Iraqi artist risked safety to document life under IS

HAMMAM AL-ALIL, Iraq (Kurdistan24) – For the past two years, Mustafa al-Taee, a 58-year-old Iraqi painter, secretly drew and recorded what he witnessed under the Islamic State (IS) in his town of Hammam al-Alil, near the city of Mosul.

Speaking to AP, the 58-year-old explained why he felt he had a duty to document acts carried out by IS.

“They committed countless crimes and those crimes needed to be documented,” he said. “There were no journalists, no cameras.”

Now, the artist has a gallery detailing the violence and fear they experienced under the insurgent group’s reign.

Some of the images depict car bombs, deceased children, and executions performed in public squares.

Taee risked his life creating his works as the extremist group forbids all independent media, and banned artistic renderings of human beings, which it views as a form of blasphemy.

“I expected them to shoot me at any time,” he admitted.

One day, a neighbor reported him to the militants for drawing. They broke into his home that night and collected his canvasses and tools. He was sentenced to 30 lashes and jailed for 15 days.

He eventually started painting again, hiding the drawings in a friend’s car and continuing his mission to document life under IS.

“It’s an addiction, like smoking is an addiction for others,” he said reflecting on the risks he took.

Now, Taee is relieved as Iraqi forces drove the militants from Hammam al-Alil late last year, nearly three years after the militant group invaded Iraq and took over Mosul.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany