In February, the 20 or so Christian families still living in the northern Syrian town of Raqqa were given the same choice. The cost of protection is now the equivalent of $650 in Syrian pounds, a large amount for people struggling to make ends meet in a war zone. The other two options remain unchanged. This time the offer came from the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), an extremist antigovernment group that seized Raqqa in May 2013 from more-moderate rebel brigades and declared the town the capital of its own Islamic state.<\/p>\n
Most of Raqqa\u2019s 3,000 Christians had already fled the fighting, leaving just a few families in a place suddenly run by a group known for its violent tactics in both Iraq and Syria, including beheadings and floggings\u201d\u201ctactics so ruthless that even al-Qaeda has disowned the group. The number had fallen even further by the time ISIS commanders promised the Christians that as long as they paid the levy, the one church that had not already been destroyed in the fighting would be left untouched and the Christians would not be physically harmed. They would have the right to practice their religion as long as they didn\u2019t ring bells, evangelize or pray within earshot of a Muslim.<\/p>\n
Church leaders urged Raqqa\u2019s Christians to pay the militants. \u201c[ISIS] told me that all I need to do is pay the taxes, and they will protect me,\u201d\u009d says George, a 17-year-old Christian music student still living in Raqqa. \u201cI know that under the Caliphate, Christians got a lot of things in return for paying taxes. The Christian community was left in peace.\u201d\u009d That hasn\u2019t been the case so far in Syria\u2019s new Caliphate. When ISIS arrived in town, it warned Christians to stay out of sight and hide their crucifixes.<\/p>\n