We wish we could say that it beggars belief, but it doesn’t.
This year, the atrocities committed by the foot soldiers of the so-called Islamic State have dominated headlines, and stories like these about the horrendous treatment of women are becoming almost familiar.
A mother is tortured by “police” in Syria for breastfeeding in a public place.
The police? Islamic State religious police officers, known as the Al Khansa brigade.
They’re a group of terrifying female officers who impose strict Sharia Law on civilians, and use torture to enforce their authority.
This is what goes on behind what we see on TV. This is what women are living with every day.
Turkish women in the city of Ankara protest in support of their neighbours in Syria. Their signs read: ‘We support the women fallen, Kobani, Syria.” Image: Getty.
The woman was breastfeeding in a public bus station when the Al Khansa force tortured her with a device called a ‘biter’. It’s a horrific medieval-style tool that consists of two iron clamps with spikes that is placed over the victim’s chest.
The UK’s Mirror newspaper reports a 24-year-old woman was also arrested for dressing ‘indecently’ and subjected to the same torture method as the woman who was breastfeeding her child.
“I was in the market buying a few items when the Al Khansa battalion came and arrested me on the grounds that the Niqab which I was wearing did not meet Sharia requirement.
“They arrested me and escorted me to the torture chamber. Then they asked me to choose between a whip and a biter. I did not know what a biter was and I thought it is a reduced sentence, I was afraid of whipping, so I choose the biter.
“Then they brought a sharp object that had a lot of teeth and held me, placing it on my chest and pressing it strongly. I screamed from the pain. They later took me to hospital.
“I felt then that my femininity had been destroyed completely. I was not the only one that was tortured with this instrument, there were a lot of women there and their situation was tragic.”
Women and children in a restaurant in the government-controlled Mogambo nieghbourhood of the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Horrifically, over 1,800 people have been murdered since an ‘Islamic State’ was declared in the area. This number includes at least eight women and two children.
Top Comments
Yet another reason to despise people like this.
I have never been more thankful for a sleepless night feeding my baby. I cannot believe the gross inhumanity of these people. As Angel says, these people are psychos, surely they must be to be able to disconnect from the pain they are causing another?