Isis extremists force shopkeepers in Iraq to veil mannequins

Isis has ordered shopkeepers in Mosul to cover up the faces of mannequins, new pictures taken by the Associated Press reveal.

The Sunni group, which overtook Iraq's second city in June, told shopkeepers to cover the face of male and female mannequins, in line with strict interpretations of Sharia law that forbid creating statues or artistic depictions of the human form.

Shiraz Maher, a Senior Fellow at King's College London specialising in the Middle East, told i100 that it was more about idolatry than modesty.

"In particular, they [Isis] regard features on the face as giving definition to 'the human form,' and it's likely this is why they've asked for the faces to be covered. It's not - as some suggest - anything to do with 'modesty' issues. It's more to do with idolatry."

ISIS has expelled the city's Christian population and reportedly set fire to an 1,800-year-old church.

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