Old lady in Mosul to ISIS fighter: "Do you think you will still be here this winter?"

[pampango]

Veils, Gloves and Violence: New Extremist Rules See Women Disappear From Mosul’s Streets

Mosul was always a conservative city when it came to women’s rights. However the Sunni Muslim extremists who took control of the town have made it even more difficult for females. Women must now wear facial veils and gloves and may not leave their homes unaccompanied. In one suspected case at least, the price for protesting these rules has been death.

On August 10 at around noon, an older woman arrived at a market in the centre of Mosul. She had bad back pain and it was also extremely warm. A bearded, heavily armed man got her attention and then asked her why she was not wearing a niqab, the traditional veil that covers almost the whole face, leaving only the eyes visible.

“I tried but I just about suffocated in the summer heat,” the old lady said, not hiding her sarcasm.

“So you will wear it in winter then?” the bearded man asked her, raising his voice because he thought she couldn’t hear him properly.

“Is Daash even still going to be here in winter?,” the old lady asked, using the Arabic acronym for the Sunni Muslim extremist group formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS – the group took control of the northern city in early June this year. She was making a joke – but her question also reflects the fact that the extremists, who now call themselves simply the Islamic State, or IS, are being forced to fight to maintain the territory they control.

http://www.juancole.com/2014/08/violence-extremist-disappear.html

Lots of information from Juan Cole on the restrictions that have been imposed by ISIS on women in Mosul.

[malaise]

1. Iraq was one of the most secular Muslim countries under Sadam

All hail that freedom and democracy based on an illegal invasion and occupation. It's been so great for Iraqis.

[IdaBriggs]

2. To Clarify for the Confused: Secular = Good.

Definition of Secular:

1) of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal: "secular interests."

2) not pertaining to or connected with religion (opposed to sacred): "secular music."

3) (of education, a school, etc.) concerned with nonreligious subjects.

In other words, we have encouraged people to implement a Religious Theocracy, thanks to the Republican Party.

The only thing Republicans don't like is that it is MUSLIM Theocracy.

[malaise]

4. Well said

Good morning IdaBriggs

[IdaBriggs]

5. Good morning, malaise!

Your post was so incredibly spot on, I darn near applauded! Then I remembered that some people (including myself at one point) get confused about "secular" versus "non-secular", and which one is good versus which one is bad. I remember the television show "West Wing" having an episode where the major plot point was someone using the word entirely incorrectly in front of someone they respected....

(That was when I found out *I* was using it wrong, too! Lol!)

So, for your post, and a nice kick to the original thread starter....

[pampango]

3. And Saddam was a Sunni so ISIS would have left Iraq alone.

I haven't heard from many of the majority Shia that they wish Saddam were still in power (even though his repression would have prevented the more severe repression of ISIS) but it certainly was an illegal and counterproductive invasion and occupation.

[flamingdem]

6. Isis is using female brigades to enforce restrictions on women

Somehow they're recruiting them.

[flamingdem]

7. Article about female support / brigades in Isis

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016100859