The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a militant Islamist group active in Syria, posted a picture on its website of the first “protection pact” they reached with Christians. Under Islamic sharī’ah (Islamic law), non-Muslims living under the sovereignty of a Muslim caliphate state must pay a special tax in return for the ruler's protection. The contract said that the Christians of Raqqah, North Syria, opted for paying tax when they were asked to choose one of three options: 1) convert to Islam, 2) remain Christian and pay tax or 3) refuse, be considered warriors against Islam and be killed. According to the contract, the rich should pay an annual amount that equals 13 grams of pure gold, the middle class half of this, and the poor a quarter of the amount. Furthermore, the contract stipulates that Christians should refrain from displaying crosses in public, using loudspeakers during Muslims prayer, trading in pork meat and alcohol and adhere to a modest dress code (Author not mentioned, al-Dustūr, March 1, p. 11). Read original text in Arabic.
