DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – After he finished harvesting his wheat crop last season, Abd al-Latif was surprised by a paper with the stamp of the Islamic State (ISIS) sealed to his door, ordering him to pay zakat (Islamic taxes) on his wheat crops.
Abd al-Latif al-Jamil, a former farmer from the town of al-Hajnah, in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, has left his profession to become a day laborer. Before, he had maintained his family with his wheat crops.
Farmers in Deir ez-Zor fear ISIS’ zakat. They are increasingly afraid of threats – whether from ISIS cells themselves or from gangs operating in the name of ISIS – as harvest season approaches.
Al-Jamil said that, last season, he paid the zakat despite his wheat crop’s low production, which suffered under the region’s drought.
When he harvested his crops, ISIS militants ordered him to pay 10 sacks of wheat, or its equivalent in cash, under the pretext of zakat. He paid for fear of being targeted together with his family.
ISIS is still imposing royalties on the residents of Deir ez-Zor, and is increasingly targeting merchants. Residents accuse criminal gangs of exploiting ISIS’s name to terrorize them.
ISIS lost its final stronghold in Syria in March 2019. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the support of the US-led Global Coalition, defeated ISIS after fierce battles in the town of Baghouz, in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, bringing an end to the group’s self-styled caliphate.
After Baghouz, thousands of ISIS fighters were transferred to prisons, while their families were transferred to the Hawl and Roj camps in areas held by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
Residents today have no choice but to submit to the threats from unknown individuals, as the local security situation has again deteriorated, with increasing number of assassinations.
Self-protection
Farmers in Deir ez-Zor have demanded that local security forces tighten their grip on the region.
They say that ISIS appoints brokers to monitor them as they sell their wheat and record their names and the quantities they sell. After which they phone the farmers or visit their homes, demanding zakat under the threat of death, kidnapping, or burning the crops.
They say such activities are no longer secret, but are occurring in the light of day. No one dares report them for fear of retaliation, according to farmers.
ISIS’ demand of zakat has also impacted merchants and shop owners, some of whom disclosed that they have received death threats from the group, while others left the area and moved their commercial activities to another area.
48-year-old Ibrahim al-Hassan, a resident of the village of al-Tar, 12 km west of Deir ez-Zor, said that he was threatened with death last season, when a phone call informed him that he would have to pay the zakat on his 25 dunums of land, on which he grows wheat.
Because of the threats, this year, he only cultivated 5 dunums.
Death threats
Ahmed al-Salem, 40 years old, a resident of al-Busayrah, 35 km east of Deir ez-Zor, stresses that ISIS leaflets that remind farmers to pay the zakat were distributed during and before the harvest season last year.
Al-Salem was threatened with death if he refused to pay; his house was raided at night. In the end, he paid in order to avoid problems.
The countryside of Deir ez-Zor is increasingly the site of assassinations against SDF fighters, employees of the AANES, tribe leaders, and civilian population despite intensive security operations by the SDF and the Global Coalition.
The ISIS cells used to sneak into the residents’ homes at night, leaving threatening leaflets in the house or on its doors, or writing their threats on the walls, in order to terrify the residents.
Saud al-Ahmad, 40 years old, a resident of al-Busayrah, paid the amount he was asked for zakat. ISIS cells pinned leaflets in broad daylight to the doors of mosques and houses.
Because of their audacity, and the inability of security forces to control them, al-Ahmad paid without hesitation, fearing for his family.
Wheat farmers in Deir ez-Zor are concerned about ISIS’ taxes on their crops, especially in light of the high costs of agricultural supplies. They also fear that the AANES will set a low price for their crops this year, amid the ongoing devaluation of the Syrian currency.