BULLET CONVINCES WOMAN TO VEIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002685 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2016 TAGS: IZ KWMN PHUM SUBJECT: BULLET CONVINCES WOMAN TO VEIL BAGHDAD 00002685 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Charge d'Affairs Margaret Scobey for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. In a July 16 meeting, Radio Al Mahaba reporter Wafa Al-Sagheer told Poloff of recent threats against her life, producing a typed letter warning her to cover her head in public or face violent consequences. To bolster the message, a bullet was also included in the envelope. While rumors of such flyers being distributed have circulated throughout Baghdad for several months, this is the first actual flyer that Poloff has been able to obtain. Translated text is included in the appendix. End Summary. -------------- Brotherly Advice... -------------- ¶2. (C) Poloff first met Wafa at an introductory meeting with Al Mahaba staff on May 7. Her confidence and obvious enthusiasm for her work was impressive, and allowed her to be unfazed by the deteriorating security situation in Baghdad. She breezily described an encounter on the streets of Sadr City in which a &JAM member8 walked up to her and told her, as a brother, that she should cover her hair in public. She boldly but respectfully informed him that she was comfortable with the way she dressed, and walked away. When asked whether she was afraid of possible retribution, she defiantly stated that she would rather die than live in fear. -------------- ... Turns Into Harassing Phone Calls -------------- ¶3. (C) Over a month later, Wafa received an ominous phone call. To prove that he was serious, the caller began by reciting Wafa,s full name, address, place of work and other personal information. He then told her that if she refused to wear the hijab as she had been warned to do, they would hang her from the roof of a local restaurant (NOTE: Wafa said the caller named the restaurant across the street from her home, indicating that he knew exactly where she lived. END NOTE.). The call left her shaken, and from that day she began wearing the hijab. -------------- A Bullet Speaks Louder Than Words -------------- ¶4. (C) Even after she began to wear the hijab, Wafa noticed that her neighbors in Habibiya, a Shia neighborhood located between Belediyat and Sadr City, were watching her and in some cases following her. Wafa claimed that there is a &Hijab Committee8 in the Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM),and that the members were responsible for observing local women and reporting on their behavior and whether they were properly wearing the hijab. After a few weeks of this intimidation, Wafa returned home from work to find an envelope in front of her door. Inside she found a generic, typed threat letter and a bullet. Discreet inquiries around the neighborhood revealed that although other women had been threatened, Wafa was the only one to receive such a package. ¶5. (C) As she told her story, Wafa was visibly afraid and her voice shook. She attributed her unfortunate luck to the fact that she has challenged the neighbors before (see story in paragraph 2) and to the fact that a JAM official, Qais Yaseen Khadiar, recently settled next door to her family. She also believes she may have been targeted because of her affiliation with the radio station. Wafa reported on July 26 that she has moved and is now staying with colleagues out of fear for her family,s safety. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) Rumors that such flyers have been distributed across Baghdad have been circulating for months. Women often cite these flyers when describing the deteriorating security situation in Baghdad. However, when pressed, they generally admit that they have not seen the flyers themselves, but rather have heard about them from friends or family members. This incident confirms not only that armed groups are producing and distributing such materials, but also that the militias are actively policing their own sects to ensure compliance with conservative social and religious practices. -------------- Appendix - Translated Text of Letter -------------- BAGHDAD 00002685 002.2 OF 002 ¶7. (U) &For those who violate Islam,s rules, who wear make-up but don,t wear the headscarf, for those who aren,t afraid of doomsday, get ready, you will now be judged by the good people. This is a last warning either to wear the headscarf or to leave the Shia neighborhood. There are other neighborhoods like Karrada and Mansour that accept having people like you living in them. You are vagrants of society and considered as a big sham in Islam. You have two options: either to have your hair cut and to be whipped or to wear the headscarf. We are waiting for your response, or you can blame yourself. Signed by the Reformation and Decency Committee, Office of Killing8 SCOBEY