The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On June 12, 2014, the information office for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq's Nineveh Province issued a code of conduct and a number of guidelines for ISIS members and for residents of the area. This follows ISIS's recent takeover of several key cities in the province, including Mosul. The code of conduct, which includes 16 clauses, relies on the shari'a, and denounces the laws that existed thus far under the Al-Maliki government, which it calls "the infidel Shi'ite government."
The text of the code of conduct
The code is apparently an attempt to reassure the locals and minimize opposition from them, while also keeping them in line. It opens with a greeting to the Islamic nation and especially to the "lions of ISIS," congratulating them on their glorious recent victories on the path to establishing the Islamic Caliphate. The introduction states that ISIS's goal is one: "to enact the law of Allah worldwide, expand the influence of the shari'a, and uproot the laws of the jungle from Muslim lands."
The following is a summary of its main points:[1]
In the first clause of the document, ISIS boasts that it has managed to liberate the prisoners from the province prisons. In the second, it explains that its members have undertaken to topple the regime that oppressed the people, and promises to remove "the Shi'ite serpents that have wrapped around the necks of the [Sunni] Muslims."
In the third clause, ISIS promises to treat every individual as a blank page without prejudice and not to suspect or accuse anyone except those who collaborate with the "criminals."
The fourth clause guarantees that all residents will be safe and secure under the organization's Islamic rule, which will ensure the rights of the citizens and restore the rights of the oppressed. Addressing the matter of locals who were the enemies of ISIS, it says: "Those who until yesterday bore a grudge against us today become safe citizens, unless they turn their backs [to us] or slander [us], or renounce Islam."
Clause five states that public funds and property belong to the Imam of the Muslims, who will be responsible for using it for the Muslims' benefit. Anyone putting his hands on this money – or on the money or property of private individuals – will be tried according to the shari'a and will face a deterring punishment.
In clause six, ISIS refers to mosques, and calls upon all Muslims to attend every prayer and to pray with the congregation, not in private. As stated in a hadith: "One prayer as part of a congregation is worth 25 prayers by oneself." The seventh clause addresses tribal clerics and sheikhs and requests that they support the organization and work shoulder to shoulder with it to "repel the virulent Shi'ite aggression."
The eighth and ninth clauses call not to cooperate with the Al-Maliki government, whose heresy has become apparent. The members of the "apostate" Iraqi security forces are called upon to repent, or else face the death penalty. Clause eight also bans the consumption and selling of alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and other contraband. Clauses ten and eleven call for unity and prohibit holding gatherings, waving banners and carrying weapons, and the twelfth clause states that the enactment of shari'a law will liberate the locals from the yoke of "rotten manmade laws."The thirteenth clause condemns the worship of tombs, calling it "idolatry" and "polytheism." The fourteenth urges women to dress modestly and avoid leaving their homes unnecessarily.
The fifteenth clause invites the Muslims to live in bliss under a just and peaceful Islamic rule, in a world where Muslims have power. In the sixteenth and final article, ISIS addresses residents of the province and reminds them that they have already experienced all kinds of secular regimes, all of which humiliated them and took away their rights, honor and property. ISIS promises that, from now on, under the rule of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, they will find themselves blessed with a new kind of regime – a kind and beneficial one, which will end their suffering.
Endnotes:
[1] Alplatformmedia.com, June 12, 2014.