ISIS prevents dentists from curing women

Abdalaziz Alhamza – Exclusive – RBSS 

ISIS group issued a decision in the city of Tabaqa in the western countryside of Raqqa, that permanently prevents dentists from curing women, under the pretext that being in the company of women is contrary to Islam. The edict started through a series of raids by ISIS members on dentists’ clinics. They have insulted doctors who cure women, even with the presence of Muhram – a male relative – in the same treatment room. They also made harsh criticisms to the doctors for employing a female nurse at the clinic.

Doctors tried to delay following the edict in order to enable them to finish their works and financial commitments to their patients, but the group gave them a specific time to end all commitments. After the expiry of the deadline, ISIS waged a campaign on clinics to monitor the implementation of this decision, during which they arrested and whipped two doctors at the headquarters of Hesba affiliated with the group inside Tabaqa city.

One of the doctors told a reporter from Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently: “The number of female dentists inside Tabaqa is relatively little, and these doctors can not address all women of the city, but that did not prevent the group from the implementation of this resolution, which significantly affected the work of dentists, because 70% of the patients are women because they care about this subject more than men, and therefore dentists’ income decreased, as work hours also decreased to less than 3 hours per day, which led to the closure of some clinics and go to other areas in search of a livelihood with dignity, away from the work at the mercy of Hesba patrols which haunt us as if we were vendors of prohibited substances. “

It is worth mentioning that ISIS stormed clinics in a barbaric manner to search for any irregularities, resulting in the number of dentists inside the city dropping to less than 10. The strange thing is that this issue has applied within Tabaqa only, while the work of dentists in Raqqa continues without change. This situation is another example of ISIS applying the resolutions in some places without applying it to others.

The doctor continued saying: “Currently I started thinking about travel to Turkey or to regime’s areas in search of a job away from the state of tension and stress imposed by the group during the past months.”

media activist from the city of Raqqa, student at the Faculty of Law at the University of the Euphrates. Director of the Media Office of Raqqa, founding member of "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently", founding member of the documentary project of "Sound and Picture". I work in documenting violations committed by Assad's regime and ISIS group and extremist organizations inside the city of Raqqa, as I work in programming, design and visual media. I hold a certificate of coach in digital security, and a certificate of journalist coach, and a certificate in documenting violations against human rights, and a certificate in electronic advocacy. I underwent a training under the supervision of "Cyber-Arabs" in collaboration with the Institute for War and Peace "IWPR", about the management of electronic websites and leadership of advocacy campaigns, and a training of press photography under the supervision of the photojournalist "Peter Hove Olesen".