In its crusade against homosexuals, the Islamic State is now resorting to sting operations, using jihadists posing as gay men to coax out offenders and execute them.
According to reports, a special unit of militia has been formed within ISIS to deal specifically with the eradication of homosexuals from Syria, Iraq and Libya. One method employed is for militiamen of the Caliphate to send anonymous invitations for blind dates for men only; those who respond are summarily executed.
According to dissident groups working in the area, ISIS religious police have also begun pretending to be gay men in order to ferret others out, before arresting and executing them.
The ISIS regime views sodomy as the most deplorable practice, one punishable by death.
The terrorist group has already published a series of graphic videos showing the murder of supposed gay men, who are often thrown from tall buildings and stoned to death. Some clips show large crowds gathered to watch the executions and pelt the men with stones.
As recently as this past week ISIS released disturbing photographs of four men being killed for their sexuality in Libya. One of the accused was hurled from a two-storey building and then stoned. The other three were made to kneel in a courtyard and then shot in the back of the head by two masked executioners.
In limited cases captured homosexuals are blackmailed and forced to pay a ransom, but for the majority the sentence is death.
In February, some Islamic State militants threatened online to take over Rome and “throw homosexuals off the leaning tower of pizza,” along with implementing sharia law in the Italian capital.
The proposal met with waves of ridicule at the time, since the Leaning Tower is not of “pizza” but of “Pisa,” a Tuscan city some 215 miles northwest of Rome.
Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter @tdwilliamsrome
