Extremists FORCE Christians Pay or Die

Islamic extremists are forcing Christians in Egypt, Syria, and Mali to pay jizya taxes under threat of death, reviving a coercive practice that mocks religious freedom and individual liberty.

Story Highlights

Extremist groups impose jizya as “protection” taxes on Christian minorities, demanding payments far exceeding daily earnings.
In Dalga, Egypt, 140 Christians paid $29 daily or fled as over 40 families abandoned their homes amid threats.
ISIS in Raqqa, Syria, gave Christians three choices: pay over $600 twice yearly, convert to Islam, or face the sword.
Jihadists in Mali’s Mopti region tax Christians $40 per adult, expanding control over villages without providing protection.
Modern enforcement perverts historical jizya, stripping contractual safeguards and enabling extortion by non-state actors.

Enforcement in Egypt’s Dalga

After the July 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, Islamic extremists seized control of Dalga in Egypt’s Minya region, home to 20,000 Christians. At least 140 Christians faced daily jizya demands of 200 Egyptian pounds, equivalent to $29 per day or $203 weekly. Many locals earn under $5 daily, turning the tax into economic ruin. Over 40 families fled threats of violence, while others paid for basic safety as police withdrew.

ISIS Demands in Syria

In Raqqa, Syria, ISIS imposed jizya on Christians post-2013, requiring over $600 payments twice a year for so-called protection. Residents chose between payment, conversion to Islam, or death by the sword. Limited concessions allowed private worship, clergy retention, and cemetery use, but banned public religious displays, evangelizing, arms possession, and audible prayer. This coercion funded ISIS while subjugating minorities.

Jihadist Taxes in Mali

Jihadist groups in Mali’s Mopti region recently levied a 25,000 CFA Francs tax, about $40, on every Christian over 18 in Douna-Pen, the largest Christian village in eastern Koro. The practice started in Dougouténé and spread to nearby communities. Without state oversight, these non-state actors extract funds through intimidation, offering no reciprocal protection or legal recourse to beleaguered Christians.

Where in the World Christians Are Forced to Pay Jizya for Protection from Islamists

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Historical Context and Modern Perversion

Historically, jizya served as a defense tax where Muslim states protected non-Muslims (dhimmis) in exchange for payment, exempting them from military service. Treaties like Khalid ibn al-Walid’s conditioned it on actual protection; failures prompted refunds, as under Caliph Umar. Christians serving in armies gained exemptions. Today’s extremist version discards these safeguards, weaponizing the tax for revenue and control without obligations, eroding religious liberty.

Broader Impacts on Christian Communities

Short-term effects include economic devastation, forced displacement, worship restrictions, and psychological terror from constant extortion threats. Long-term, Christian populations face depopulation via emigration, cultural erasure in ancestral lands, regional destabilization, and heightened global awareness of persecution. Copts in Upper Egypt, Syrian minorities, and Mali’s Sahel Christians bear the brunt, highlighting failures of local governments to shield vulnerable citizens from militant tyranny.