Several ISIS Religious Police Reported Kidnapped

As Enforcement Grows, So Does Kidnapping of Police

One day after a top leader of ISIS’ religious police turned up beheaded in Mayadeen in the Deir Ezzor Province of Syria, reports now say that a number of the Hisbah police force have also been kidnapped by parties unknown.

The Hisbah police have been imposing harsh penalties on people for perceived religious violations, and have recently ramped up a campaign to crack down on public smoking.

Yesterday’s slain police leader had a cigarette in his mouth and the words “this is a sin” written on him, fueling speculation ISIS may have killed him for violating the rules he was charged to enforce.

With the revelation of these new kidnappings, however, also centered around Mayadeen, it now seems that anger over the crackdowns may be fueling blowback from local tribes unhappy with the restrictions they find themselves under, and unhappy with ISIS’ extremely strict interpretation of Sharia Law.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.