After starting a campaign against article 7 in the Kurdistan’s regional constitution which makes women and the society vulnerable to Islamic Shariaa, Houzan received on February 26th an email titled (kill), threatening as follows: “With the permission of Great God, we will kill you either in Iraq or in London by the middle of March, because you are campaigning against Islam. You should be sent to God for punishment.” The threat is signed by Ansar Al Islam, a Sunni Jihadi group in Kurdistan of Iraq.
All the US military campaigns against Al Qaeda and affiliates were not enough to weaken them. All the anti-terrorist legislative precautions of the Anglo-American coalition did not affect or frighten Al Qaeda affiliates.
Houzan’s successful political activism for a secular society and constitution, which respects women, immediately, alerted the terrorist Jihadists who threaten to find her wherever she is. They understand very well that they will not have a place in a secular and humane society which will discard them, i.e. if Houzan and her group win over, they will retreat and withdraw from those bases.
OWFI leaders have been the target for these threats since the occupation of Iraq as they are the only women’s group to speak boldly against the forced Islamization of the Iraqi society into an Afghanistan under Taliban. Instead of fighting in battlegrounds, OWFI activists have won successfully in many societal circles against the terrorist Islamists as both will not let go of the women’s rights arena.
Nevertheless, most of the western world’s support goes to Middle-Eastern religious groups which are not very different from Al Qaeda in issues of women’s status and discrimination.
OWFI condemns the inhumanity of political Islamist groups against women and women activists. We call upon the world to stop supporting religious groups in Iraq and the Middle-East. These Jihadi groups cannot enslave women, youth and the society at large if not supported strongly by governments and groups. It is also a well known fact that the occupation turned Iraq into an incubator of these inhumane movements.
Support Houzan against the Jihadists
Defend her free word against their bloody vision
Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq