Binevş Sarya/JINHA

MANBIJ- Zehra’s story emerged following the liberation of Manbij. Zehra Icêlo being slandered and arrested in the occupied city and she was stoned to death by command of ISIS just as Süreyya (Soraya), who had been stoned to death 30 years ago. Zehra resisted against the thrown stones by holding her head high and she was killed with three bullets. Zehra’s sister says, “Whole world should know her story like Süreyya’s story.”

You can find the stories of women, who try to tear down the shrouds they put in, and of those who try to dress women into shrouds in each inch of the Middle East’s geography. Manbij was one of liberated cities, where women welcomed the freedom enthusiastically. The city remained under the occupation of ISIS gangs for two and half years was liberated in 72 days with the operation of Manbij Military Council. Now we are in streets of the liberated Manbij and we come across the traces of what happened in every street. People were beheaded, subjected to torture, women were stoned and sugar was put on women’s bodies and they were kept under sun until they died.

Does anyone know Zeyra’s story?

You still can see the fear and pain in the eyes of people in this city. Zehra is one of women, who were stoned by gangs’ members. Story of Zehra Icêlo has a special place for the people in Manbij. Everyone in the city knows Zehra’s story. Before telling Zehra’s story, telling the story of Süreyya will be better, because Süreyya had faced what Zehra faced years ago. The applied method to Zehra and Süreyya is same even if years passed and the places are different.

Joint story of Zehra and Süreyya

Süreyya Menuçêhrî was born in 1951 in the Kerecê Village of Iran. Süreyya was slandered by her husband and sentenced to death by the village’s imam and the false witnesses. Süreyya was taken to the village square and stoned to death after the crowd gathered. Süreyya’s aunt and nieces wrote Süreyya’s story in an article published in a newspaper and whole world knew the story of Süreyya. And then her story was adapted from the article to the film with the title “The Stoning of Soraya M.”

30 years later, the same incident happened in Manbij. An Arab woman Zehra was born on February 12, 1974. Zehra was subjected to atrocity of ISIS following the occupation of Manbij. She was stoned to death in Rebe Emnî Square on February 12, 2014, on her birthday.

Zehra’s sister doesn’t want to give her name. She burst into tears while talking about Zehra. She told what happened with following words: “Zehra graduated from the medical department at the university. And she became a doctor. She didn’t leave her profession after getting married. Her husband did his business in another city. Then she left her husband and began to live alone. Our lives turned to hell after ISIS gangs came to the city. They took all women’s rights away. Gangs’ members got annoyed of Zehra’s profession. They always wanted to prevent her to do her profession. One day, gangs’ members came and took Zehra with them by saying, “Zehra has gun” and then they took me with them too. Three days later, they brought a man, who we didn’t know. They said, “Zehra has a relationship with that man, they love each other.” We were held in prison for six months.

Prison was a hell for Êzidî women

Zehra’s sister noted that 10 Êzidî women were held in the prison and continued: “ISIS gangs abducted Êzidî women in Shengal and brought them to here. They slandered to Êzidî women. They closed the faces of Muslim women with veil. The faces of Êzidî women were opened and they came and took selected Êzidî women with them. Êzidî women were subjected sexual assaults in the prison by many men. There was a pregnant woman among them. She gave medicine to other women in order to prevent them to get pregnant. We stayed with the pregnant woman and the woman gave her baby name as Zehra when she gave birth. Gangs’ member wanted raped her after the birth and the woman set herself on fire. The prisons were like a hell for Êzidî women.”

Zehra’s sister underlined that Zehra never bow down against ISIS gangs’ members and continued: “The gangs’ mullah said, “You committed adultery” to Zehra and she told him, “I didn’t commit adultery. You don’t want women to gather. God knows that I am innocent. One or other day, you will burn in the fire of hell due to your own sin.” Then, the mullah sentenced her to stone to death. The man, who was accused by being relationship with Zehra, was killed with Zehra.

“After the stoning verdict, Zehra told me, “I am leaving and innocent. They determined my fate like that. But you should be strong. Go from this city and take care of yourself. They took Zehra to a garage and dug a hole there. They buried up to Zehra and the man waists in the hole. Then, gangs’ members called the people and told them, “Stone them”. They killed the man with three rocks. Zehra resisted against the thrown rocks and she was killed with three bullets.

“Half of the body of Zehra was buried and other part remained in the hole. Gangs’ member killed the people every Friday in that square. The day of murder of Zehra, it was raining heavily, like the heavens opened. The city was flooded. Three days later, flowers grew where Zehra was killed. Everyone knows that Zehra was innocent. Our Manbij is free now thanks to Manbij Peoples’ Council. I believe that everyone hear the scream of Zehra. We remember the atrocity of gangs when we look the flowers grew whre Zehra was killed. Everyone should know Zeyra’s story like Süreyya’s story.”

(mg/fk/gd)