Subscribe 

In Mosul, hundreds fear arrest for sharing names with extremists

Since extremists were pushed out of Mosul, Mohammed has not left his home. Although he never joined the Daesh group, he shares a name with one of its fighters and fears arrest. Sami Al Faisal, who runs a human rights group, said he had recorded “about 2,500 people suffering from similar names” in Mosul and […]

AFP reports:

Since extremists were pushed out of Mosul, Mohammed has not left his home. Although he never joined the Daesh group, he shares a name with one of its fighters and fears arrest.

Sami Al Faisal, who runs a human rights group, said he had recorded “about 2,500 people suffering from similar names” in Mosul and its surrounding province.

Personal ID cards in Iraq, like most Arab countries, carry a person’s first name, father’s name and grandfather’s name. But to determine a person’s surname and tribe, it’s often necessary to look into the area’s personal status records.