Islamic State ‘beheads women for sorcery’

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has beheaded two women they accused of practicing sorcery.

Abdel Rahman said the four, killed in the city of Mayadeen, appear to have been accused after the jihadists found them in possession of charms.

The use of amulets, charms and other folk religious practices is common in parts of Syria, particularly in the countryside, according to activists.

The charms are often written on a piece of paper sewn into fabric, and are intended to protect the recipient against bad luck or jealousy, or to prevent or solve other problems.

But the practice is considered heretical and a form of “witchcraft” by IS, which imposes its harsh interpretation of Islam on the areas under its control.

Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said one of the women was beheaded along with her husband. The beheadings were carried out over the past week, he said, without giving further details. All were accused of sorcery.

ISIS, which governs its self-styled caliphate in accordance with an extreme interpretation of Islamic law, has in the past beheaded dozens of people for blasphemy, sorcery and espionage.

The group has beheaded female Kurdish fighters, and they are well known to have punished civilian women with death by stoning for the crime of adultery or other offenses

However, this is the first known time they have beheaded a civilian woman, Reuters reports.

The killing of people for sorcery is not unique to IS. The authorities in Saudi Arabia have also beheaded both men and women on similar charges.

Source: BBC NEWS http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33329300