The Case of the Purloined Poultry: How ISIS Prosecuted Petty Crime

I am resending this with my error corrected. Please only use this version. Thank you! That was a curious, interesting article. What sounds like paltry amounts of money being stiffed to a person who is poor is a big deal. This involves being able to provide for one's family and meet basic needs. Fair and just treatment over civil disputes is appealing no matter what the culture. Sounds like people were appreciating an end to some of the corruption present and establishment of the equivalent of 'small claims court.'

I love the literary reference in the title of this article; an elegant wink to the reader.

Wonderfully human story and insight into one of the world's most vicious terrorist groups. Ms. Callimachi is the master of getting these details into our purview. Thanks to the Iraqi's who put the forms into the NYT's hands and to the NYT for having the good sense to publish whatever Rukmini Callimachi writes. She is simply one of the best journalists alive. Thanks.

In Afghanistan, when I worked in Helmand, I heard many stories of people turning to Taliban "courts" for dispute resolution--even traveling outside the "security bubble" of a town to reach the court. The word on the street was that Taliban courts offered swift and honest case resolution--in contrast to the delays and bribery in the formal legal system.

Empathy is a far cry from justice, but a sense of justice is the beginning of empathy. Anyone disagree?

Compare this to having to settle through Corporate arbitration. What a paradise!

Contrast that with a tenant here in the US whose landlord unjustly withheld most of his security deposit to paint over a paint job that the previous tenants had done before the tenant had ever moved in. The tenant complained and sent in documentation to prove that he had not done the painting; the landlord ignored the complaints and kept the money. The local Tenant's Association advised the tenant to give up the money as lost, reasoning that every judge in town would find for the landlord, regardless of how wrong the landlord is, because the judges depend on landlords' donations to finance their expensive reelection campaigns. Our legal system has become all about protecting those who already have money and power. No wonder ISIS was able to succeed as much as it did. Ordinary people will accept any system that affords them better protections against the rich and powerful.

What is worrisome is whether the old, corrupt system of bribery and nepotism will fall back into place now that ISIS is gone. This surely doesn't bode well for the Iraqis.

Say what you will about ISIS, they made the chickens run on time...

This article sounds like: “I know they weren’t so nice, but the Nazis did make the trains run on time.”

We could use some of that here ,maybe film it . Show that the religious mandates are not always archaic . In common civil law here ,even a judgment ,which is often difficult to get will almost never allow you to receive compensation . Meaningful amounts however little may be very important to many individuals and receiving just compensation is very rewarding.

Fanatical, cruel but not corrupted nor corruptible. What a surprising side effect!