“We are tired of wandering and witnessing war in a foreign country, we want to be back to homeland as soon as possible”. These are Tajik women’s wishes, who are stuck for various reasons in Syria and Iraq, thousands of kilometres away from Tajikistan. Some of them ended up behind bars, while the rest live in the most terrible of conditions. At the same time, the majority of these women are wanted on charges of radicalism, but many of them do not consider themselves radicals. It leaves an open question: what exactly led Tajik women to the countries even natives are desperate to leave?
“We crossed the border and realized that we were in Syria”
Shabnam Khalimjonova is 24, and the last 4 years she has been living in Syria, away from her homeland. During her school years, she might not have even known the exact place of Syria on the map, and could not have imagined that fate would bring her to this country.
Shabnam was born and raised in Isfara. Her parents lived a simple life. She graduated from high school. Choosing from the traditionally female professions, she mastered the art of sewing and dreamed that one day she would succeed in this path, but she got married when she became 18. The further Shabnam’s life was closely tied with family.
According to her, in 2014, having been deceived by her husband, Shabnam travelled in Syria. Together with her husband, they first flew to Russia, then to Turkey, and then got to Syria. This is the common path for most radical Tajik citizens to join the Islamic State. Recalling those days, Shabnam Khalimjonova says that her husband talked about the possibility of getting a job in Turkey.
“When we arrived to Istanbul, we were told we will get a job in another city in Turkey. However, they led us to strange area, and we were told to run 2-3 kilometers. We ran, and people came from the other side and took us away. Only there we knew that we were in Syria,” says Shabnam.
She and her husband spent two years in Syria. In 2016, Shabnam’s husband died fighting in the capital of IS, the city of Raqqa. With her little baby, Shabnam fell into the hands of opposition forces fighting against the government of Bashar al-Assad. These forces fought against IS as well.
Shabnam was held in custody along with dozens of other IS militants’ wives; afterwards, she was taken to the shelter of Al-Moliqia in Al-Hasakah region.
Shabnam Khalimjonova says she regrets a lot about her trip to Syria and now she dreams of only one thing – returning back to Tajikistan. Living conditions in the camp were very poor: people lived in tents.
This young Tajik woman does not consider herself radicalized and claims she has never participated in armed fighting. In Tajikistan, a criminal case has been initiated against her. Despite this, Shabnam dreams of returning to Tajikistan; her relatives addressed the authorities of the country with the same request.
Shabnam says that, like dozens of other women, she fell prey to the deceit of her warlike men and dreams of returning to her homeland. She hopes that she is still remembered at home and will finally return to her homeland.
“Life sentence for Tajik women for joining ISIS”
Over the past five years, radicalization and the accession of citizens of Tajikistan to extremist groups has become the hottest topic in Tajik society. The authorities fiercely oppose this phenomenon. The eradication of radicalism among women is one of the directions of their struggle. Over the past five years, more than 400 Tajik women and children have departed to Syria and Iraq. The official statistics on Tajik women who departed to the Middle East are not disclosed. The authorities note that out of more than 1,000 citizens of Tajikistan in Syria and Iraq, more than 400 are women and children.
Up to date, 22 Tajik women have been sentenced to long terms of imprisonment in Iraq on charges of membership in an IS extremist group. Of these, 4 people were sentenced to death, while the rest received long sentences ranging from 20 years to life sentence. A court in Baghdad has sentenced 9 Tajik women, Lutfiya Izzatullo Abdullah, Tamanno Karimova Holahmad, Safargul Nabiyeva, Madina Ashraf Kurbon, Hadicha Fayziddinzoda, Iroda Razzok Holik Sodiq, Oisha Sherbekova, Zuhro Zohir Muhammad and Zebo Jonaki Saidova, to a punishment ranging from 20 years to life sentence imprisonment. Radio Ozodi published this news. According to the source, Nodirabegim Hamza, a resident of Zafarabad district was also sentenced to life imprisonment in Iraq. Hamza Turabek, Nodirabegim’s father, previously said that he wanted to visit his daughter in Iraq, but as reported by Hamza Turabek’s relatives, he still didn’t visit his daughter.
