In the past five months more than 40 women have been killed in Iraq’s southern city of Basra after being accused of ‘un-Islamic’ behavior. Women have been threatened with dire punishment, should they wear make-up or step out without the Islamic headscarf known as hijab.

Their mutilated bodies are dumped on the streets or in garbage dumps with notes attached to them accusing them of adultery and other ‘honor crimes’, thereby justifying their hideous crime of killing these women. Major-General Abdul-Jalil Khalaf, the Basra police chief said that they found the body of a woman with her six-year-old son, who was believed to have been conceived in an adulterous relationship. He added that the number of murdered women might be higher as many families don’t report these cases due to the fear of scandal or reprisals, or simply because they had doubts concerning the police’s ability to solve the case, as at times the police are too scared themselves, to conduct proper investigations.

It is believed that the violence perpetrated against these women is carried out by Islamic militants. These perpetrators, who believe that they are spreading the message and instructions of Islam, are simply imposing their extremist views upon the community. They are forcing the women to follow a certain code-of-conduct depriving them of their very basic right, freedom.

There have been instances where the religious extremists have intimidated and forced the women to cover their hair and bodies. The female students have also been threatened to not attend the exams without wearing their headscarves.

Khalaf said that although they do not have enough information about the perpetrators, investigations and enquiries were still made to know more about the killings.

source: yahoonews144382