{"id":550,"date":"2015-02-15T12:31:32","date_gmt":"2015-02-15T12:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.raqqa-sl.com\/en\/?p=550"},"modified":"2015-03-15T23:29:09","modified_gmt":"2015-03-15T23:29:09","slug":"life-isis-raqqa-city-smoking-cigarette-see-publicly-flogged-imprisoned-even-decapitated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raqqa-sl.com\/en\/?p=550","title":{"rendered":"Life under Isis in Raqqa: The city where smoking a cigarette could see you publicly flogged, imprisoned and even decapitated"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Life<\/a>
<\/strong> Life in Raqqa is becoming increasingly dangerous for its residents<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Residents of a city besieged by Isis<\/a> have described living under strict bans on alcohol and cigarettes, with anyone caught smoking publicly flogged, handed huge fines and even reportedly executed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The group enforces a strict interpretation of Islam in areas in Syria and Iraq under its self-declared ‘caliphate’. Some ultraconservative versions of Sharia denounce the habit as harmful and therefore haram (forbidden).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Raqqa<\/a>, in Syria, is one of the group’s biggest strongholds.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A leading figure with Isis\u2019s police force was recently found in\u00a0 Deir-al-Zor beheaded and with a cigarette in his mouth<\/a>, with the sentence \u201cO Sheikh this is munkar (hateful and evil thing)\u201d written on his body.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Abu Mohammed Hussam, one of the founders of the Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) activist group, described the severity of punishments for being caught smoking cigarettes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time he will be arrested and flogged (40 lashes),\u201d he told The Independent<\/em>. \u201cIf he smokes again, he will be whipped and imprisoned. On the third occasion, he will be taken to a camp in the countryside and fined a large sum of money.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n