Women of the Caliphate
In al-Roj camp in eastern Syria, thousands of foreign women, wives of Islamic State fighters wait for a decision that may never come. As Kurdish control over Rojava ends and Damascus moves east, their fate is unknown. I arrived to document a political transition, and found myself confronting something far less clear: my own inner unease.
THE BACKSTORY
Going into a Dark Place
ISSUE 13
I didn’t know what to expect when entering al-Roj. Under the watchful eye of the YPG, the camp feels controlled and sealed off from the world. I kept my camera packed up until permission was given. No hidden shots. No body camera. Just waiting, and watching.
The guards told me I could photograph whoever I wanted, even if the “prisoners” refused. That unsettled me immediately. We began in the market. Most women were fully covered, hard to identify. I started to photograph, telling myself it was ethically safe.
Then a woman approached me, speaking english with a French accent. “You didn’t ask for my permission.” I wasn’t even sure I had photographed her. “Even in here, we are humans,” she said. In that moment the dynamic shifted. I suddenly felt less certain behind the lens.
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This is one of my favorite stories so far. It really goes deep into how people sometimes close their eyes to injustice or find ways to explain it away. The cover photo is especially powerful.
I’m curious about something from the photographer’s side: how do you decide when it’s okay to photograph people without asking beforehand, and when you shouldn’t? In documentary work, people, sometimes even children, are part of the story, and prior consent isn’t always possible.
Do you find these decisions difficult in the moment, and are there any personal rules you follow?
The most confusing and frustrating situation is this very story - foreigners joining ISIS was already incomprehensible - the family joining them unfathomable. Thank you for sharing. The lady with the French accent is a fascinating detail - her arguments being based on the very French understanding to the right of the image. People can be both. They are absolutely victims and yet so much more. How did you sense the children? Can the cycle be broken? What is happening to them now?