By Arina Moradi

At 20 years old, Hikmat has his whole life ahead of him. Sadly, that fact is exactly what worries him the most.

The young Arab is charming and bright, but he is troubled by what the future may hold for a man whose right hand was cut off at the wrist by the Islamic State.

Hikmat was accused of theft by the ISIS overlords who control the city of Hawija as well as the mostly Sunni villages in southern Kirkuk province where he lived with his mother and eight siblings.

He was abducted by four ISIS members -- three of them from his village -- and moved to the jihadist-stronghold of Mosul where he was charged in an ISIS-held court of stealing several cows from a man from a neighboring village.

“They gathered us all in a public square. Daesh supporters and some of the people of Mosul were filming us with their mobile phones while Daesh members were cutting off our hands,” said Hikmat, his body shaking at the memory.

The day was April 21, and Hikmat was seventh in a line of 10 accused thieves who were about to have their right hands severed by a meter-long sword in accordance with an ancient tenet of Islamic law called “hudud.” The grisly punishment is still practiced in Iran, Saudi Arabia and several other Muslim countries, despite the condemnation of human rights groups.

“Those who were before me were screaming. I was praying to God to save me, but I was sure no one could help me and that they were going to cut off my hand soon,” said Hikmat, his head down and eyes staring at the stump where his hand once was.

“I saw my bloody hand still moving on the ground. It was a scary and disgusting moment but I had an urge to grab it back before he took it away from me forever,” Hikmat said.

A June report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 3,027 people have been executed by the radical group since 2014. The number of people punished by amputation, stoning and other archaic methods is still unknown.

PAIN AND NIGHTMARES

Hikmat once lived a simple life in Shmet village, 25km outside Hawija. He helped his mother look after the large family after the death of his father, an Iraqi border guard.

Now, he wakes up each morning to the uncertainties of a new life. When his hand was cut off, Hikmat quit school mid-way through his final year. He has strange pains where his hand should be and nightmares of the punishment haunt him.

Dr Naser Sinai, a university professor and psychologist, says Hikmat’s emotional state is only natural after experiencing such severe trauma.

“The sensation of a missing part is still within the body, we call that a ‘phantom limb.’ It is like a memory attached to the mind and body and it also makes a person more eligible to nightmares,” Sinai said.

“Such a tragic event alone would cause nightmares,” he added.

Sinai said Hikmat needs a family environment and psychological support, and suggested attending a peer group to talk about his feelings.

“As the event is still alive in the victim’s mind, small and careful steps need to be taken to lead him in the right direction to a new social life, including education and marriage,” he said.

For now, Hikmat stays with his uncle in Daquq, a small town 30km from Kirkuk that is protected by Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army.

“It is heartbreaking to see him struggling. I will do everything to help him back to his normal life,” said Muhammad, Hikmat‘s uncle, to Rudaw.

When the Islamic State seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq, it published a full list of punishments for crimes in the areas under its rule.

Rights watchdog Amnesty International condemned the ISIS justice system for what it called the “torture and other ill-treatment, unfair ‘trials,’ summary killings, and the use of cruel and inhuman punishments such as flogging and cutting off hands and feet.”

FUTURE IN DOUBT

Hikmat continues to maintain his innocence. When the ISIS court gave him a Quran to attest the truth, he said he had no problem swearing he never stole the cows.

“I was supposed to be free in two days, but they held me for one month and five days until the owner of the cows came to the court with three witnesses who looked like Daesh,” he said.

Hikmat said while he was in prison he was harshly beaten every day for wearing a red signet-ring his girlfriend gave him.

“They asked me why I have a ring and said it was something only Shiites use. But I have no idea what they were talking about,” said Hikmat, who added that his girlfriend has stayed with him through the ordeal.

The ISIS court allowed Hikmat to treat his severed hand, but he hardly knew where to start. He said he went to a pharmacy where the kind owner took him to the hospital. He said he stayed one night and still doesn’t know who paid the bill.

When he got out of the hospital, the same pharmacist paid for him to take a taxi back to his village.

“When I was in the taxi, the driver asked me why my hand was cut off and I was so afraid I didn’t tell him the truth. I told him it was a car accident,” he said.

“On my way home, we passed through several ISIS checkpoints. I believe they knew why my hand was like this, but everyone asked what happened anyway. I was so scared I didn’t tell them: ‘You did this to me.’”

When he arrived home in Shmet, it didn’t take long for him to realize his handicap had branded him an outcast. After meeting with his family and friends, he decided to escape to the refuge of his uncle’s home in Daquq.

Hikmat’s cousin, an admitted people smuggler, helped him flee the territory by walking for two days on foot to safety.

An international health organization said many services are available for unfortunate victims of ISIS so-called justice. The group, which declined to be named, said prosthetics and physical rehabilitation are even available for poor citizens.

For his part, Hikmat is trying to keep his dreams alive. He said he always wanted to be an oil engineer.

“I am thinking about my future,” he said.

“I am thinking how I can finish school without a hand to write with.”

Rudaw