- khansa brigade, a female militia group under ISIS, which comprises by educated western women and who are entrusted with the task of monitoring female and enforcing codes of behavior on women. The manifesto was published in 2015 for the purpose of serving as a guideline for women. The manifesto states that women should always be veiled and hidden from the outside world. Inequality between men and women is enforced in the manifesto, where it emphasizes that both men and women have different roles to play under Islam and are hence they can’t be equal. Serving the men as mothers and as wife becomes the fundamental duty for women. Women are allowed to leave their houses only for the sake of jihad, when no man is available for it. The manifesto criticizes the western culture as materialistic which allows women to neglect their fundamental duties. The manifesto provides year-to-year guideline for women for behaving and living life. The manifesto presents a happy image of veiled women living in Raqqa and Mosul with their families and performing their respective roles as imposed by ISIS. The concept of jihadi bride as presented by the ISIS to the western educated Muslim women has another function. The pictures of women both in traditional roles and in warrior women roles fascinate the women in the West to become jihadi bride. The publication of various activities of jihadi brides on social media influences other girls sitting in their respective houses. These jihadi women use social media to convey others that how Muslims are ill- treated throughout the world and that how they found a new hope in ISIS which in their perception is true Islamic society based on sharia law. These false assumptions have a negative impact on women watching them on social media. They present their own life in ISIS as a idyllic one, where they not only get to start a family with a man but also gets an opportunity to fight for the cause of their religion in the battlefield along with men. The ISIS justifies sexual jihad and enslavement of women of different believes particularly Yazidi women on the grounds of Fatwa, publicized by the group. Fatwa in Islam refers legal opinion given by Mufti or cleric and under which Islamic law can be interpreted

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through various points of view. The concept of sexual jihad is publicized by ISIS to enforce Nikkah ul jihad and also enslavement of women of other communities. The concept of ‘Nikkah ul Jihad’ became known in 2013, which is a controversial Fatwa justifying women’s sexual servitude to men. According to this fatwa, women should submit themselves to jihadi fighters to avoid men’s sexual distraction at the time of war. This gives men the authority to marry a woman for a week or for a few hours in order to have “halal” sex with her in order to focus on his mission at the battlefield. This is common practice in ISIS because to them whatever is forbidden becomes halal for the sake jihad. Normally suicide and sex before marriage are forbidden in Islam, but is allowed in order to seek jihad where it can increase men’s strength at the battleground. This practice has led cases of sexual violence against both Muslim and non- Muslim women The people of Yazidi community, living in South Turkey, Northern Iraq and Syria, are a minority community having population around 100,000 – 500,000 all over the world. ISIS conquered the parts of Kurdish Iraq, an event which forced the Yazidis to flee their homes. The ISIS justifies the enslavement and sexual abuse of Yazidi women by ISIS militant on the grounds of religion saying that they have the right to do so because they are not Muslims and thus can be used by the jihadis to perform better jihadi mission. The men in ISIS can rightfully keep the Yazidi women as slaves and they even don’t need to marry them for sexual pleasure. ISIS fighters kill the men and take the women with them after attacking any Yazidi village. Those who survived the attacks are forced to leave their village and their homes remain vacant which is then looted by the ISIS. Yazidi women and girls are then sold in slave market after an auction is being performed for the prices of Yazidi slaves. At auction, Yazidi women are treated as commodity, where they are objectified and the customs of dragging the prices down by talking negative of the physical features of these women. Sexual slavery is being institutionalized under ISIS terror rule, where they can freely abuse women for their sexual gratification. Women are given to buyers who pay an appropriate price for them and thus the men can then do whatever they like with their slave from raping to beating them. It is reported that many women, taken by ISIS commit suicide to save themselves from the horrors of the fighters. There is one such case where one woman after refusing to perform extreme sexual act, is forced to eat her own child. (Ali 19) ISIS heavily relies on social media and internet to give justification for their abuse of women. For example the article published in 2014 “Revival of Slavery Before the hour” mentions sex slavery as a duty of Islam. According to this article Yazidi women must rightfully be kept as slaves and their men must be killed as they do not belong to Islamism, Judaism and Christianity. The ISIS gives justification of its enslavement act by the use of Quranic quotes of treatment of captives at the time of war. ISIS, in this way becomes hypocritical who can justify such an inhuman act with the help of religion by spreading imaginary stories of imperial rule under Islam. ISIS, thus uses Quran for justifying their inhuman acts so that they can escape criticism and which can help to portray a camouflaging picture of them as a group of people who are warriors, but in reality enslaves and exploits women. Therefore, ISIS is nothing but a state created by men to satisfy sexual needs of men, who come to join the group with a aim to exploit, kill, torture, rape women and fulfill their animalistic urges. ISIS through portrayal of woman as ‘sex- object’ has degraded the status of women and made them vulnerable to various other injustices to them in the society. Women have key role in ISIS’s mission of recruiting fighters from all over the world as it uses Women to attract men to their group. ISIS being the group based on Islamic religion, not only objectifies women of other

