The UN human rights commissioner has reported that on Monday, Sameera Salih Ali al-Nuaimy, a lawyer known for working to advance women’s rights was taken from her home by members of the Islamic State, convicted of apostasy by a “so-called court,” tortured, and publicly murdered after criticizing the extremists on Facebook.
Al-Nuaimy had made comments on Facebook denouncing the Islamic State’s “barbaric” attacks on mosques and shrines in the Iraqi city of Mosul. After she was seized from her home, tortured for several days, and executed before a masked firing squad, her family was prohibited from giving her a funeral.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time an educated and outspoken woman has been targeted by the Islamic State. Nick Cumming-Bruce at the New York Times writes:
The killing follows the execution of a number of Iraqi women in areas under Islamic State control documented by United Nations monitors, including two candidates contesting Iraq’s general election in Nineveh Province, who were killed in July. A third female candidate was abducted by gunmen in eastern Mosul and has not been heard from since.
United Nations monitors in Iraq have received numerous reports of executions of women by Islamic State gunmen, some after perfunctory trials, the organization said. “Educated, professional women seem to be particularly at risk,” it added.
Of course they are targeting educated women who either hold or even aspire to hold power. Jesus. ISIS has all-female battalions dedicated to keeping other women in line and enforcing ISIS’s “law.” A few days ago, French TV station France 24 aired undercover footage taken by an unidentified female Syrian student, who hid a camera under her niqab. The video provides very interesting insight into what its like for young women (who completely embrace ISIS) and just how harsh the standards are for women living under ISIS rule.
