According to Islamic law, Muslim men can take “captives of the right hand” (Qur’an 4:3, 4:24, 33:50). The Qur’an says: “O Prophet! Lo! We have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have paid their dowries, and those whom your right hand possesses of those whom Allah has given you as spoils of war” (33:50). 4:3 and 4:24 extend this privilege to Muslim men in general. The Qur’an says that a man may have sex with his wives and with these slave girls: “The believers must win through, those who humble themselves in their prayers; who avoid vain talk; who are active in deeds of charity; who abstain from sex, except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or the captives whom their right hands possess, for in their case they are free from blame.” (Qur’an 23:1-6)
The rape of captive women is also sanctioned in Islamic tradition:
Abu Sirma said to Abu Sa’id al Khadri (Allah he pleased with him): 0 Abu Sa’id, did you hear Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) mentioning al-’azl? He said: Yes, and added: We went out with Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) on the expedition to the Bi’l-Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired them, for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them but by observing ‘azl (Withdrawing the male sexual organ before emission of semen to avoid conception). But we said: We are doing an act whereas Allah’s Messenger is amongst us; why not ask him? So we asked Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him), and he said: It does not matter if you do not do it, for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Resurrection will be born. (Sahih Muslim 3371)
It is also in Islamic law: “When a child or a woman is taken captive, they become slaves by the fact of capture, and the woman’s previous marriage is immediately annulled.” (Umdat al-Salik O9.13)
The Egyptian Sheikh Abu-Ishaq al-Huwayni declared in May 2011 that “we are in the era of jihad,” and that meant Muslims would take slaves. In a subsequent interview he elaborated:
Jihad is only between Muslims and infidels. Spoils, slaves, and prisoners are only to be taken in war between Muslims and infidels. Muslims in the past conquered, invaded, and took over countries. This is agreed to by all scholars—there is no disagreement on this from any of them, from the smallest to the largest, on the issue of taking spoils and prisoners. The prisoners and spoils are distributed among the fighters, which includes men, women, children, wealth, and so on.
When a slave market is erected, which is a market in which are sold slaves and sex-slaves, which are called in the Qur’an by the name milk al-yamin, “that which your right hands possess” [Koran 4:24]. This is a verse from the Qur’an which is still in force, and has not been abrogated. The milk al-yamin are the sex-slaves. You go to the market, look at the sex-slave, and buy her. She becomes like your wife, (but) she doesn’t need a (marriage) contract or a divorce like a free woman, nor does she need a wali. All scholars agree on this point—there is no disagreement from any of them. […] When I want a sex slave, I just go to the market and choose the woman I like and purchase her.
Around the same time, on May 25, 2011, a female Kuwaiti politician, Salwa al-Mutairi, also spoke out in favor of the Islamic practice of sexual slavery of non-Muslim women, emphasizing that the practice accorded with Islamic law and the parameters of Islamic morality.
A merchant told me that he would like to have a sex slave. He said he would not be negligent with her, and that Islam permitted this sort of thing. He was speaking the truth. I brought up [this man’s] situation to the muftis in Mecca. I told them that I had a question, since they were men who specialized in what was halal, and what was good, and who loved women. I said, “What is the law of sex slaves?”
The mufti said, “With the law of sex slaves, there must be a Muslim nation at war with a Christian nation, or a nation which is not of the religion, not of the religion of Islam. And there must be prisoners of war.”
“Is this forbidden by Islam?” I asked.
“Absolutely not. Sex slaves are not forbidden by Islam. On the contrary, sex slaves are under a different law than the free woman. The free woman must be completely covered except for her face and hands. But the sex slave can be naked from the waist up. She differs a lot from the free woman. While the free woman requires a marriage contract, the sex slave does not—she only needs to be purchased by her husband, and that’s it. Therefore the sex slave is different than the free woman.”
In January 2016, a female al-Azhar professor stated that Allah allowed Muslims to rape non-Muslim women in order to humiliate them.
The savage exploitation of girls and young women is, unfortunately, a cross-cultural phenomenon, but only in Islamic law does it carry divine sanction. And that sanction must be discussed if anything effective is ever going to be done to end this abuse.
“BREAKING: Boko Haram terrorists abduct more than a dozen girls in Chibok,” Politics Nigeria, January 21, 2022 (thanks to Henry):
More than a dozen girls have been abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in their latest attack in a community in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, POLITICS NIGERIA reports.
The insurgents broke into the town on Thursday night after shooting in different directions.
Civilians fled into the bush and surrounding villages when the gunmen struck at Pemi village, near Chibok. The insurgents were said to have torched not less than 20 houses, including a branch of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN) Church.
According to a resident, the leader of vigilantes in the community was the main target as the local guards have waged war against the insurgents in the axis.
The terrorists captured the vigilante group’s commander and slit his throat.
Eight of those abducted escaped, but 17 girls are in captivity….
Michael Copeland says
“A permanent war institution against Christian, Jews, and pagans”.
That is how Al Azhar defines jihad.
Western leaders have not noticed.
mortimer says
The truth about jihadism is taking too long to sink into the minds of Western leaders, because this authentic teaching of Islam would require they reverse their soft approach to Islam.
Muslims cannot reform these teachings out of their religion, but merely ignore them and not act on them.
The solution is to convince Muslims to abandon Islam as hopelessly at odds with human rights and modernity.
abu taleb says
As long as non muslims are defending Islam and giving preferential treatment to muslims, muslims will stick to Islam. No muslims must show what Islam really is, treat muslims fairly just like non muslim and show how to live as good human beings.
Most muslims actually know that non muslims are more honest, hard working and smart, but if muslims get free money for being muslims why they become apostates?
gravenimage says
Mortimer–with all respect–where did you get the idea that pious Muslims care more about human rights and modernity than they do Islam?
Walter Sieruk says
Many Muslims claim that they respect the Bible. That claim must be nothing but false and empty words. For the Bible strongly condemns Kidnapping and instructs in severe punishment for those who commit that cruel crime. Exodus 21:16.
gravenimage says
Islam also says that the Bible was “corrupted” by Jews and Christians, and that it was originally as savage as the Qur’an. Never mind that there is no basis for this claim.
gravenimage says
Nigeria: Muslims abduct more than a dozen girls in Chibok
…………..
These poor girls.
And Boko Haram has done this before. The original #bringbackourgirls were victims from Chibok. Most people seem to have forgotten at this point…
Lisa Tea says
Back during the Obama administration when over 100 Christian girls were kidnapped from their school and forcibly converted to Islam, their government was eventually able to get most of the girls returned (except several who died during the kidnap and transport), but one extremely brave girl named Leah refused to convert. All the other girls were eventually returned home, but not Leah. She remains a prisoner. We can only imagine what hell she has gone through. I have the greatest admiration for her courage and devotion to God. I keep her in my prayers and ask you to do the same.
gravenimage says
Lisa, 276 Chibok girls were kidnapped in 2014–a few of the girls who were Muslim were released immediately. Some were able to escape, mostly by jumping from the trucks. Some escpaed later, some were released by the Nigerian army. But as of last year over 100 girls were still missing.
According to survivors who escaped, many of these girls have been raped and forcibly “married” to their captors. Under pressure some have converted to Islam.
Leah Sharibu was kidnapped in a later raid–2018–the victims known as the Daptchi schoolgirls. She was indeed the only victim of this kidnapping to resist converting to Islam, despite beatings and threats. She did escape once but was returned to her captors by Fulani Muslims she turned to for help. She has been given to a Jihad fighter as a slave and raped repeatedly and given birth to two children.
I have the greatest respect for this girl.