Fathers in Aleppo have sought religious guidance as to whether they can end the lives of their daughters rather than let them be raped by advancing regime forces, according to social media reports.
The following was shared on Facebook on Monday:
It is not clear from where this individual, who appears to live outside of Syria, received the information.
One prominent Syrian Islamic scholar tweeted the following on Tuesday, as Assad’s regime announced victory over former rebel stronghold of East Aleppo:
We are receiving from Aleppo questions like this one, can a man kill his wife or sister before she is raped by Assad Forces in front of him?
— Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi (@Shaykhabulhuda) December 13, 2016
His response to the question was to confirm that the killing of women in this circumstance is not permissible according to religious teaching:
@Shaykhabulhuda it is forbidden to kill in fear of rape or to commit suicide; patience is the necessary and the rewards come after life.
— Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi (@Shaykhabulhuda) December 13, 2016
Additionally, one Syrian activist shared what he said was the account of a young woman in Aleppo who claimed that she “awaits rape within a few hours” because “there are no men nor arms to stand between us and the monster whom are called the Syrian army”.
She suggested that she would kill herself, regardless of the fatwa that said suicide was not permitted in these circumstances, “because the day of judgment just happened and I don't think hell is worse than what we are living.”
The UN reported yesterday that 82 civilians in East Aleppo had been executed on sight by the Syrian army, adding to countless accounts of Syrian civilians being targeted during the ongoing civil war in the country.
It is not, however, clear why the women felt they would be particularly at risk of rape. While there are widespread accounts of rape being used against men in Syrian prisons, there are only isolated reports of the Syrian army using sexual violence against women during the conflict.
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