Mick Hartley

A letter in the Tmes this morning, from Dr Martin Parsons, Chief executive of the Lindisfarne Centre for the Study of Christian Persecution:

Sir, The seizure of much of Syria by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) presents a grave risk to Syrian Christians. HTS, like many jihadist groups, has learnt to say one thing to western audiences and another to its supporters. Its origins lie in al-Qaeda, while as the al-Nusra Front it was implicated in the 2013 disappearance of two Syrian bishops, which marked the beginning of large-scale abductions and murder of Syrian Christians.

A careful reading of HTS’s statements on minorities reveals that they are consistent with imposing dhimmi status, similar to that which Islamic State forced on Christians in the Syrian city of Qaryatayn in 2015. This is a non-citizen status whereby non-Muslims are allowed to live under sharia subject to keeping a strict set of rules, including payment of jizya (a tax historically levied on non-Muslim subjects of Islamic states). Any perceived breach renders the dhimmi an outlaw who any Muslim may kill with impunity.