GAZIANTEP, Turkey — It had been 20 days since Mohammed's arrival in Turkey, after having spent more than three grueling months inside prisons run by the notorious Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in Syria. Mohammed, 20, came to Gaziantep from the Syrian town of Al-Bab in Aleppo province, where ISIS has imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia since capturing it in September 2013. Smoking is prohibited, women must wear black niqabs and arbitrary trials and detentions take place daily.
The large bump on his forehead is one of the many scars that provide a glimpse into Mohammed’s story.