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.

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Brotherly Advice...
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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.

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... Turns Into Harassing Phone Calls
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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.

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A Bullet Speaks Louder Than Words
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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.

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Comment
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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.

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Appendix - Translated Text of Letter
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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