Correspondence From Islamic State Held Parts Of Iraq Paint A Bleak Picture Of Life

Iraqi soldiers fire a rocket toward Islamic State militants on the outskirts of the Makhmour south of Mosul, Iraq, March 25, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkaril

Murtaza Hussain and Ali Younes, The Intercept: Messages From ISIS Territory Ask Forgiveness for Murder, Paint Bleak Picture Of Life

THE PRACTICE OF writing a prominent official or scholar for advice dates back hundreds of years, if not more. In the 1690s, Londoners sent letters to the Athenian Mercury, a twice-weekly newspaper that published questions about everything from love to sin. People seeking absolution or guidance in times of hardship have frequently reached out to religious figures for counsel. Such exchanges have long been a window into society’s fears and anxieties.

The same may be true of written messages from individuals living in Islamic State-held territory in Iraq, which paint a bleak picture of life for both ISIS members and civilians still living under the group’s control.

The correspondence, provided to The Intercept and Al Jazeera, was sent to a religious scholar living in Jordan who has been associated with radical groups in the past but is critical of the Islamic State. The messages came from two people in ISIS territory seeking his religious advice. Seeking advice from religious figures is common in the Muslim world, but the recipient of these messages is particularly respected among ultra-conservative Muslims in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan.

The religious figure is not named here in order to protect his legal status in Jordan.

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WNU Editor: The people in Mosul and other parts of ISIS controlled Iraq have to be full of dread on what is about to unfold .... especially among the Sunni population. Like the German population at the end of the Second World War when they realised that nothing was going to stop the Soviet Army from storming the eastern part of Germany .... and exacting revenge for the atrocities that the German Army and their death squads did to the Soviet Union .... Iraq's Sunni population in ISIS-held Iraq must be feeling the same thing .... there are too many in Iraq who want to exact revenge, and there is nothing that is going to stop them now from exacting their revenge.