Moreover, the fate of the remaining Tajik women in Syria and Iraq remains unknown. According to various sources, some of them have already been killed, the rest are in shelters. During the period when IS controlled most of Iraq and Syria territories, a certain proportion of women were forcibly married to other fighters of this extremist group after the death of their husbands.
Faraj correspondent writes that “according to the rules of IS, every jihadist’s wife should be married to another fighter after the death of her husband and 40 days of mourning. This indicates that no one takes into account her intent to marry another fighter. And women, afraid of losing their children in a foreign land, are forced to agree to any conditions”.
Our conversations with this group of women and journalists from Syria and Iraq revealed that the majority of women sentenced to imprisonment ended up in IS because of their husbands.
It is also worth noting that Tajik women are being sentenced for radicalism not only outside the country. The courts of Tajikistan also decided to imprison some women as a punishment for sharing radical views. The statistics on these cases also remain unpublished. However, it is known that both young women and women of old age are among the accused.
“Radicals or victims of radicalism?”
According to experts, radicalism among women is not new. Back in the 90s, many Tajik women were brought to justice for membership in radical groups. However, the number was too small to pose a threat to society. The issue of radicalism among women became relevant again after 2013, when dozens of Tajik women went to Syria and Iraq. According to analysts, the issue of radicalism among women should be assessed correctly, since not all women who departed to the Middle East are radicals.
Rustam Azizi, deputy director of the Centre for Islamic Studies under the President of Tajikistan, who studied the issues of radicalization, says that women accused of radicalism should be divided into three groups: women who are truly radical; those who departed to the Middle East together with relatives and husbands; and women who searched for job and wound up in those places by deceit.
Rustam Azizi noted that the most of them are the victims of radicalism.
“There are women who are truly radical. If men become radicals, then why can’t a woman become a one?! Most of the women, who, according to our statistics, are in Syria, went there with their family. Therefore, those who went there being influenced by their husbands are victims of radicalism. But there are women who actually take part in the fighting. Although they are few, they do in fact exist. There are also women who are engaged in propaganda and recruitment of young people into radical groups”, said Rustam Azizi.
The women’s involvement in radical movements through their husbands or other family members is one of the main factors, but according to authorities and analysts, it is not the only one.
According to Rustam Azizi, other factors of the radicalization of women include problems with their integration into society and their inability to find their place in it. Some women see radicalism and joining extremist groups as a kind of salvation from problems in their lives. The same situation applies to another group of women who see salvation in suicide.
“Radicalism is the same salvation as suicide”
At the same time, other Tajik experts note that radicalism has become just another mean for women to solve their problems. According to analysts, difficult living conditions make women an easy prey for recruiters.
Faridun Hodizoda, a scholar specializing on the issues of radicalism, says that women who went to the Middle East can be divided into two groups.
The first group includes women who became radicals in the first place and convinced their husbands to send them to Syria and Iraq. The second group includes women who were forced to join extremist groups together with their husbands.
Faridun Hodizoda says that the problem of the women’s radicalization in some cases originates in difficult living conditions and other women’s problems. Just as some women kill themselves and even their children driven by the problems in their lives, the same problems can lead to radicalization of other women.
“Authorities: Every woman has the opportunity to be amnestied”
Recently, the authorities, in particular the security agencies of Tajikistan, have seriously taken up the fight against radicalism, including the one among women. The Counter-Terrorism Headquarters was created, which unites the efforts of all security agencies in their fight against radicalism. Authorities claim they seek to eradicate radicalism in all sectors of society, including among women.
Umarjoni Emomali, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan, told that explanatory work is consistently being conducted in public places and communities with an aim to prevent citizens including women from joining radical groups.
According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in order to prevent joining to radical groups, the authorities are conducting operational activities. In such situations, criminal cases are initiated and the guilty are brought to justice.
It is worth noting that another tendency emerges in the fight against radicalism in Tajikistan: the amnesty for the people accused of radicalization. The only conditions of amnesty are voluntarily return of those people and absence of the body of a crime in their actions.
According to Umarjoni Emomali, there are women among them. He did not provide specific statistics, however, he noted that some women accused of radicalism were amnestied. Authorities claim that the opportunity to be amnestied still exists for all men and women who have joined extremist groups.
