Either repentance or death: Islamic State imposes regulations on Syrians
An IS militant beheading a Syrian man in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor. File photo
ARA News

Hasakah, Syria – Jihadists of the Islamic State group (IS/ISIS) imposed a so-called “collective repentance” on residents of al-Bukamal city in the province of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, local activists reported on Monday.

The group demanded civilians to head the mosques of the city Monday afternoon, without notifying them about the reason.

“IS militants rallied al-Bukamal streets and called residents to be present altogether in the mosques of the city in the prayer time for an important issue, without specifying the exact reason for this call,” said the civil rights activist Samer al-Furati, member of the campaign of ‘Voice and Image’ that documents IS violations against civilians in the region.

The group called on people for “collective repentance” at the hands of Sharia officials of the group in al-Bukamal mosques.

Al-Furat added that usually a small number of civilians meet the IS Sharia officials in mosques for repentance, pointing out that the collective repentance was earlier imposed on residents of the Shuhail town last week and perhaps will be imposed on the entire countryside of Deir ez-Zor province in the coming days.

“Butchers are not allowed to sell meat without the group’s permission, while those who do not shave their beard must pay a fine of 15,000 Syrian pounds,” the source told ARA News.

“These laws and regulations come to crack down on people and take advantage of financial penalties by imposed fines on vendors and the population,” al-Furati argued.

Speaking to ARA News in Deir ez-Zor, civil rights activist Saray ad-Din said that the group has demanded Amer ar-Rafdan, the IS prince of al-Bukamal, to call on people for new round of repentance.
“Ironically, they (IS militants) arrest anyone who does not abide by the laws of the group. I myself had been detained for a short period because of wearing an illegal dress according to their perspective,” he said.

“Subsequently, I pledged to implement IS regulations to be released; otherwise, I may have been beheaded.” he added.

On Saturday evening, the radical group executed some 10 people of the Sheitaat Arab clan, who were detained earlier this year, near the oil field of Tanak in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eyewitnesses told ARA News. Hundreds of members of Sheitaat clan have been summarily executed by the group on charges of links to Syrian rebels.


Reporting by: Sarbaz Yousef and Zozan Shekho
Source: ARA News