Conflicting information has arisen about the reported “fatwa” issued by the Islamic State that orders all women in the Iraqi city of Mosul to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM).
UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Jacqueline Badcock told reporters:
“This is something very new for Iraq, particularly in this area, and is of grave concern and does need to be addressed.
“This is not the will of Iraqi people, or the women of Iraq in these vulnerable areas covered by the terrorists.”
However, some analysts and reporters have commented that the “fatwa” may be a hoax, distributed by one of the many groups opposed to the Islamic State, as FGM tends to be a cultural practice and would be a departure from previous positions by the jihadi group.
On Twitter, NPR Cairo Bureau Chief Leila Fadel says that both Mosul residents and an Islamic State spokesperson in Mosul have denied that any such order was issued. While Charles Lister of the Brookings Doha Center says that the fatwa was photoshopped:
The reported fatwa comes as the Islamic State attempt to impose their own strict interpretation of Sharia Law in areas they control. Last week saw much of the Christian population of Mosul to flee their homes, with those who remain forced to pay “jizya”, a minority protection tax. In a statement the Sunni militant group said:
“We offer them three choices: Islam; the dhimma contract – involving payment of jizya; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword”
The Islamic State took control of Mosul amid a major push into Iraq last month. However, as their strike force leaves the city, another Sunni militant group that fought alongside ISIS in taking Mosul is assuming control. The Naqshbandi Army (JRTN), led by high-ranking Saddam-era Ba’athists such as Izzat al-Douri, follow a more populist interpretation of Islam than the hard-line Islamic State, but the two groups found a common enemy in the Shi’ite dominated Iraqi government led by Nouri al-Maliki.