“In many cases, husbands become radical first, and only later they influence wives and children. Joint activities of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are carried out for extradition of women back to Tajikistan. But first, it is necessary to take into account the intentions of the women themselves and the states in which they are imprisoned. If women want to return voluntarily, we will help them”, said Umarjoni Emomali.
“Women are more likely to become members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, Salafiya and IS”
Up to date, there are no specific studies on radicalism among Tajik women. Only a few surveys were conducted; they reflect the situation only to a certain extent.
One of the sociological polls of the Strategic Research Center under the President of Tajikistan conducted in 2016 reveals some aspects of this issue. According to the findings of this study, most of the Tajik women went to Syria and Iraq being invited by their husbands. Thus, 64.4% of respondents in Khatlon region, 8.4% in Sughd region and 5% of respondents from Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) reported this factor as the main reason for Tajik women to join the war in the Middle East. Respondents also noted that women end up in Syria and Iraq travelling through Russia, using social networks, being influenced by acquaintances and other ways.
The respondents of this survey responded that the majority of women from their region have become members of extremist groups and Hizb ut-Tahrir, Salafiya and IS. Some respondents from Sughd region noted that a small proportion of women from their region joined the Ansarullah, Jundullah groups, and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
“I will divorce you if you don’t go with me”
After studying the issue, we conclude that the cause of the most women’s radicalization or their departure to the war in Syria and Iraq was the influence of their husbands. And the main question remaining is why does a Tajik woman consider herself obliged to follow her husband? Each group has its own opinion on this question. Some consider this behaviour to be a part of the Tajik mentality, when “a man is a head of a family and his word is the law”.
Sabohat Mahmadalieva, public relations officer of the Committee for Women and Family Affairs, says that their research shows that the initiative to join radical groups does not come from women themselves, but from their husbands who force them to do so.
According to her, some husbands make a condition for their wives – either the wife goes with him or he divorces her. In order to preserve the family, women are forced to follow their husbands.
Last year, two women addressed the Committee, claiming their husbands force them to go to Syria. The authorities managed to prevent these cases. According to Ms. Mahmadalieva, forcing a woman to go to another country is a form of violence.
“Women do not have access to alternative information”
Study of the fate of 10 Tajik women who are prosecuted on charges of radicalism in the countries of the Middle East or in their homeland leads to certain conclusions.
Most of these women lived limited domestic lives. Most did not receive any education rather than school and, according to their relatives, have very poor knowledge of social life. However, many women among them have good religious knowledge. Usually these women do not have access to alternative religious information and secular views, and are being unilaterally influenced. Most are limited to domestic lives, where national traditions play a major role, according to which the wife should be in complete submission to her husband and not go beyond his will. Among women, this “rule” is observed very seriously. According to analysts, radical groups use this for their own purposes and persuade men to bring the whole family with them.
“Do arrests and imprisonments solve the problem?”
The fight against radicalism in society, including radicalism among women, became intense in recent years. The methods of struggle include detention and imprisonment as well as, according to the authorities, conducting explanatory works. Some experts often criticise these methods.
Rustam Azizi, deputy director of the Centre for Islamic Studies, notes the country wants to prevent the spread of radicalism through meetings and discussions, but he does not consider these measures effective and says that other methods should be considered instead. He believes that launching education courses for developing craft skills instead of conducting repeating meetings is a better way to fight radicalization among women.
In general, creation of jobs, raising the status of women in society, state support for the family, attracting women to education and providing them with decent work are considered the main methods of fighting radicalization among women.
“The decision-making voice of women must be heard”
According to experts, the most effective way to fight women’s radicalization is to improve the quality of women’s role in society, in particular, in the family. When making decisions in the family, the voice of women and their opinions should be taken into account. The experts say that a woman should have her own views when making decisions in a family, and only in that case women will be able to determine whether to go somewhere with their husbands or not. The women should be free in stating their opinions on various issues, which may be different from their husbands’ point of view.
According to experts, the authorities should take into account several points in addressing the problem of women’s radicalization. In particular, women accused of radicalism may in fact be victims and should not receive a harsh punishment.
Mullorajab Yusufi
This journalistic investigation was conducted in collaboration with Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in Tajikistan under the project “Forging links and raising voices to combat radicalization in Central Asia”.