Report on "Emo Killings" in Iraq

Following are excerpts from a report on the killing of "EMO youth in Iraq, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on March 23, 2012.

Reporter : "EMO" is derived from the word "emotional." This phenomenon reached Iraq over a year ago, and has spread among the youth, who have begun wearing clothes that are predominantly black.

Not so long ago, the EMO youth became a target of attacks, and even murder, by extremist groups, under the pretext that they are violating Islam.

More than once, we tried to meet a group of EMO youth, to convince them to appear on camera, but all our efforts were unsuccessful, because they are afraid to expose their faces and reveal their identities, as this is very dangerous and could cost them their lives, especially after lists with their names circulated, including threats to persecute and even kill them.

Only one EMO youth agreed to an interview on condition of anonymity.

EMO youth : The EMO is not an organization, with a leader and so on.

Reporter : There have been reports of EMO youth being killed, but the paradox is that no formal body or NGO has confirmed that, with the exception of one case.

The EMO youth say that the method of killing is brutal. After the victim is placed prostrate on the ground, his head is smashed with a rock weighing over 5 kilograms.

EMO youth : First of all, we are very disappointed by society and by the government. Secondly, this is about freedom of expression. We do not violate any tradition or do anything that is prohibited.

Reporter : The EMO story began when the social police, subject to the Interior Ministry, issued instructions, which it called "guidance," to draw these youth away from this phenomenon. As a result, the police was accused of being remiss for not exposing the EMO phenomenon and dealing with its followers.

This is Samer Yousuf, Al-Arabiya TV, from Baghdad.

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Iraqi political analyst and journalist Sarmad Al-Tai : It was the Interior Ministry that first sparked off the EMO business. A declaration by the spokesman for the social police was posted on the official website of the Interior Ministry. It stated that the ministry would put an end to the EMO phenomenon. They demonized these youth and portrayed them as Satan worshippers. They labeled them with all kinds of false titles and incited against them. This reached the militias, the armed groups, and the religious extremists. Everything got mixed up and things got out of proportion, and all the Iraqis began talking about it.

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