The Video Featuring ISIS Marketplace Selling Women Is an Art Performance

24th May 2023

The Video Featuring ISIS Marketplace Selling Women Is an Art Performance

The footage is a cinematic scene (Twitter)

The Claim

A video shows a marketplace where individuals affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS-Daesh) sell enslaved women for sexual purposes.

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Emerging story

A video clip widely shared on social media platforms allegedly portrays a market where individuals associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS-Daesh) engage in the sale of enslaved women with the intention of exploiting them for sexual activities.

According to social media users' claims, only the owner who owns the women is granted permission to view their faces.

These images make me sick, angry and sad.
This is a market where IS (Daesh) sells sex slaves.
Completely covered from head to toe with the hijab and only the owner to whom they belong is allowed to see them.

That there are still people in the 21st century who treat women like… pic.twitter.com/QHgWm1JofO
— Darya Safai MP (@SafaiDarya) May 18, 2023

A supporting image within the article body

Misbar’s Analysis

Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading.

After conducting a reverse image search, Misbar’s team discovered that the footage is a cinematic scene and not a real marketplace for ISIS.

This Video of ISIS Women Marketplace Is an Art Performance

The original video was uploaded to TikTok on May 7, 2023.

According to the video’s caption, the footage features a staged artistic performance titled "The Unheard Screams of the Ezidkhan Angels," directed by Aryan Rafiq.

Misbar's team found that Aryan Rafiq, the mentioned director, had shared the performance poster on her Facebook account, revealing the show was scheduled to unveil on March 8, 2023.

What Is ISIS?

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has emerged from a particularly ruthless faction of al Qaeda. It currently instills terror across significant portions of Syria and Iraq, becoming the focal point of the largest U.S. military operation in Iraq in recent years.

Under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, AQI orchestrated numerous bombings, abductions, and decapitations in Iraq. After al-Zarqawi's death in 2006 due to an American airstrike, leadership of the group eventually passed on to Abu Du'a, also known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, an experienced Iraqi fighter who had been previously detained by the U.S. in Iraq.

Who are the Yazidis?

Due to their distinctive beliefs, Yazidis are sometimes labeled "devil worshippers." They have historically maintained small, distinct communities primarily located in northwest Iraq, northwest Syria, and southeast Turkey. Estimating their precise population is difficult, with figures varying from 70,000 to 500,000.

Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, has officially acknowledged the 2014 massacre of Yazidis by the ISIS group in Iraq as a "genocide." On Thursday, a resolution was passed, aligning with the legal assessments made by United Nations investigators. This recognition follows similar actions taken by countries such as Australia, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In addition to the acknowledgment, the Bundestag also called for measures to provide assistance to the besieged Yazidi minority.