Whole Story: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/22/sarajevo.rape/index.html
Excerpt:
"Then they started torturing me. I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was totally naked and covered in blood, and my sister-in-law was also naked and covered in blood. ... I knew I had been raped, and my sister-in-law, too." In a corner, she saw her mother-in-law, holding her children and crying.
"That same day we were locked in our house. That was the worst, the worst period of my whole life. That's when it started.
"Every day we were raped. Not only in the house -- they would also take us to the front line for the soldiers to torture us. Then again in the house, in front of the children," Jasmina said through a translator, remembering the 10 other women who were brutalized with her.
"I was in such a bad condition that sometimes I couldn't even recognize my own children. Even though I was in a very bad physical condition they had no mercy at all. They raped me every day. They took me to the soldiers and back to that house.
"The only conversation we had was when I was begging them to kill me. That's when they laughed. Their response was 'we don't need you dead.' "
Once at the front line, there were female soldiers who tortured her with a bottle and then slashed at her throat and wrist when it broke. Then the troops cut one of her breasts with a bayonet, said Jasmina, now looking older than her 35 years.
"It lasted for a year. Every day. ... Not all the women survived."
"That same day we were locked in our house. That was the worst, the worst period of my whole life. That's when it started.
"Every day we were raped. Not only in the house -- they would also take us to the front line for the soldiers to torture us. Then again in the house, in front of the children," Jasmina said through a translator, remembering the 10 other women who were brutalized with her.
"I was in such a bad condition that sometimes I couldn't even recognize my own children. Even though I was in a very bad physical condition they had no mercy at all. They raped me every day. They took me to the soldiers and back to that house.
"The only conversation we had was when I was begging them to kill me. That's when they laughed. Their response was 'we don't need you dead.' "
Once at the front line, there were female soldiers who tortured her with a bottle and then slashed at her throat and wrist when it broke. Then the troops cut one of her breasts with a bayonet, said Jasmina, now looking older than her 35 years.
"It lasted for a year. Every day. ... Not all the women survived."
Such horrid crimes were happening across the world towards our sister Muslims and even to non-Muslims things like this happen of course. At the end of the article it said they lack funding to help women like her...what the heck LACK FUNDING to help war victims?!?!?! The things that happened to these Muslims were just as bad as what happened to the Jews in the Holocaust yet the world helped the Jews financially (even gave them a whole "state") yet no one can give this poor woman and her family who were all brutalised even their own house to live in without fear of loosing it? Instead of spending millions of dirhams and dollars on decor of palaces someone could instead help the poor people who have suffered untold atrocities all over the world.
Another thing this story brings to my mind is the taking of slaves during the Muslim Wars. I accept the rulings of Allah and his Messenger (SAW) about the right to take war prisoners.
I've just always wondered about those women who were taken and they were married and had small children (and children period) and suddenly were forced separation from them and had to let their captors have sex with them. I'm sure not all were willing- i.e. rape. How could a Muslim (who really acted like a true believer) stomach the mental torture of a woman forced from her husband and children? I'd really like someone knowledgeable to explain to me how this worked back then. Sometimes I've heard Muslim men laughing that if the Muslim nations declared Jihad on USA then the men would take Pamela Anderson, Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones, etc.. all the beautiful Hollywood stars... as sex prisoners. I protested their joking saying but these women are married and have kids, a few just shrugged and said "That is Halal for taking enemy women as slaves and using them for sex." I thought there must be more to it then that Islamically for there to be real Justice. I couldn't argue with them further because of my lack of knowledge. Sadly. So what is the deal with sex slaves? What is the real Islamic judgement about taking enemy women captives who are married and have children (and those that are single and young too)? Did any of the men long ago treat a woman taken like this poor woman was treated? Everyday forced rape.
22 intelligent thoughts:
i have no words....that was horrendous! How can they treat humans like this! As for the times back then, i really wanna know too.
salam sis... id be interested to hear from someone more knowledgeable too.. surely zina is zina no matter where the lady or man comes from? Ive never really looked into this. I think the quote u gave was very nasty from 'the man' ;P not in good taste, at all... thanks for the post sis.. Ive been wondering where you got to :D
Salaam
Interesting post... I feel so sorry for these women... where is amnesty now???!!
I am guessing here but I know one thing for sure even if women are captured you cannot use them as sex slaves, zina is zina... Slave or free woman...
Allah knows best...
Salaam
i found the following that clearly states that u must marry your slaves and not commit fornication
The Noble Qur'ân An-Nur 4:32-33
32. And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Sâlihûn (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allâh will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allâh is All-Sufficent for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people).
33. And let those who find not the financial means for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allâh enriches them of His Bounty. And such of your slaves as seek a writing (of emancipation), give them such writing, if you know that they are good and trustworthy. And give them something yourselves out of the wealth of Allâh which He has bestowed upon you. And force not your maids to prostitution, if they desire chastity, in order that you may make a gain in the (perishable) goods of this worldly life. But if anyone compels them (to prostitution), then after such compulsion, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to those women, i.e. He will forgive them because they have been forced to do this evil action unwillingly).
