The recent military victories by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria, including Aleppo and Damascus, mark a dangerous shift for the war-torn nation. With rumors of Assad’s death, the Russia-supported Syrian forces are in retreat. And the LeLi gang is celebrating the victory of ISIS and AL Qaeda’s rebranded terrorist group HTS.
However, these LeLI gangs should know that the HTS is set to impose its strict interpretation of Sharia law. Christian families were warned of “surprise checks” and Syrian women may see a potential return of the harrowing practice of Jihad al-Nikah – a form of sexual exploitation dressed in religious rhetoric​!
What is Jihad al-Nikah?
Do you know about 'Jihad Al-Nikah'?
'It's a temporary marriage where a father/husband sends his daughter/wife to Mujahideen for serving them sexually to help boost the terrorists' morale!'
Listen to the painful story of a Girl From Syria : pic.twitter.com/W0jfx1wCvG
— Shunya (@Shunyaa00) December 8, 2024
Jihad al-Nikah is understood as “sexual jihad” by the Western world. This Jihad allows Jihadis to demand women for sexual pleasure from devout Muslims. Sometimes the women are willing to provide their bodies for this exploitative practice. However, in most cases, the men decide if these women can “earn” good merit on their backs as Jihadis use their bodies for sexual release.
Sounds familiar, it was reportedly practiced by many Muslim families in Kashmir where the daughter was offered or forced into sex with militants!
Sexual jihad (jihad al-nikah) is where Muslim women, by choice or force, travel to Islamic disturbed regions to provide sex to terrorists.
Girls from Kerala & Tunisia were sent to Syria.#VettaiyanBlockbuster #PAKvENG #DurgaAshtami #MahaNavami #महानवमी #PakistanCricket #Vettaiyan pic.twitter.com/naEOSl0uu9— amit agarwal (@amit1119) October 11, 2024
Promoted by extremist groups like ISIS in the past, Jihad al-Nikah serves as both a recruitment tool and a means to reward the male fighters. Women, often underage, are raped or “coerced” into sexual; activities may last days or hours. When entered consensually, it is a form of cultist brainwashing that makes women think that religious merit is earned by serving on the bed. When forced on unwilling girls, Jihad al-Nikah is a cycle of physical and mental abuse.
No matter the point of observation, Jihad al-Nikah is a regressive tool for the repeated exploitation of women under the guise of religious obligation.
Jihad al-Nikah = Sexual Jihad pic.twitter.com/lP22Ry7WM7
— Nahiri 🇮🇱🇺🇦🇩🇪 (@nah_iri) May 5, 2024
During the rise of ISIS, Jihad al-Nikah became a grim symbol of the group’s ideological and physical war. Victims included women from minority communities such as Yazidis, Christians, and even vulnerable Muslim populations. Women were often traded as property or “gifts,” with fighters boasting about their conquests in propaganda materials. This practice left indelible scars on survivors and reshaped the global understanding of extremist violence​.
HTS and the Shadow of Sexual Jihad
HTS, although initially distancing itself from its Al-Qaeda roots, has retained much of the ideological framework that enabled such abuses. Proof? HTS leader al-Julani was once a wanted terrorist by the US! Their recent consolidation of power in Syria suggests the reintroduction of similar practices.
U.S. Embassy Syria, 16 May 2017: https://t.co/f6EteiE8Zg pic.twitter.com/A98iHnulbK
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) December 8, 2024
Reports from HTS-controlled regions indicate:
- Increased restrictions on women’s freedoms, including mandatory veiling and bans on public engagement.
- Educational opportunities for women are curtailed, particularly beyond elementary levels.
- Propaganda that subtly reinforces patriarchal control, hinting at women’s “roles” in supporting jihad.
To predict Syria’s future under HTS, one must look to historical precedents. Under ISIS, women were not only denied basic rights but were actively targeted as tools for war. The Yazidi genocide highlights the systematic exploitation and trafficking of women. The horror stories of the survivors are well-known in international forums.Â
Similarly, today’s Afghanistan under the Taliban paints a grim picture of what HTS-controlled Syria could resemble. Afghan women have been systematically excluded from education, employment, and public life. Forced marriages, stoning, and flogging of women reveal the depths of maniacal control over women’s bodies and choices. Unfortunately for Syria, HTS’s ideological alignment with these groups suggests a similar trajectory for Syrian women.
The Role of Jihad al-Nikah in HTS’s Strategy
In the 2010s the Syrian regime accused the HTS of executing Jiahd al-Nikah in the nation. Many naysayers called the practice a blatant lie or propaganda. However, the survivor stories show that Jiahd al-Nikah has an immediate impact on women and serves as a broader strategy for extremist groups.
Jihad al-Nikah boosts morale among fighters, providing a perverse incentive to join the cause.
Moreover, it functions as a recruitment tool, appealing to men motivated by distorted religious narratives.
Additionally, it reinforces control over women, reducing them to symbols of submission and obedience within the jihadist framework.
With HTS now in control of the destiny of millions of Syrians, the vulnerability of women to these tactics is amplified. The group’s historical ties to Al-Qaeda and ISIS may ensure a rigid interpretation of Sharia in Syria. The lives of non-Muslims shall soon resemble that of Bangladeshi Hindus. And a resurgence of Jihad al-Nikah is almost inevitable​!
International Inaction and Syria’s Grim Future
The AlQaeda/ISIS terrorists in #Syria have officially announced the implementation of Sharia Law outside #Aleppo's Judicial Palace. May God help the Christians of Syria and destroy all who helped make this happen! pic.twitter.com/QAzB50B82P
— Iraqi Christian Foundation (@iraqschristians) December 8, 2024
The US and its allies are hailing the end of an “autocratic” regime. The international LeLi community focuses on how Syria shall no longer be able to assist in Russian endeavors in the Middle East. The world is unable to see that hailing the HTS today is similar to welcoming the Taliban in Afghanistan!
Syrian archaeologist Khaled Al Asaad, who has dedicated his life to the excavation and restoration of Palmyra, beheaded by ISIS after refusing to reveal the location of ancient artifacts, despite a month of torture.
He died a hero of heritage protection. (2015) pic.twitter.com/7Cebl5bYsL
— Dan Qayyum (@DanQayyum) July 12, 2023
Women and girls in the HTS regime shall soon face an uncertain future where their freedoms and dignity are at risk.
Christians in Syria captured by Islamic terrorists. pic.twitter.com/vVVs1hICmH
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) December 9, 2024
The lack of robust international intervention shall seal the fate of Syria into becoming a hardliner Islamist regime of the Middle East! As HTS tightens its control, Syria risks becoming Afghanistan 2.0 – a nation where women’s rights are obliterated, and their voices silenced. The harrowing tales of Yazidi women under ISIS and Afghan women under the Taliban are warnings of what lies ahead for Syria’s women under HTS​.
In a briefing to foreign press this morning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I emphasized the importance of protecting minorities in Syria. The attacks on the Kurds, as we saw yesterday in Manbij, must stop! We are discussing this with our friends in the U.S. administration… pic.twitter.com/YU7fxUbHf6
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) December 9, 2024
The mere possibility of a nationwide resurgence of Jihad al-Nikah under HTS is not just a human rights crisis; it is a stain on global conscience. The systematic oppression of women in the name of religion exposes the darkest facets of extremist ideologies. Without swift and decisive action from the international community, non-Muslims and Syrian women will once again bear the brunt of a conflict that seeks to erase their identities and autonomy.