BBC News recently reported about the killing of over 50 Iraqi youths in the last few months, with most of those targeted being male. As a shock came the news that says the killings were made in response to Iraq's interior ministry's declaration regarding the term of "emo" as an indication of devil worship and homosexuality.

Reports also indicate that militias in the Iraqi capital Baghdad's conservative Shia neighbourhood of Sadr City have distributed leaflets with the names of 20 young people who chosed to express themselves in this fashion, that they say should be punished for being "emo". Powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has reportedly described emo youths as "crazy and fools", but has also stressed he believes they should be dealt with through the law.

He said of his beliefs on "emos": "They are a plague on Muslim society, and those responsible should eliminate them through legal means".

Local reports have indicated that the death toll from the killings may be as high as 100, with a popular method of attack apparently consisting hitting the target over the head with a brick and repeating until they die. Another popular method reportedly involves taking the victims to the roof of a tall building and pushing them off.

Although the Interior Ministry has not disclosed the number of teenagers who have been killed, Hana al-Bayaty of Brussels Tribunal, an NGO, indicates that the number ranges "between 90 and 100."

According to Al-Bayaty, the majority of the killings "appear to have been carried out by extremist Shia militias in mostly poor Shia neighborhoods." She also indicated that she suspects that "there's complicity of the Ministry of Interior in the killings."

Iraqi human rights ministry spokesman Kamil al-Amin said any government response should not extend beyond "education". Human Rights Watch warned in August 2009 of Iraqi militias torturing and executing men they suspected of homosexuality, and accused authorities of turning a blind eye to the violence.