Tales of Heroism + Sacrifice

Iraqi women fight with honor and courage against Da’ish

UNIPATH STAFF

Iraqi women are characterized by their dedication, patience and ability to withstand suffering despite disastrous waves of wars, blockades, violence and terrorism. They are still struggling against crises and have joined hands with men for the sake of making bright futures amid difficult conditions. They do this to achieve security, safety, peace and tranquility in their home of Iraq.

There are women across Iraq who have become extraordinary symbols of valor and sacrifice, encountering an enemy that knows no mercy or compassion — an enemy that strives for bloodshed and the killing of innocents. These women are an inspiration to their brothers, who are also dedicated to crushing the terrorist enemies they confront.

Women from all ethnicities and sects have joined the ranks and acted with courage and honor in places such as Mosul, Salah al-Din, Anbar, Diyala, Amerli and Kirkuk, where they encountered the terrorist gangs of Da’ish and sacrificed themselves to defend their country and their dignity.

We start with heroic martyr Sheikha Umayyah Naji Jabara, who was an adviser to the governor of Salah al-Din province for women’s affairs and social welfare. She was from the prominent Al-Juboor tribe, known for its fierce fighting against terrorists, especially al-Qaida and its affiliates. Her family has lost many members fighting terrorists, starting with Umayyah’s father, Sheikh Naji Jabara, the powerful tribal leader. Her uncle, Abdullah Jabara, was killed in a Da’ish attack on a provincial council building in Samarra, and two of her brothers were also killed by terrorists. Umayyah, a lawyer and mother of four, was at the forefront of those who called for uprooting terrorists from her province.

Like other residents of her hometown, Umayyah refused to be subservient to the terrorists. She said: “We are the descendants of Hammurabi. How can we allow our country to be governed by the law of the jungle?” In June 2014, with fighters from her hometown, Umayyah encountered Da’ish terrorists, who attacked them. Armed clashes broke out among a joint force of Iraqi security forces, tribal fighters and terrorists. In a heated confrontation that seemed personal, Umayyah took revenge for her father and her tribe, and managed to take out three Da’ish attackers with rocket launchers before she was shot by a sniper. When she fell, her blood mixed with the soil of her homeland. Her sacrifice was a testimony to her refusal to be desecrated by Da’ish.

Umayyah was honored by the Iraqi Tribal Affairs Directorate when she was named “Sheikha.” Maj. Gen. Marid Al-Hasoun, director of tribal affairs at the Interior Ministry, told the Alsumaria News website, “Umayyah is the first woman in Iraq’s history to be given this title. This is to honor her heroic role in fighting [Da’ish’s] criminals.” In Arabic, “sheikh” is a title only given to a male tribal leader. But this time, Iraqis broke the rule when they granted the title posthumously to Umayyah.

In this photo from her Facebook page, Sheikha Umayyah Naji Jabara strikes an aggressive pose against Da’ish. She was martyred battling the terrorists.
In this photo from her Facebook page, Sheikha Umayyah Naji Jabara strikes an aggressive pose against Da’ish. She was martyred battling the terrorists.

She died standing tall like the sacred Iraqi date palm, and her heroism has become a beacon that illuminates the path against terrorism in Iraq. Umayyah’s story motivated tribal fighters to volunteer to fight and unify their efforts. Her inspiration actually led to the liberation of Al-Alam town from Da’ish control, and its displaced residents were able to return home in March 2015.

ADVOCATE FOR PEACE

Samira Salih Al-Nuaimi refused to stay silent in the face of Da’ish’s violations. This courageous lawyer was recognized for her human rights and humanitarian activities, such as helping the needy, orphans and the disabled.

Samira saw how the terrorists destroyed places of worship and symbols of civilization in Mosul, so she took on the role of an outspoken critic against Da’ish on her Facebook page. In her posted comments, she lashed out at Da’ish’s actions, denouncing the destruction of mosques and shrines as “barbarous and savage acts.” Following her comments, she was abducted by masked men and tried by a so-called Shariah court for apostasy, meaning denouncing the Islamic faith. The terrorist court labeled her guilty of apostasy and publicly executed her by masked firing squad in front of the Mosul governorate building in September 2014. When her family received her body, they found signs of torture and asked why she was tortured. The terrorists also forbade her husband and family from holding a funeral.

The execution of Samira sparked widespread condemnation, not only in Iraq, but around the world. A United Nations envoy to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, said, “By torturing and executing a female human rights lawyer and activist defending in particular the civil and human rights of her fellow citizens in Mosul, ISIL [Da’ish] continues to attest to its infamous nature, combining hatred, nihilism, and savagery, as well as its total disregard of human decency.” Da’ish, he added, “has repeatedly targeted the weak and defenseless in acts of brutality and cowardice that are beyond description, bringing about unfathomable suffering to all Iraqis regardless of their gender, age, religion, faith or ethnicity.”

AGELESS SACRIFICE

Many brave and defiant Iraqi women have refused subservience and defended their homeland with their blood. The heroic martyr Nuzha Majeed Al-Qaisi of Bayji, who was older than 70, is another important symbol of bravery and sacrifice. Her age did not stop her from carrying a rifle. When she confronted Da’ish terrorists, calling them Khawarij, meaning those who seceded, in reference to the forefathers of violent extremists, she was killed.