That pretty much sums it up...
Salaam
it's me again...
Another quote from the Quraan:
[4:24*]. Also prohibited are the women who are already married, unless they flee their disbelieving husbands who are at war with you.* These are GOD's commandments to you. All other categories are permitted for you in marriage, so long as you pay them their due dowries. You shall maintain your morality, by not committing adultery. Thus, whoever you like among them, you shall pay them the dowry decreed for them. You commit no error by mutually agreeing to any adjustments to the dowry. GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise. .
I don't get what the baby did wrong to deserve to die. . . why add more death and destruction upon what has already been done? Why stoop to the level of your captors?
asalamu aleykum w rahmetullah!
i just want to say that i found that i hardly could continue reading of this post from the first rows,its maybe strange cos last time revealed more and more this information abt harassment,physical abuse, terror and so on that heart easily lose its sensitivity but in my case i become more and more sensitive to any kind of tortures
From my knowledge about the back-then times, when a women (and her children) were taken captive--and I mean by Islamic standards of being a captive, NOT the violent/ravaging standard of the West-- she would willfully become a P.O.W. (although I'm sure there is a more Islamic term) and either be held a slave OR become a Muslim/free woman.
If she chose to be a slave, and if a man (her master or captor, whichever term you prefer) wanted to have sex with her, it was allowed (ie. "those whom their right hand possesses) because a woman gets that urge, ya know? It was better for her to have sex with her master than go off and do it with some random dude cuz then it would be zina.
**For the record I am not a scholar and I am just saying what I got from my understanding. If I have made an error, plz correct me insha'Allah :-D
"I mean by Islamic standards of being a captive, NOT the violent/ravaging standard of the West"
Ummmm, newsflash... war is war. It really doesn't matter who does it. It is always violent and ravaging. That's generally how you go about conquering and invading other people's lands and taking prisoners. And I'm pretty sure "the West" wasn't the only one doing such things.
You can say all you want about Islam says this and that or Christianity says this and that but the proof is in peoples' actions. And the nonmuslim west most certainly didn't have a stranglehold on violent ravaging.
Aalia wrote:
If she chose to be a slave, and if a man (her master or captor, whichever term you prefer) wanted to have sex with her, it was allowed (ie. "those whom their right hand possesses) because a woman gets that urge, ya know? It was better for her to have sex with her master than go off and do it with some random dude cuz then it would be zina.
Wow sis - you've got to be kidding me! Apparently, it's not only the wicked west who is "violent and ravaging"
That's the whole point of AMW post.
WHAT WOMAN CHOSES TO BE A SEX SLAVE!
Anonymous, wars nowadays are completely different than what they were a thousand years ago. I don't need any newsflash since this area is one of the fields I take interest in. For one example look up "comfort women". Sorry but I have a hard time imagining that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s) would treat captive women like how the Japanese treated other Asian women.
Safiyyah, perhaps I read Brandy's post wrong or typed my comment incorrect but I was in no way condoning sex slaves. If you read the conditions of how to treat a P.O.W. based on Shari`a you will know what I am referring to.
Slavery in Islam was originally prescribed because of Kufr. If there is jihaad between the Muslims and the kuffaar, and a number of kuffaar are taken prisoner, the commander is given the choice of sharing them out, doing them a favour (by releasing them) or paying their ransom. If they are shared out as part of the booty, they become slaves, subject to the laws governing products which may be sold. But at the same time, Islam urges the freeing of slaves and makes doing so an act of expiation for numerous sins. In principle, slavery is not something that is desirable; what is encouraged in Islam is the freeing of slaves. If a woman is enslaved according to sharee’ah, it is permissible for her master to have intercourse with her. This is unlike prostitution or zinaa, which Islam has forbidden as a precaution against mixing lineages and other reasons for which it is forbidden. There is no comparison between the two, because if a slave woman becomes pregnant, the child belongs to the master and she becomes free when he dies, because she has become the mother of the master’s child (umm walad), and is subject to the same rulings as a wife. And Allaah knows best.
Islam QA
BTW whenever I refer to something as "the West" I mean any nation or country that has never OR currently does not base ANY of their legal system on shari`a.
Assalamu alaikom,
I think the part of your post, Aalia, that is surprising, is the suggestion that a woman may wish to have sex with her "owner", because she has sexual urges. The power imbalance in such a relationship is very disagreeable to me...
Sorry i took so long in getting back to this post but life has been chaos for me recently.
OK I do know and understnad that a muslim man may have POW/slave captives and he may have sex with them and this is halal for him no matter how many he has as long as he provides for them as the master and takes care of them there is no limit in number as there is with wives.
In addition to Prophet Muhammad's 9 wives he had at least one slave named Mary or Maryam who gave him the birh of a son named Ibrahim who died in infancy. So thsi was allwoed.
