Emos in Baghdad are the same as emos here: They might have unconventional haircuts, piercings, t-shirts, and accessories that clearly identify them as being part of an alternative subculture.
They're targeted because they're seen as deviants.
According to Al-Arabiya, dozens of kids in this subculture have had their name put on lists by extremists groups, warning: "if they do not leave their “emo” ways, they will be killed."
The lists have names have been distributed widely across Baghdad.
The publication Al-Akhbar has also reported on the phenomenon, and the details are deeply disturbing:
Religious extremists caught onto the interior ministry statement, and have been harassing and killing teenagers with "strange" or "emo" appearances.
A group of armed men dressed in civilian clothing led dozens of teenagers to secluded areas a few days ago, stoned them to death, and then disposed their bodies in garbage dumpsters across the capital, according to activists.
The armed men are said to belong to “one of the most extremist religious groups” in Iraq.
“First they throw concrete blocks at the boy's arms, then at his legs, then the final blow is to his head, and if he is not dead then, they start all over again,” one person who managed to escape told Al-Akhbar.
Iraq's moral police was granted approval by the Ministry of Education to enter Baghdad schools and pinpoint students with such appearances, according to the interior ministry's statement.
According to one think tank, deaths at this point are between 90-100.