A thought on CT, domestic violence

Addressing domestic abuse is an important component to countering global terrorism.

Executive Summary: The article discusses a disturbing incident captured on video in Moscow, where former Chechen wrestler Iznaur Abdullaev was seen assaulting his wife. Despite cultural and legal barriers, including the trivialization of domestic abuse in Russia, the incident highlights broader issues of gender-based violence and lack of support systems for victims. It contrasts Western support structures with the situation in Russia, where decriminalization of domestic violence and cultural norms hinder women's ability to escape abusive relationships. The article also explores the intersection of domestic abuse and terrorism, suggesting that addressing societal isolation of women could mitigate their vulnerability to extremist influences.

Silent Suffering: Domestic Abuse and Cultural Barriers in Russia

I came across a video on Russian social media. It grabbed my attention. Let me explain why.

Former Chechen professional wrestler Iznaur Abdullaev was filmed assaulting his wife by a neighbor from a window over looking the sidewalk near their apartment complex in Moscow. The incident occurred about two weeks ago. Typically, I don’t share images or videos of violence. I am making an exception in this case.

The video demonstrates the impact of fear that comes from the inability of a woman to protect herself when faced with a consistent physical threat from a man in a superior position of strength. It is an assumption, but likely she depends on him financially. With children around, the situation gets more burdensome for a woman to exit.

We hear the screams of a woman fighting for her life, pushing and trying to run away. We see him place her in a headlock, cutting off her oxygen and causing her to pass out. Then, he drags her limp body across the street with their little daughter crying mama in the background. Some female bystanders try to intervene but are incapable of fighting this man. He claims, “She needs her medicine, I am taking her home.”

Her husband was charged with a minor infraction and set free. Later on, reporters were able to obtain video footage of the interior home shattered with holes in the doors and walls. Neighbors speak of other incidents of violence and blood in the hallway. Towards the end, the wife answers the door for one reporter, giving a look of horror at the camera. She politely shuts the door.

In the aftermath, Abdullaev issued a statement on Instagram with his wife by his side that she was possessed by “djinns”. Westerners call them “genies.” It is akin to being possessed by a spirit, but not quite the devil, which only an imam can help cure, similar to a priest and an exorcism. It is also taboo to publicize mental health issues, if there is even a clinical issue here.

Even if Abdullaev’s genie story were true, why wouldn’t he carry her? Or bring the medicine to her, which would have been much faster. Instead, he incapacitates his wife like an opponent on the mat, dragging her body like a dead animal.

Domestic abuse- specifically male violence against women - is an issue that transcends religion and race. U.S. statistics alone report 1 in 4 women are victims and nearly 20,000 calls are made daily to hotlines. The beatings and abuse sometimes lead to the death of wives and girlfriends. As infamously watched by America in the 1990s O.J. Simpson trial, Nicole Brown reported domestic violence several times to 911 prior to her murder. Men who abuse their partners are not necessarily active in other criminal activity; however, Simpson did spend nine years in prison for armed robbery nearly one decade after his wife’s death.

Even though domestic abuse is a global problem, the Abdullaev incident brings to mind some cultural differences regarding counter-terrorism efforts. For instance, Chechnya banned bride kidnapping in 2015, which is common enough practice that a film was made to reinforce against the dangerous, un-Islamic practice. While some couples use it as a means to elope, there are several incidences of bride theft used to force a woman into marriage.

The question hinges on virginity, which is an important aspect of her value. So, a woman’s success in life depends highly on her ability to marry well the first time. After marriage, there is precedent in North Caucasian Muslim culture that men run the family because men are responsible for their wives. Non-family men avoid interactions with the wives of Chechen and Dagestani men. How a husband treats his wife, is no one else’s business.

In these cultures, other men and women are careful to intervene in a marriage. In the North Caucasus Muslim community, a woman’s recourse to divorce her husband, regardless of the reason, depends highly on the support of the other men in her family. It can be done amicably, but without this critical family support, a woman in this type of situation, has no reliable exterior support system.

In “The Gift of Fear”, Gabin de Becker encourages women to view their position in an abusive relationship as a “choice”. I agree with him. But the option to choose to leave is a Western construct. There are support structures, funded by the government and private donations, outside of the extended family to enable choice.

In the U.S., there are clandestine networks, from the police departments and detectives, working with battered women’s shelters. Organizations arrange donations that offer professional clothing and training to assist with jobs. There is a network of paid temporary housing with covert locations for women and their children.

In the Russian Federation, women do not have the same level of recognition and support systems to exit domestic abuse. In 2017, the Russian State Duma decriminalized domestic abuse unless the violence results in “severe bodily harm”. Anna Rivina argues there is no tangible support from the government to protect and support victims of domestic abuse. Let’s say Abdullaev’s wife is ethnically Russian, her options in Moscow are limited, too.

Many of the women who joined ISIS and Al-Nusra from the Caucasus region were following boyfriends and husbands. The more popular narrative on the news are the jihadi brides, women who joined ISIS or other jihadist groups for arranged marriages. This is real, but far from the whole picture that comprises the tens of thousands of female foreigners stuck in Turkey and Syria.

Then, there are thousands of Russian-speaking jihadists and their spouses who lived in Europe. While the support for domestic violence may have been better in certain Western European nations than in Russia, the spousal obligation was still a factor. This is why the Chechen government agreed to repatriate many of the ethnic Chechen female and child-aged detainees.

The question of female choice is not as clear as it may seem for some Muslim communities. There is a correlation between the isolation of women, and their participation in their husband’s more nefarious activities due to a lack of power and options. Pressing Russia to change its domestic violence laws is a start. And, for nations with diaspora communities, there needs to be culturally-attuned approaches suitable for women in such confined circumstances.

Domestic abuse can impact society on a global scale when it comes to countering terrorism. There were women in detainee camps in Turkey and Syria or arrested for domestic terrorism charges, who were faced with similar fears as the victim in the video. Perhaps addressing the culture of isolated women, may help reduce the role of women and children who join terrorist organizations.

By recognizing the importance of exterior, independent support systems to help women leave, hide, and began anew, it could reduce the overall global impact of terrorist activities.

Just a thought.

~E

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