ISIS militants rape Christian mother and daughter who couldn't pay poll tax

The nightmare continues for Christians living in ISIS-controlled areas as militants exact brutal punishment for those who fall short of their strict and violent interpretation of Islam.

The AINA news agency is reporting that an Assyrian mother and daughter were raped by militants in Mosul after saying they did not have the money to pay the jizya poll tax for non-Muslims.

The rapes were carried out in front of the father who was so traumatised that he committed suicide, reports Dr Sallama Al Khafaji, a member of the Iraq High Commission for Human Rights.

ISIS has demanded that all non-Muslims pay the jizya tax and abide by strict Sharia regulations.

"The Christians have told me that they cannot pay this tax and they say 'what am I to do, shall I kill myself?'" Dr Al Khafaji told AINA.

There are also unsubstantiated reports that ISIS militants shot and killed four Christian women because they were not wearing veils.

Barnabas Fund said the ISIS takeover may be the "death knell" for Iraq's Christian community, which had already dwindled since the US-led invasion of 2003.

"Having previously sought refuge in Syria, this is no longer an option and as ISIS violence threatens the stability of the wider region, Christians have very few places of safety to which to run," said Barnabas Fund international director Patrick Sookhdeo.