Cairo: The leader of Daesh has ordered the organisation to start minting gold, silver and copper coins for its own currency — the “Islamic dinar”.
A website affiliated with the group posted the order late on Thursday, saying Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi instructed his followers to mint the coins to “change the tyrannical monetary system” modelled on Western economies that “enslaved Muslims.”
According to photographs of coin prototypes, they carry the words in Arabic: “The Islamic State / A Caliphate Based on the Doctrine of the Prophet.” (PBUH)
One of the silver coins shows a sword and a shield in a reference to holy war, or jihad while another has a minaret symbolising Damascus mentioned in one of the Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) sayings.
It’s unclear where the Daesh intends to get the gold, silver and copper for the coins. It said the dinar’s purchasing power would be its weight in gold, silver or copper.
One of the gold coins carries the symbol of seven stalks of wheat, mentioned in the Quran, while another has the map of the world, a reference to Islam some day ruling the entire world.
Another coin carries the symbol of Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, where the Prophet [PBUH] prayed. It’s revered as Islam’s third-holiest place, complete with the site’s iconic gold-topped Dome of the Rock, which enshrines the rock from which Muslims believe the Prophet [PBUH] ascended to heaven.
The copper coins carry the symbol of the crescent moon and three palm trees, also significant in Islam.
The posting said instructions from Daesh’s treasury department would be forthcoming, explaining to the people how to use the currency. The order was approved by the Daesh’s “Shura Council”, an advisory board, according to the website. The authenticity of the posting could not be independently verified but the website has been used in the past for Daesh postings.