The details of POWs and slave would make further interesting reading to gain knowledge of but my main question is about those POW women who had children and were married and were taken captive. Were they forced to sleep with their captive? If they refused any of the companions' beds were they forced by some or were they given time to grieve or deal with their new lives first. I give the companions the benefit of the doubt that they are good to people but no one is perfect not even the companions.
Aalia i agree and understand that sleeping witht eh master is better over all then having a woman roaming the streets seducing anyone and gettign preg with anyone's child when she has the urge. The master is already taking care of her and there are laws that free her upon conditions of the birth of the child and islam always encourages the freeing of slaves. But my question centeres around the anguish of women who are married or have children who are taken and what becomes of them if they refuse to have sex wit the masters though it is the islamic right. Also do the children become slaves too?
Asalaam `alaikum all:-)
I re-read my comments and I don't see what is so strange about them. In no way was I saying it's appropriate that a man can force a woman captive to have sex with her--- And I would like to mention that I am not talking from my own head but I am getting this from the Quran and Sahih Ahadith:-D
Brandy:
" But my question centeres around the anguish of women who are married or have children who are taken and what becomes of them if they refuse to have sex wit the masters though it is the islamic right. Also do the children become slaves too?"
I don't know about that and if I just take a guess I may be wrong and I don't wanna give out misinformation insha'Allah *lol*
Salaams Sis Aalia:
This was what I found strange:
If she chose to be a slave,
(Who would CHOOSE to be a slave)
A woman gets that urge too
(What woman would get an "urge" to have sex with a man from the people who killed her husband and family? The majority of women are not like men in this regard, i.e., get horny and do anyone around.)
The comments are strange in relationship to the post. If I gather correctly, these women DO NOT WANT TO HAVE SEX yet along have sex numerous times a day with numerous captors. This is what makes it RAPE.
I do not believe that Islam condons rape. I would have to see the daleel on that one. Even a husband, who has sexual rights on a wife, has no right to RAPE her for it. His recourse is divorce because the wife is "disobedient".
I wonder what rights the slave women in the Prophet (saw) time had? My understanding is that if they didn't convert to Islam, they were still held captive and made slaves.
Rape means having sex with someone who does not want it and who does not give their consent.
American example: In the US, those who enslaved Africans thought that they had a RIGHT to sex with them, too, even if they didn't consent. After all, the slave owners considered the Africans their "property". I believe that African-Americans regard this as rape by the white slave master.
Sis: I comment above with all due respect, with no intent to be difficult, just to discuss the post.
Islam gives a man a right to sex in certain cases, but not to rape.
Salaams Safiyyah :-)
I totally agree with what you said, Islam in no way shape or form allows rape. My previous posts were not directed at anything other than Brandy asking about the Islamic stance on the permissibility of having sex with a female slave. Nothing else. To be more clear I was replying to her question at the end of her post "What is the real Islamic judgement about taking enemy women captives who are married and have children (and those that are single and young too)? Did any of the men long ago treat a woman taken like this poor woman was treated?"
When a woman was taken captive in a war and if her treatment was according to Shari`a, she could either convert to Islam and become a free woman OR remain a slave. Back then the Muslims were of the most pious generation ever to live and the captive women knew this. Some agreed to become slaves and some decided to accept Islam.
Those points are what I was referring to in my posts, and I definitately in no way was saying rape was Islamic.
Hope that clears it up insha'Allah:-D
Islam gives a man a right to sex only in Marriage. I dont need a religion to tell me that slavery of any form is wrong in today's world, no woman who is captured deserves to choose between being a slave or change her religion.
No woman regardless of her status should be having sex with her master or any man outside marriage. People should be careful not to read the quran, hadith or history out of context.
Kaalimaat no offense dear but if you go to any of the fuqaha they will basically tell u the same thing I have just said. And as I mentioned in my many posts, only during the Prophet;s time (s.a.w.s.) was this certain practise ever done properly.
And no offense to anyone who has studied formerly at a madrassa but I don't need a certificate prooving I know and understand certain aspects of Islam.
Anyways I am done with this since my comments are being taken out of context *lol* and I don't wanna get involved with starting fitnah insha'Allah.
P.S. Here are some links from a site I trust that explain slavery more and highlights many important factors.
Just so y'all know I am talking from my head or misinterpreting the Quran, Ahadith or history;-)
This link explains the different aspects of slavery and the kuffara who were captured: http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/94840/slavery
http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/12562/slavery
http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/26067
This link is also very important about women slaves: http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/13737/slavery
OKay now I am done
***oOps it shud say "Just so y'all know I am NOT talking from my head***
BTW my final statement is (sorry Brandy for hi-jacking ur thread, I promise this is the last comment from me!) is that this is a very deep subject. I am just skimming the surface and it's up to everyone to read and find out more (provided they get their information from trusted sources) insha'Allah.
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