Iraq Diaries: Zainab

Iraq’s recent proposal to lower the legal age of marriage to nine signals a disturbing rollback of women’s and girls’ rights in the country.

Speaking to More to Her Story under the condition of anonymity, one young Iraqi woman shares her fears that this decision could pave the way for extremist ideologies to gain ground and threaten the freedoms of women far beyond Iraq’s borders. She makes an urgent appeal to the world to listen to the voices of women living under extremist regimes and to stand alongside them in their fight for freedom and dignity.

We are a multi-religious country, but they are trying to make us like Afghanistan. They want to impose the hijab even on Christian women. There are Muslim women who are not veiled. They are trying to force them to wear the hijab. The Islamic Republic of Iran controls us to the maximum extent. They really want to destroy us. We want secular rule. We do not want this government. They marry minors and make their lives hell. They kill women. There are 22 million women in Iraq. We are in a bad state. We are in danger. Please, save us before we become like Afghanistan.

We live in a society that is extremely patriarchal. They kill women every day. They want underage girls to marry men over 50 years old. Two weeks ago, a 60-year-old man married an 8-year-old girl. On her wedding night, she died due to a ruptured uterus and bleeding. She was too young. Girls can’t go out in peace; we are imprisoned since the age of eight and can’t live our childhood or adolescence.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is trying to spread its poison here too. In Iraq, they want to implement a new law other than child marriage. They want to impose the hijab on non-Muslim women and Muslim women here by force and coercion. They want to impose a law on women not to leave the house. This means that women cannot study. They are just like ISIS.

Recently, thanks to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the law of forced and coercive hijab was implemented in the state of Libya. Iran is trying to impose its hegemony on the Middle East. Where is the United States? They are killing us alive here. Where are the women? Is there anyone who can help us? We don't want these governments.

This news isn’t reaching the United Nations. After Libya, we will be in danger. Save the women of Iraq and Libya before it's too late.

We hope to live like animals. At least the animals are free.

*Names have been changed.