KUALA LUMPUR: A 26-year-old doctor from Malaysia who claimed she has travelled to Syria to join the jihadist movement revealed the realities of being married to an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) fighter on social media accounts, which have since gone viral.
In a report by Buzzfeed, the woman known as Shams, has been using the moniker ‘Bird of Jannah’ to share her experience of joining the insurgents since she left home in February 2014.
Sham, who also blogs at ‘Diary Of A Muhajirah’, said that she thought it was her duty tohijrahor pilgrimage to join the fight in Syria since she is a doctor.
In her posts, Shams indicated that she flew to Turkey and then crossed the Syrian border, all done without the knowledge of her family.
Although upset at first, her parents eventually supported her decision, Shams revealed.
“I never spoke to them before I made thehijrah. I told them only after I have reached Turkey. They were quite upset at first but then they are very supportive and happy,” she responded to a question on social networking website, ask.fm. The account has been deactivated.
After two months in Syria, Shams revealed that she had entered in an arranged marriage with an Isis insurgent from Morocco, who both agreed to be married without having met each other.
“He smiled. And he asked a question that I shall never forget for the rest of my life.
“Can we get married today? After Asr?”
Deep inside my heart shouted, no. But I have no idea why I answered “Yes”.
Shams further revealed that she had called her father on the same day to obtain his consent for marriage.
“On the same day, after Asr prayer, my friend, her husband, an English speaking brother and I went to the nearest internet cafe and made call to my father. Again, I spoke about this matter to him and I could hear my mother was shouting in joy at the back.
“Later, I passed the phone to the English speaking brother for him to take the consent from my father, as my father is mywali.”
In her postings, Shams also shared the harsh realities of being married to an insurgent and the loathing fear of losing her husband each time he heads out for the ‘battlefield’.
She relayed a story of a friend named Umm Habiba, who lost her husband in ajihad. Instead of grieving, the widow was happy and celebrated her husband’s death because it means that that he has ‘become asyahid.
“We entered the house where I saw almost 20 sisters. Nobody cried. Everyone was smiling. The house smells good. The kids seemed happy and there were plenty of foods strewn on the floor. I was astonished, puzzled.
Shams described the widow as joyful, wore nice clothes and had makeup and jewelleries on when she visited her.
“Umm Habiba..” I hugged her. The tears began to flow on my cheeks. I cried like a baby. She took her hand and wiped my tears and hold my cheeks. She said something that amazed me.
“Umm al Baraa ya Habibty. My husband is a He is In sha Allāh in the garden of Jannah, married to Hoor-al Ayn. Today is the day of celebration. Today is the day of joy. No one shall cry! Especially you. You’re a new bride, you should always smile,” she said in another one of her blog post.
A week and a half into the marriage, it was Sham’s fear turned a reality. Her husband, Abu al Baraa was preparing himself to leave home for a militant operation.
“Jihadis my first wife, and you’re my second. I hope you understand” he told Shams.
Shams, who is now pregnant, admitted that it was tough being the wife of an insurgent and sometimes post poetry on her Facebook page, begging her husband to not leave her ‘too soon’.
The doctor, in her Twitter postings, has also defended Isis for carrying out killings on Western journalists and aid workers.
Her Facebook account has been taken down on several occasions – as it went against Facebook’s policy that do not permit ‘terrorist groups’ to use the social networking site.
In August, Special Branch (Operations/Counter Terrorism division) assistant director-general Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay confirmed reports of Malaysian women who travelled to Syria for certain purposes.
However, there is no proof that they are involved with ISIS by offering sexual jihad orJihad Al-Nikahto date.
According to a Malaysian Insider report last month, senior intelligence officials confirmed that three Malaysian women have journeyed to the Middle East to join up with Isis forces.
