Syrian women have been filmed burning the burqas which ISIS forced them to wear, in a celebration of their liberation from the militants.
The video, released by the Kurdish Anha news agency, shows a crowd of women and children cheering as the fabric catches on fire in the city of Manbij.
A woman setting light to a burqa can be heard saying: “Damn this stupid invention that they made us wear. We’re humans, we have our freedom,” the Independent reports.
The footage was taken on July 30 in the al-Naimi district of Manbij as ISIS was forced to retreat further into the centre of its former stronghold, which is now surrounded by Syria Democratic Forces (SDF).
Following a months-long operation, the Syria Democratic Forces – an alliance made up of Kurdish militia, Arab allies, and backed by America – seized control of more than 70 percent of the Syrian town over the weekend.
Although many Muslim women around the world freely choose to wear the burqa for religious reasons, women under ISIS rule are not given the choice.
Restrictive dress codes are strictly enforced in areas controlled by IS, with the militant group forcing women to wear the burqa, which covers the entire body apart from the eyes, as part of its interpretation of Sharia law.
And as military operations in Syria and Iraq drive ISIS back, several similar celebrations by women have been seen.
Souad Hamidi, a 19-year-old woman who marked her liberation by tearing off her black veil and replacing it with a red headscarf when the SDF recaptured her village, told Reuters in June:
They would punish people who did not follow their rules, sometimes forcing them to stay in dug-out graves for days. Since they [SDF] took control, we are living a new life.
I felt liberated. They made us wear it against our will so I removed it that way to spite them.
I want to erase Daesh (ISIS) from my memory.
I hope every area controlled by Daesh is liberated, that people are free of them and can live like we do now.
What an amazing show of liberation from these women.
