Author: Junaid Zahid
The Atrocious Treatment of Women and Children by Daesh
The contemporary world, in which we live, is replete with events that disturb the conscience of the awakened and provoke profound contemplation among the wise. These are occurrences so horrific that no dictionary can fully capture their enormity, nor can any sound intellect rationalize or justify them.
Among the principal agents of these catastrophes is Daesh, a group whose savage ideology conceals unimaginable cruelty. When these pernicious ideas are set into motion, they inevitably give rise to catastrophes that drive humanity toward the abyss of destruction and moral collapse.
Upon seizing control of regions in Iraq and Syria, Daesh unleashed a wave of terror so severe that the most defenseless members of society—women and children—endured the most agonizing forms of suffering.
The atrocities committed by this terrorist organization against women and children are not only indefensible by any doctrine, creed, rationale, or rationale but also epitomize a profound betrayal of human dignity, conscience, and justice.
Throughout its brief dominion, Daesh subjugated this vulnerable segment of society with such ruthlessness that no equal can be found elsewhere in the global annals. In the course of human history, women and children have consistently borne the brunt of suffering in conflicts, wars, and military incursions—but under the rule of Daesh, their plight was exacerbated. Women confronted the most severe conditions, to the extent that in certain markets, they were treated as commodities for trade, stripped of their integrity, esteem, and honor.
Daesh, with the aim of fostering a negative portrayal of Islamic jihadist groups, succeeded in this endeavor as well. They unveiled their destructiveness, misogyny, and child endangerment to the world. In regions under their jurisdiction, intellectual autonomy was prohibited, and physical freedom—particularly for women—was nonexistent. No woman enjoyed liberty under their governance; instead, they were treated as slaves.
Due to this pernicious and politically-charged ideology, women and children were subjected to such immense pressure that no analogous phenomenon has been witnessed in any other epoch of contemporary history. Human trafficking and slavery became rampant in some areas—women were traded akin to chattel.
Their conduct was so pernicious that women and children lost all sense of vitality; they felt as if they were devoid of life. To fully comprehend the extent of Daesh’s criminality and its devastating impact on women and children, three major dimensions must be examined:
1. Sexual Enslavement
Daesh held the belief that once an area fell under their control, women should be utilized as sexual chattel. To them, this constituted a source of pride, and they exploited women for their gratification. The notion of slavery was active in their ideology, and the territories they overran were viewed as malleable to their whims.
2. Forced Marriages
The issue of forced marriages represented another sphere in which Daesh’s oppression reached appalling heights. Within their worldview, women were dehumanized to the status of mere objects, rendering the concepts of consent and personal agency meaningless. Daesh categorically rejected the notion that women possessed the right to determine their own life paths. Consequently, women were forcibly married, further underscoring the group’s inherently misogynistic, oppressive, and inhumane nature.
3. Exploitation of Children in Warfare
The third indelible mark on Daesh’s ignominious record is its systematic exploitation of children for military purposes. Minors—children who had not even reached the age of religious accountability—were forcibly conscripted and trained for combat. Despite being neither legally nor religiously obligated to fight, these children were molded into instruments of war, their innocence violently stripped away.
Through these heinous crimes, Daesh revealed its true nature not only to the broader world but also, crucially, to young Muslims who might otherwise have been vulnerable to their propaganda. It became evident that Daesh’s ideology bore no relation whatsoever to the values of Islam, humanity, or justice. Rather, they emerged as a grotesque embodiment of satanic impulses masquerading under a false banner of religion.
Throughout history, there have been entities that sought to corrupt and tarnish the sacred concept of jihad—armies and groups that, through their reprehensible actions, aimed to distort the noble path of the mujahideen. Yet Allah Almighty, in His infinite wisdom, has always exposed the impurity of their intentions, separating truth from falsehood, purity from corruption, and light from darkness.
