Women in parts of Syria liberated from under ISIS rule have been celebrating their first taste of freedom by wearing bright colors again.
Under the Islamic State’s rule, women are held to a strict dress code that requires them to wear only black, baggy clothing that covers their entire bodies and double veils over their faces. Those who do not comply with the Islamic State dress code face imprisonment.
Which is why a Kurdish woman from the recently liberated town of Abu Qalqal in southern Manbij, has now vowed to wear red for the rest of her life.
In a video news report obtained and translated by The Foreign Desk, an emotionally charged crowd in Abu Qalqal chants, “We are freed! We are freed!”
An older woman who introduces herself to the reporter as Khadija Abdu Al-Muotee, wearing a red leopard-print hijab with large three-dimensional flowers, appears in the video exuding excitement and happiness at her new-found freedom.
“Oh God! Oh God! Freed! Freed!” Khadija exclaims to the reporter.
“Now I will only wear red!” she says, adding "They forced us to cover our faces with the Islamic veil and threatened to kill us."
In January, a 21-year-old girl was tortured to death in Manbij for violating the dress code. She reportedly died at the hands of a notorious female militant known only as “Oum Farouq,” according to Ara News.
