In a notice published on Facebook, the Christian residents of Jifnah complained about the loss of security and of their property, especially after they were forced to pay the Jizyah, as demanded by Islam.
They demanded that the newly-appointed Prime Minister Mohammad Ishtayeh intervene and ensure their safety, and decry the “racist and sectarian” behavior by a “senior official.”
A member of one of the families told TPS that the Fatah members ordered them to pay the Jizyah “so that they could enjoy the PA’s protection” and that the event was caused by religious and sectarian hatred.
The Jizyah is an annual per capita tax levied by Islamic law on non-Muslim subjects residing in Muslim lands. The tax is a fee for protection provided by the Muslim ruler to non-Muslims, for the permission to practice a non-Muslim religion with some communal autonomy in a Muslim state, and serves as proof of the non-Muslims’ submission to the Muslim state and its laws.
Jizyah has also been understood by some as a ritual humiliation of non-Muslims for not converting to Islam.
PA head Mahmoud Abbas, who is in charge of the armed forces, came under sharp criticism. He was accused of standing by while his “hooligans” acted with little restraint.