Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Women increasingly targetted in Mosul
Security
A recent spike in attacks on women has forced many in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul to retreat into their homes or resort to armed escort by relatives and tribal guards. In recent weeks, Mosul residents have witnessed an unprecedented rise in the number of female corpses found throughout the city. Most of the women have been kidnapped and found with their throats slit or with bullet wounds to the head.
The increase in attacks on women has also been accompanied by a proportional increase in threats against clothiers and boutique shop owners, security officials have said. In the Sarj Khanah district in Mosul, where many western fashion boutiques are located, shop owners have found threatening flyers and messages left on their doors. One such flyer condemned "sacrilegious" clothing which it claimed corrupted young women with revealing clothes baring their shoulders and knees and called on all mannequins to be covered with proper Islamic garb. The flyers included verses from the Quran as well as hadith (oral traditions of the Prophet Muhammed) followed by threats and a promise of death.
COMMENT: The rising attacks on women and threats to clothes shops could indicate a stronger presence of Sunni extremist organisations who believe women should be covered up. There could also be an increase in attacks on security officers in the form of kidnapping and killing family members. COMMENT ENDS.
