Al-Qaeda-Linked Group Impose Islamic Rules in Syrian Province
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - An al-Qaeda-linked group issued new decrees restricting the personal freedoms of the Syrians in the areas under its control in Raqqa province.
New laws prohibit music and smoking cigarettes and shisha. Violators will be “punished by sharia law.”
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (abbreviated as ISIS or ISIL) has issued four statements that decree new laws on Monday. The new laws come into force three days later, the group said, i.e. January 23.
Starting on that day, women are obliged to wear the niqab, or full face veil, and cover their hands with gloves. They will also not be allowed in public without a male guardian. Walking late at night will also be prohibited for the women of Raqqa, the first and only city to have fallen completely under the jihadist group’s control.
“Any sister who does not comply with this moral code will be punished by the rules of sharia, her male guardian will also be punished,” reads the statement.
In its second statement, the jihadist group has also prohibited music from being played in public and photographs of people being posted in shop windows, RT reported.
It has also declared selling music CDs or musical instruments illegal, and the playing of scandalous music in cars or shops will be strictly forbidden.
The sale of cigarettes and shisha water pipes has also been banned across the beleaguered province.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant retook full control of the Syrian city of Raqqa, after fierce fighting for the northern provincial capital on January 14. Clashes between ISIL and coalitions of rival Islamist and moderate rebels erupted nearly two weeks ago.