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religion but also makes unequal treatment for women of Islamic Muslim community, who needed to be hidden behind veil and live the life of an ideal housewife. As stated above the MENA region, the place for ISIS’s operation has witnessed various kinds of injustices and inhuman treatment meant to the women being it rape, exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual slavery. The victims of all these cruelties who could survive depicted their experiences in a number of texts written during 21st century. These texts hold a mirror to the pervert mindset of the men living in ISIS controlled areas as ISIS militants. The book The Girl Who Escaped ISIS: This is My Story by Farida Khalaf which she has co- written with German writer and journalist Andrea C. Hoffmann was published in 2016. The book receives positive reviews from its readers for being an astonishing account of a brave girl by the name of Farida Khalaf, who managed to escape from the clutches of the condemned terrorist group ISIS as she elaborated on her sufferings, battle for freedom and being sold in the slave market just like a cattle. A real life account of her inhumane experiences and encounters at the hands of ISIS, this book delves into the sufferings of civilians be it man, woman, elderly or child. Farida Khalaf belongs to the Yazidi community who are believers of a faith which is based on the tradition of pre-Islam and thus they are viewed by ISIS as belonging to devil’s party who are either to be killed or enslaved. Khalaf and her family was the resident of the village Kocho in Iraq until 2014 when ISIS attacked her village. Khalaf was only 19 when she witnessed this horrifying event where ISIS jihadi fighters killed her father and brothers and took her as captive. All the girls and women of the village including Farida and her friend Evin are captivated and brought to slave market in Raqqa, where they are sold as sex slaves to ISIS’s men. This novel is an astonishing account of the summer of 2014 and the months that followed Farida’s experiences under ISIS regime. Growing in her family Farida hoped to become her village’s first math teacher as she was very bright in the subject. She lived her life as an ordinary teenage girl, studying, cooking with mother and spending time with her friends when her life changed forever with the attacks and brutalities of ISIS. Being 19 years old she was considered too old to be sold easily but eventually she is sold and from there her struggles becomes acute in captivity. She cries, fights, screams, argues, attempts to escape and even tried to kill herself to escape her shameful life in captivity. Even after beaten up by her captors for all these, she continues her fight against them until one day she escapes from their brutalities along with five other girls. Farida is reunited with her remaining family members in a refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan. The camp was helped by a German humanitarian organization and it is where she met Andrea C. Hoffmann, a reporter from Germany who helped Farida in moving to Germany. The ending of the book is quite disturbing too where she is stigmatized by her traditional community for being unable to escape her rape. Eventually she moves to Germany where she still hopes to attain her dream of becoming a math teacher. The horrors of Yazidis, victims of genocide by ISIS, are portrayed by Nadia Murad, another survivor of brutalities at the hand of ISIS terrorists in the book The Last Girl: My Story Of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State which was published in 2017. This book speaks about her experiences in evil world of ISIS and provides all the details of how she bore the testimony of murdering of “humanity” by the terrorists who claimed to be fighting for Islam. The book provides accounts of her torture, abuse and her trade as sex slave from one ISIS militant to another and her also her bravery to escape from them to fight against them. Her story is well known around the world. She is internationally known as ISIS survivor, who is now working as United Nation Goodwill Ambassador and also the winner of the Nobel peace Prize. Murad was also among many yazidi girls who was brutally raped and beaten by ISIS terrorists

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before escaping. But she is also known for her active fight against abuse and sexual violence. She spreads awareness in the world of sex trafficking being used as weapon at the time of war. Nadia Murad lived in the village of Kocho, on the southern edge of Mountain Sinjar when it was attacked by ISIS in 2014. Then Nadia was only twenty-one-year- old student. Nadia Murad was one of thousands of Yazidi girls, captivated and sold as sex slaves after their family members were brutally killed by ISIS terrorists. Nadia Murad,like Farida khalaf belongs to Yazidi community, who are considered by ISIS’s Research and Fatwa Department as Kurdish speakers, without any holy books that talks about their believes like Christianity, Shias and others. Yazidis are considered as non-believers whose enslavement was justified aspect of Shariah law, followed by ISIS. ISIS calls Yazidis “dirty unbeliever” and boast about wiping their religion off the earth by killing Yazidi men and defiling their women. Nadia Murad after witnessing murder of her seven family members and becoming orphan, was kidnapped by ISIS who takes her to their camps to torture, rape and enslave her. Even after she is given names such as “orphan”, “rape victim”, “slave”, “refugee” etc. she fights back and creates her new identity with new names for herself as “survivor”, “Yazidi leader”, “Women’s advocate”, “Nobel Peace Prize Nominee”, “United Nations Goodwill Ambassador” and “author”. Captivated Murad gets an opportunity to flee away when the door of her room is left open by her captors and then she walked for hours on the streets of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, before knocking at the doors of Omar Abdel Jabar. Jabar was a carpenter living a normal life in the Mosul city with his family but then Sunni Jihadist Group ISIS took control over the city in June 2014 and life of everyone becomes difficult. Mosul city was populated by the Sunni Muslims who were not opposing ISIS rule completely considering the fact that the group had Sunni members which led to a deep- seated distrust of the army and widespread resentment of the Shi’ite – led government in Baghdad. Jabar’s family belongs to Sunni Arab families but they never supported ISIS and helped Murad to get out of Mosul and finally her terrible fate is over in Iraq. Jabar along with one of his cousins plans to smuggle her out of the city to flee her away from the jihadist. Murad went to London where she met human- rights lawyer Amal Clooney who took her case to fight against the jihadist group ISIS. Even after ISIS’s genocide against Yazidis, no prosecution is held for any member of the group in any court of the world. But Murad wanted justice and thus together with Clooney she started her fight. They were visiting Iraqi government, United Nations representatives, members of the Security Council and ISIS’s victims. When all thought that it would be impossible to get any justice then the United Nations Security Council took the decision of creating an investigating team to enquire into the matter and also to accumulate found evidences against ISIS. This became a major victory for Murad as after this individual ISIS member can be put on trial. The book, thus explores unbroken spirit of Nadia Murad who becomes the voice of every victimized Yazidi and her fight against the ISIS’s cruelty. Thus, the aforesaid novels portray the life of victims of violence and their remarkable journey of survival. These victims are mainly women and these novels show their extraordinary courage to fight against all the odds of violence and present before the world their stories of survival which is full of hope, courage and bravery.

International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 28, No. 15, (2019), pp. 936-941

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