By Samah Abdul Fattah | 2024-12-21

The "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) has twisted an ancient Islamic tax called jizya in order to extort funds from Christians and other religious minorities, according to experts and survivors.

The 7th century tax system, set out in agreements like the Pact of Omar, was designed to facilitate coexistence between Muslims and non-Muslims, particularly Christians and Jews -- known in Islamic theology as "People of the Book."

"Jizya cannot be imposed on the poor, women, children, widows, the elderly or the needy," according to Wael Essam, a religious guide (murshid).

It was a contribution from non-Muslims in return for protection and religious freedom, while Muslims paid zakat (religious alms), he told Al-Fassel.

But ISIS has abandoned these traditional protections, perverting the original meaning and intention of the tax system in a way that dishonors Islam.

What ISIS calls jizya is nothing but "extortion and ransom," said Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute.

"Even when it extorts payments and calls them jizya, this always, within a short time, results in dispossession, rape, murder, kidnapping and enslavement of Christians," she said.

In the Iraqi city of Mosul, once ISIS's de facto capital, Christian leaders were summoned in July 2014 -- supposedly to negotiate payments.

It was "a trap," the Rev. Emanuel Adelkello, a Syriac Catholic priest, told The American Interest.

Christians faced an ultimatum: flee, convert to Islam, or face destruction.

Similar stories emerged in Qaryatayn, Syria, where ISIS publicized jizya agreements before subjecting Christians to slavery and imprisonment.

At least 21 Christians were killed for resisting conversion or attempting escape, said Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II.

Young girls became particular targets, with families forced to organize dangerous evacuations as ISIS leaders sought them as "wives."

Betrayal of Islamic traditions

Islamic scholars condemn these practices as religious violations.

They say ISIS's brutal extortion scheme is not just a violation of human rights, but a fundamental betrayal of the Islamic principles the extremist group falsely claims to defend.

"Jizya mandates complete security for those who pay," al-Azhar College for Girls Islamic law lecturer Naila Mohammed told Al-Fassel.

"When ISIS imposes payments while persecuting payers, it is a clear violation of Islamic principles."

The group's actions directly contravene Islamic teachings, including Prophet Mohammad's covenants with Christian communities.

Experts attribute ISIS's distortion of jizya to financial desperation, noting the group even imposes it on other Muslims, which is "something strictly forbidden under Islamic law," Mohammed said.

"The group has lost control and funding and is resorting to any means to obtain money," she said.