Is Jizia Imposed Upon Sikhs a Fair, Just, or Wise Tax? What Does it Fund?

Is Jizia, the Taliban protection tax imposed on Sikhs and other religious minorities living in Islamic Pakistan reasonable, fair and just? Is it wise to pay? Is it possible not to without being banned?

In February of 2009, the Taliban struck a deal with the Government of Pakistan to enforce Islamic law declaring that non Muslims religious minorities such as Sikhs, Hindus, and Christians must convert to Islam, pay a tax, stand and fight, or be driven from their homes. The Taliban has been reported to demand that Sikhs pay Jizia, a protection tax, amounting to millions of rupees. In June Sikhs were able to negotiate and annual tax of 1,000 rupees, or about $12.40 per adult male. While this effort to insure peace may seem affordable, and therefore reasonable, when compared with Western consumerism, it raises certain questions.

In an extended society where brothers share a household with parents, how does this tax impact a household? Is it in fact affordable when considering the war torn Pakistani economy? At what age is a boy considered an adult man?

Assuming it works out to be afordable without imposing hardship on a family, the most pertinent question is, what does the Jizia tax fund? Does the jizia tax money collected serve the community interest? Does it help to facilitate education, schools, libraries, hospitals, infrastructure etc., or does it help to fund Taliban strong arm tactics and provide them with more weapons to be turned against the people of Pakistan?

On Monday June 1, 2009, more than 400 students of Razmak Cadet College were feared to have been abducted by Taliban militants in the North Waziristan tribal area.

Does the extortion of jizia tax monies from religious minorities by the Taliban help finance such terrorist tactics imposed upon Pakistan’s peaceful Islamic population?

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