Jihadist group imposes rules of submission on Raqqa Christians
Beirut ( AsiaNews) - A jihadist group linked to al
-Qaeda has released a set of rules of submission for Christians of Raqqa. These
include a protection fee, the order to practice their faith in the privacy of
their homes and a ban on wearing any obvious sign of Christianity.
The
rules (termed "Agreement") were drawn up and are being imposed by
members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a group linked to
al- Qaeda in Iraq and which aims to create a single caliphate that spans the Middle
East, North Africa, Andalusia and southern Italy, the ancient Arab and Islamic
lands.
Raqqa
city in northern Syria had 300 thousand inhabitants before the start of the
civil war in March 2011. Of these, 1% was
Christian. Now
many people have fled and the city is in the hands ISIL, which released the
text of the Agreement on jihadist websites.
Under
the threat of violence, Christians must pay a "jiziya", the ancient
mandatory fee for non-Muslims.
Rich
Christians have to pay a sum equal to the value of 13 grams of pure gold (half
an ounce), those of the middle class half of the sum, and the poor a quarter.
Christians
are banned from displaying crosses or symbols of their faith in areas
frequented by Muslims and especially the market; they must not use loudspeakers
for the call to prayer; they must perform their rituals behind closed doors in
buildings of worship.
The
group also demands that Christians comply with the rule for modest dressing
that is imposed on all inhabitants.
Christians
are forbidden to carry weapons and they are also forbidden to restore any of
the churches or monasteries in the area that have been damaged. Those
who does not adhere to these rules, will share in the destiny of those "people
of war and rebellion", in short they will be killed .
ISIL
is part of the Islamist extremist fringe in opposition to Bashar Assad. Since
January last a merciless war between secular and Islamist opposition groups has
been ongoing, as well as among moderate and less moderate Islamists. According
to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , the clashes between the two camps
have caused the death of at least 3300 people, of which 924 among the members
of SIIL.
Opponents
are coalescing against ISIL, accused of "playing into the hands of Assad".
Just
yesterday, the Al- Nusra Front (Al Qaeda in Syria) launched a five-day
ultimatum against ISIL to put an end to the internal conflict and appear before
a religious court.
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