(New York Times) – The boy did not want to see a beheading, so he held his mother’s hand tight and tried to close his eyes. But seeing it was mandatory when the Islamic State ruled his hometown in northern Syria: If you were out on the street, you had to watch. The boy, now 11 and a refugee in Beirut, reckons he saw 10 beheadings, and once he saw a man accused of a crime being thrown off the top of a building. Videos of executions were shown after the executions — and children were invited to watch inside mosques. “Some of my friends, they used to go and watch,” said the boy, who gave only his first name, Muhammad. “They liked it.”
New Dangers Stalk Syrian Children Still Haunted by Horrors Under ISIS
New York, NY 10168
watchlist@watchlist.org
Watchlist is a fiscally sponsored project of United Charitable, a US-based 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.
