Isolation camps .. danger awaits the pushing of a button

A week of listening to the testimonies of residents of the Iraqi camps, for several reasons there are 94 camps in Iraq inhabited by about 300 thousand people of all age groups according to the statistics of government sources. This includes about 118 thousand people who are uncertain about the safety of their position. Many of these families had members belonging to the ISIS (Daesh).  Some of them lived under the rule of ISIS, but this does not mean that all of them were members and or worked for ISIS. They did not work in the security or military file of ISIS, and no one has testified that they were a supporter of ISIS.

Many journalists have interviewed and also published their dialogues with these families. Some of these stories are from different angles and perspectives and they tackle humanitarian, legal, economic, religious, tribal, national and national issues … These stories were written by professional journalists. If these stories are collected they can be adequate for three volumes of books.

I myself personally conducted an interview with a mother of ISIS terrorist. Her name was “Khalida Um Asaad” aged 68 years in one of the camps of Alkilo 18. She personally did not regret the condemnation of her son with a doctrine of ISIS. Her son was obedient to extremist views. He divorced his cousin and the mother of his children because of her incompatibility with his extremist views. He says that the jurisprudence of Shari’a does not allow for innovation and modernity. She is a teacher of mathematics.  She learnt from her profession that the science of humanities and jurisprudence are subject to rules similar to mathematics. These sciences are sharp and strict and they do not accept gray color. It is truth between truth and lies. She has two daughters and an old grandparent and five grandchildren. She and three women are still locked in Jihadism of her son’s doctrine of ISIS. One of them tells the story of the siege of the first people of Islam by Abu Talib, the story dates back to Prophet Mohammed’s mission in the Mecca with many other stories of patience and amusement. The liberation of Hit and Kabisa, these camps are still loaded with these examples and models of narratives. These camps resemble Bucca Camp, academics and seminars for industry of manufacturing hatred and resentment. Added to this is the lack of vision by the government looming on the horizon.

I said to her: “You and those who resemble you with this disfigurement of religious belief wish for the return of the rules of murder and slaughter. ISIS is a failed crony state. ISIS lived on the spoils of war and conquer, it lives on bullets and knives. Even in these camps, which are not fit for living with a human dignity. They are still thinking of making allegiance to the Caliphate and the honorable ruling of the Caliphate, they think of sectarianism, boredom, Shari’a law, Shari’a jurisprudence and Bayt al-Mal (House of treasure, whereas many of them feel tyranny, injustice and resentment from those who support ISIS.”

During the liberation process, the families of ISIS members were isolated in special camps and they were put under tight security control for fear of operations of tribal revenge nature. the children, elderly, and young people were put together as their security and judicial safety had emerged after living together for three years under the oppressive rule of ISIS.

A few days later I visited an isolated camp near Amiriya and Falluja. I spoke to Haji Jumaa Abu Halim, a grandpa of a terrorist ISIS. He said ”

“I suffered a lot from my evil grandson, who attacked the property of our people and our neighbors. Before 2003, he spent most of his time in bars drinking alcohol. After 2004 he joined the terrorist organization of Al- Zarqawi. In 2013, he escaped from Abu Ghraib prison. The first thing he did was to annul his sister’s contract who was married to an intelligence officer in the current Iraqi government and he threatened to kill her. He also killed his cousin because he was a traffic police. I was unable to stop him and he did not listen to me. I am consciously uncomfortable with his criminality. Now I am 79 year old and have chronic diseases that kills me. I know I will be standing in the hands of God Almighty because of my lack of courage to kill this filthy person. I could finish off him every night when he was sleeping. But I was a coward.

When I visited an isolation camp south of Nineveh I met a wife of an ISIS (Daeshi). Her name was Siham Umm Hanin and was 50 year old.  She told me about her epic escape from the Shoora area south of Nineveh with her three children. She said “I felt as if the resurrection was taking place. I had nothing to do but only to run toward federal police of Iraq. I was carrying my infant son and with me was also a woman of my neighbors. Many of those people who fled felt they were in the dream of freedom except for me who did not feel that way. They had their husbands and sons with the government outside the city of Shoora. For them ISIS was over and they were safe and secure with their beloved husbands and children. But for me, it was the doomsday and felt like hell. These people informed the intelligence about my husband “Hatem”. They reported that my husband was a hard-liner ISIS and a police man of Islamic State. My husband arrested many of my neighbors and accused them of spying and working as an agent  and or employed by Iraqi government and coalitions forces.  They completed their security check on me and then isolated me in the camp.

Even in this miserable camp, some women still believe in  ISIS and or the so called Islamic State doctrine. Um Haneen insisted to inform me. She was uneducated, her academic achievement is less than primary school. She had to adhere to the prayer for the Caliph in her every night prayer. Interestingly, they still have the hope of Jihad “Khazwa” will save and liberate them. The law does not consider them as suspects and or criminals. This model of women, who are only a few numbers, control the administration, organization and education of the camps. This is an embarrassing and dangerous threat that needs further attention.

In a small and narrow geography crowded with hundreds of displaced people who carry with them hatred, extremist religious teachings and memories of their coexistence under the rule of ISIS … a dangerous bell is ringing telling us that we should stop this negligence that many extremists are still there outside.

I realized something imperative that inside the camps still we have an estimate of 1% of those who still believe in the alleged caliphate of ISIS. These are sleeper cells who are still waiting for an opportunity to renew their blood sheds. They are still locked in internal circles and have internal disagreement.

They say: “They have lost the land of empowerment and succession only, it is an ill-fated destiny of them, however, they did not lose their faith in the Caliphate and that war is debatable”.  The administration of these government camps shared these observations with me and they criticized the lack of a methodology of International and local organizations to deal with these diseases, especially for mothers and children.

Some people were killed in these camps in a mysterious way and the murderers are still unknown. These camps resemble the stories of “Bucca”. “Um Haneen and Um As’ad” both severely beat their children and both prevent their children from attending the programs of international and local organizations .They also do not allow their children to play and or socialize with the other children in the camp. The other children attend International and local NGOs activities and these mothers say: “Beware of the infidels and hypocrites”. “Umm Haneen” says that “If God wills your husband to kill you, then you are a kafir.(infidel)”.

I proposed to the camp administrations the following 5 steps to reduce the spread of extremist ideology;

1 – The isolation of suspected extremists in special camps, and this should be done with the help and assistance of special committees to diagnose extremist thought and violent behavior. This should be according to the real and correct evidence and psychological standards, social and moderate jurisprudence.

2 – Make use of peace building  organizations and the empower stability and serious national reconciliation. We should write solutions for each geography or environment related to those who have been considered a radicalized extremist people with ISIS ideology.

3 – the imposition of compulsory education for the children and work to integrate them in schools outside the camps after consultation with the competent committee to write a report of their recovery and innocence of the attitudes and ideology of ISIS.

4. To impose psychological and educational courses and workshops on the religious, social and economic dialogue for both sexes to reduce extremism of those who are isolated in the camps.

5 – special programs is needed to increase confidence in national identity. Also create a space for the people to know each other and learn the tradition of forgiving and tolerance and coexistence. Programs are needed to respect the right of religious belief and each person. We should raise awareness of the people not to use violence and or infringing the rights of other people.