The horrifying truth from documents seized from IS lands

Posters and leaflets about harsh Islamic law littering villages in the north have shown a hellish life under IS rule.

Under the control of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), tribes living in villages in northern Iraq have returned to harsh laws of a thousand years ago, from regulations on beard length, rules on sacrifice or almsgiving to regulations on the rape of female prisoners.

Gold rings, diamonds and wheat forced to be donated to IS

As Iraqi soldiers and support forces recaptured villages from the insurgents, they also seized large quantities of documents, posters and leaflets containing propaganda about the harsh rules imposed by the insurgents and the people in the areas they occupied had to follow.

Iraqi soldiers found a leaflet regulating how men should grow beards. (Photo: Reuters)

The items seized have shown that IS rule follows a strict and comprehensive system of ancient Islamic law. The view of each believer as a soldier explains the extremist philosophy that the group pursues.

When this force emerged in early 2014, declaring the establishment of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, it deepened ethnic conflicts by calling on Sunnis who were under Shi'ite leadership to side with them, worship harsh Islamic law, and become Islamic warriors pursuing "Holy War".

Breaking this law means that the person is subject to Islamic-style punishments ranging from flogging, stoning to torture and brutal execution.

In September 2015 alone, IS brutally massacred 455 civilians, including 118 people who were flogged to death for wearing the wrong clothes, listening to music or smoking, or missing prayers. Some had their hands chopped off for similar reasons.

Gold bracelets, diamonds and wheat are among the items that tribes are forced to give to IS. Failure to do so will result in punishments such as the above.

Manual on female prisoner rape

The self-proclaimed Islamic State has published a series of pink booklets containing 32 questions and answers on how to punish female prisoners, treating them as sex slaves. The book also details the methods of rape and punishment.

A female sex slave escaped from IS militants. (photo: Getty)

Accordingly, IS members are allowed to own both sisters, are allowed to rape slaves as soon as they are captured, and are only allowed to have sex with “prepubescent girls if they are fit to do so”. If multiple fighters own a female prisoner, they are not allowed to have sex with this slave because “this is a common property”.

The rebels also have strict regulations such as arbitrarily checking the mobile phones of people in the areas they occupy. IS also has regulations prohibiting the use of the internet, satellite television as well as listening to foreign music.

The Islamic State group has been dropping leaflets across villages in northern Iraq, telling all men to grow long beards or face harsh punishment under Sharia law. Young men who don’t grow their beards properly or shave their beards can be jailed for three months. “In case of repeat offenders, they will be beheaded,” it said.

According to VOV