Islamic State Asks Civilians ‘Pay Zakat To Us, Or We Are Going To Kill You’
By Hussam Hammoud
Feb
19, 2021
Although
the US-led international coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — a
Kurdish-Arab alliance from the area — declared victory over the Islamic State
when they took control of its last strongholds in al-Baghouz in March 2019, the
global joy over eliminating the terrorist organization has not reached the
people of Raqqa, the former capital of the caliphate, where IS seems to still
wield significant influence.
Many
of the city's people are still living in fear of the militants. Even if they
cannot control the area as they once did, many IS cells are terrorizing
civilians with bombings in residential areas, assassinations and threats
despite the thousands of SDF soldiers in the area.
Hassan
Abdullah (a pseudonym), a car dealer and a father of three in Raqqa who preferred
not to reveal his real identity for fear of retaliation by IS or arrest by the
SDF, lives in a rented house after the international coalition raids destroyed
his family's home during the battle to expel IS from Raqqa.
Abdullah
told Al-Monitor that residents are even more afraid of IS than before. “IS
still exists," he said. "In September 2020, I got a phone call from a
private number. The first thing I heard was: ‘We are the Islamic State, and we
know that you make a lot of money from the car trade, and you have to pay zakat
to us, or we are going to kill you,’” referring to a traditional Islamic
charitable donation.
During
its rule, IS would take money from civilians in the name of zakat. But
according to locals, it was just a way to collect taxes from the community IS
controlled.
Abdullah
said the call felt like his worst nightmare. “I did not believe it at first,
but after three days they contacted me via WhatsApp, and they sent me photos of
the entrance to my house and from inside my shop. They even sent me a photo of
one of my children! At that point, I could not ignore the matter. I spoke to
some friends, but was shocked to find out that three out of five of them had
also paid money under threats, but they did not dare tell anyone for fear of
assassination by IS or arrest by the SDF on charges of financing terrorism.”
Al-Monitor
tried to contact SDF officials for comment, but to no avail.
There
was no other option for Abdullah but to pay IS, which is known for
assassinating prominent figures in Raqqa in broad daylight.
Following
IS’ instructions, Hassan took $5,000 to the meeting site, where he found two
masked IS members on a motorcycle on the road between Jazrat al-Buhumaid and
Abu Khashab, an area in the western countryside of Deir Ez-Zor. He delivered
the bag of money at gunpoint.
Mohab
al-Nasser, a human rights activist and researcher from Raqqa, explained that
between 2014 and 2017, many people joined IS for the monthly salary but did not
fight. However, today, those who have remained with IS are true believers in
the terrorist organization's ideology, and they have gained military experience
from the battles against the international coalition.
Nasser
told Al-Monitor, “For two years, the SDF has failed to maintain security in
al-Hol camp [which houses IS fighters and their relatives in eastern Syria], as
there have been hundreds of cases of smuggling of dangerous women members of IS
and assassinations using pistols inside the camp, despite the heavy security
that the SDF claims to provide there."
Nasser
explained, “The arrests of some IS cells in northeastern Syria are carried out
based on intelligence from the international coalition, but the SDF takes
credit for the operations.”
The
southern countryside of Raqqa has also had its share of terrorism. Khalil, the
brother of two men who were brutally killed by IS on the outskirts of the
regime-held town of Maadan, recounted to Al-Monitor, “In July 2020, IS
contacted my two brothers, who were shepherds. The organization requested a
payment of four million Syrian pounds [$3,200] from each of them as zakat for
our sheep.”
Khalil,
who did not want to reveal his full name, said that his brothers decided to
inform the Syrian regime but local security forces took no action, claiming the
threats were empty.
“My
two brothers refused to pay and ignored the repeated threats until November,
when we found them executed with two bullets in their heads while they were
herding sheep at night in the ??Maadan area,” Khalil said.
Other
local civilians from the area confirmed the similar killings of at least eight
other people, including women: following a series of threats and demands of
money.
Nasser
believes that IS poses a much greater danger today is greater than when it
declared the caliphate. “When the organization was in Raqqa, it was hard for IS
members to hide as they would go to the group’s main headquarters, but today we
are facing a completely unknown enemy,” he said.
Original
Headline: Islamic State continues to terrorize Raqqa
Source:
Al-monitor
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-terrorism-jihad/islamic-state-asks-civilians-‘pay/d/124354
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