ISIS Bans Skinny Jeans: Islamic State Arrests Men Caught Wearing Tight Pants In Raqqa

The Islamic State group has banned men from wearing skinny jeans in Raqqa, Syria. ISIS has threatened to arrest any man caught wearing tight jeans in its de facto capital, according to Syrian activist group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently. The Sunni militant group has also imposed harsher penalties on other acts deemed haram, or sinful, including smoking cigarettes, tardiness for prayer and having music on a cell phone.

The Islamic State group -- also known as ISIS or ISIL -- recently issued the new sanctions and stricter punishments inside the Raqqa stronghold. Men wearing tight jeans in the Syrian city will be jailed for 10 days while being required to take an Islamic course. The detainees will be required to take a test at the end of their prison sentence. Those who pass will be released immediately, but those who don’t must pay a fine and will remain detained while taking another course until they pass the exam. Violators of the bans on smoking, having music on a cell phone and being late for prayer will be subject to the same punishments, according to the anti-ISIS activist group in Syria.

While cigarettes, jeans, cell phones and listening to music are all allowed under Islam, the Islamic State group’s severe interpretation of Shariah law declares them forbidden in ISIS-controlled areas. The militants have burned millions of cigarette packs, and set ablaze cannabis fields in Iraq and Syria to enforce the smoking ban.

Many people have fled Raqqa and ISIS-controlled areas in Syria, as the terror group continues to crack down on civilians who live within its self-declared caliphate. Some have found refuge across the border in Turkey, alleging the areas under Syrian President Bashar Assad’s control are no better than ISIS.

“The expression of view has become a crime, so you cannot oppose or discuss a decision issued by the group,” a Raqqa citizen reportedly told Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently. “There are no (differences) between ISIS and Assad’s regime.”