Daesh is hardly renowned for upholding women’s rights. So when it was reported that it appointed its first female spokesperson, many commentators were surprised.
The unnamed woman reportedly appeared in a video by the group, according to Arabic language news website al Modon. It announced that the clip discussed the Al-Furat Foundation, and speculated that the addition have may be an attempt to attract more women to the group.
But further digging revealed that the reports may not be what they seem.
The al Modon story was based on a Tweet by the Counter Extremism Project, which referred to Al Furat and announced that Daesh had appointed a “female speaker”. It also included a photograph of a girl wearing Niqab.
But watch the whole video – called “I Have Left You on a Straight Path” and which al Bawaba have viewed but not shared – and the “woman” pictured isn’t a spokesperson at all. She’s a 5-year-old girl, who’s interviewed about “Sharia clothing”. After she speaks – for no more than about 30 seconds – she’s followed by another girl, of about the same age, who is again interviewed before being given a gift bag.
Women living under Daesh are forced to adhere to a strict rules about conduct, dress and relationships, and could be subject to torture if they don’t keep to the rules. But women do participate in the structures of governance and oppression with govern Daesh territory. Some work as religious police, specifically to deal with female prisoners or enforcement of laws for women. The group even publishes a monthly women’s magazine, al-Shamkha, dealing with the trials and tribulations of an average lady in the Islamic State. Women from all over the world have joined the group, many of whom are in their teens.
While the girls in the film aren’t spokespeople, it is indeed unusual to see females in Daesh propaganda. But it appears that rumours of women being the new voices of the group may have been exaggerated.
albawaba.com