Islamic State in the Congo: Killing, Imprisoning and Converting Christians

The question of forced conversion

On almost a daily basis, the Islamic State’s ‘Central Africa wilaya’ (Central Africa province) publishes reports about its activities, which primarily take place in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and are framed (sincerely) as a war on ‘disbelieving Christians’ and the ‘Crusader’ Congolese army. This war, as I have emphasised, needs to be understood as an ideological war: that is, it is a war that is waged on Christians for being Christians, whose fault in the Islamic State’s eyes is that they have not converted to Islam or accepted a dhimmi pact that would grant them ‘protection’ of their lives and property in exchange for paying a poll tax and abiding by various restrictions. Therefore, what we are witnessing in the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere with the Islamic State’s affiliates in Africa can properly be called persecution of Christians.

In this light, this week’s report in the Islamic State al-Naba’ newsletter on the Central Africa wilaya’s activities is fairly standard, though there is one special section that deserves comment.