Likewise, the heroine of the Albu Faraj tribe, Umm Mouyad, as well as Futtaim al-Shammari of Rabia district in Ninawa province, confronted Da’ish terrorists after they broke into her home and tried to arrest her brother. Futtaim opened fire on them, wounding the intruders. They responded by firing on her and then fleeing in panic.

The world also cannot forget the thousands of women and girls of the Yazidi and Christian sects who were murdered, kidnapped, detained, raped and sold by Da’ish as sex slaves or spoils of war at a makeshift slave market.

Indeed, the stories of those heroic Iraqi women reflect the real fight that Iraqi people wage against Da’ish terrorist gangs who target everyone, without exception. The terrorist murder campaigns aim at breaking the resolve of Iraqis, but instead they have given rise to strong wills and unwavering determination to confront the waves of Takfirism, terrorism and sectarianism.

A woman holds a child at a temporary displacement camp in Kalak, Iraq. Thousands of people have fled terrorist violence in recent years, and Iraqi women have taken up the fight to return peace and stability to their homeland. GETTY IMAGES
A woman holds a child at a temporary displacement camp in Kalak, Iraq. Thousands of people have fled terrorist violence in recent years, and Iraqi women have taken up the fight to return peace and stability to their homeland. GETTY IMAGES

FEMALE FORCES

In this context, a special unit in Diyala province called Banat al-Iraq, Arabic for Daughters of Iraq, has announced that more than 200 women carried arms to fight Da’ish terrorists. In an interview on Alsumaria News, Saja Kaddouri, leader of the Daughters of Iraq unit in Diyala, said, “The participation of Diyala’s women in fighting extremists is an honor and patriotism. … The people of Diyala have two options for dealing with Da’ish: victory or martyrdom.”

The Daughters of Iraq started in late 2007 to confront the phenomenon of female suicide bombers. The organization played a crucial role in uncovering many female suicide terrorist cells, arresting their members and foiling attacks.

In the footsteps of Diyala, the Anbar Tribes Council announced that more than 50 women have volunteered to join an armed organization dubbed Banat Al-Haq, Arabic for Daughters of Righteousness.

Anbar Tribal Council member Sakr Salem Al-Ethawy said: “Tribes in Anbar experienced the bad influences of the ISIL [Da’ish] terrorist gangs, who destroyed the city and ousted its families to other provinces, and that was what encouraged these women to form this force.”

Like their sisters in Anbar, Diyala, Mosul and Salah al-Din, Amerli women have shown courage and bravery. Iraqi Minister of State for Women’s Affairs Dr. Ibtihal Al-Zaidi described them: “Amerli’s women have written a heroic epic in the pages of the honorable history of Mesopotamia with their courageous and heroic resistance, in front of Da’ish terrorist gangs, who  were under the delusion that the siege of Amerli would demoralize its people and make them surrender quickly. Instead, the people of Amerli raised the banners of victory and pride. Amerli women have raced with men to carry arms and defend their city. They preferred stability and martyrdom to submission and humiliation, and they prevailed with the Almighty power of God, and the determination of our army and courageous volunteer regiments. They defeated Da’ish terrorists, who retreated with the agony of shame and defeat.”

Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from Da’ish terrorists, are helped by a member of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units. REUTERS
Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from Da’ish terrorists, are helped by a member of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units. REUTERS

With the same determination and pride, female peshmerga forces actively participated in recent battles. A commander in the female regiment, based just outside Sulaymaniyah province, pointed out that Kurdish female fighters serve on the front lines against Da’ish. The female peshmerga regiment is composed of four companies.

Col. Nahida Ahmed Rashid, commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion Peshmerga Female, told Alsumaria News: “Our forces are ready to carry out any tasks assigned to them, and we are currently on alert.” She added that she has “550 female fighters who undergo daily intensive training on the various types of light, medium and heavy weapons.”

In other interviews with the Daily Mail and BBC, Col. Nahida spoke about fighting Da’ish terrorists on the front lines: “Until the day I die, until the last drop of my blood, I will fight [Da’ish],” she said.

She stressed that her fighters are fully prepared to counter Da’ish with full force. Their dedication has not come without sacrifice. Capt. Rangin Yousuf, 26, was killed after a mortar launched by terrorists exploded near her unit’s positions near Kirkuk. Rangin was the first women from the 2nd Battalion to be killed since its establishment 18 years ago. Col. Nahida said the loss of Rangin “made our women stronger and more adamant to take their revenge,” noting that “the numbers of women seeking to join the peshmerga has skyrocketed since Rangin’s death.”

Veteran fighter Lt. Col. Nasreen Hamlawa, the mother of Capt. Rangin, was with her during the attack. She vowed to continue to fight, stressing that her daughter’s death has only strengthened the resolve of her fellow comrades — a resolve that motivates them to continue to serve their country and their people, as they become lions instilling horror and fear within the hearts of terrorists. As the Kurdish proverb says: “When the lion is out of the den, it remains a lion, whether male or female.

Sources: Alsumaria News, Elaph, Al-monitor, Daily Mail, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Comments are closed.