ISIS women turning al-Hol into ‘death camp’

Doaa Mohamed                             

Extremist female members of ISIS in al-Hol Camp in northeastern Syria strive to impose the radical ideology of their organization on less extremist female members imprisoned in the same camp.

The same extremist members mete out punishment, usually death, to those refusing to follow the radical ideology of the organization.

ISIS female radicals have formed what looks like religious police, known in Arabic as ‘Hisba’, to inflict punishment on those who deviate from the extremist ideology of the organization inside the camp.

Bloody spiral

Around 80 murders were committed inside the camp in the past months, according to several international news outlets.

All these murders were committed by radical female ISIS members and they were of others who refused to obey the orders of the organization, they said.

These murders were committed even as the section specified for ISIS women in the camp is guarded heavily.

Strangers are allowed into the camp under very strict conditions. Nonetheless, the rise in crime rates inside the camp stirs up fears in Western countries, some of whose nationals are imprisoned in the camp.

International efforts to prevent women from being drifted into extremism strive to address the root causes behind the success of terrorist groups in drawing in female recruits.

The same efforts aim to assess and diagnose the consequences of women joining extremist groups.

Violent ideology

The Organization for the Development of Women in Islamic Countries has called for studying the environment that produces extremist ideologies, in general.

The organization also called for considering the factors that contribute to the spread of extremism.

One of the important measures that should be taken to stop this spread, the organization said, is to re-educate women about their religion and rehabilitate them psychologically and socially.

It also underscored the importance of empowering women economically to help them become good mothers who are able to raise their children in a moderate environment.

Dealing with ISIS

Most female ISIS prisoners in al-Hol Camp hail from Iraq. They keep working to impose ISIS rules on other prisoners in the camp.

The same Iraqi female extremists set up trials inside the camp to punish women who ‘violate’ ISIS restrictions.