islamic-jihad-legacy-of-forced-conversion-imperialism-slavery

Islamic Slavery‘‘I found myself in front of the sultan in his room, where he was lying with at least fiftywomen,’’ who ‘‘were painted on their faces and clothed like goddesses, extraordinarilybeautiful, and each with her instrument.’’ Maria added: ‘‘…they played and sang, for it was amelody more lovely than anything I’d ever heard before.’’ 843In sum, slave-concubinage—the most degrading and dehumanizing form of prostitution—became aprominent hallmark of Islamic tradition well into modern age. The Ottoman sultans maintained a harem fullof women until the empire was dissolved in 1921. In the princely state of Bahawalpur in Sindh, first to beconquered by Muslim invaders—the last Nawab, who ruled until 1954 before its incorporation into Pakistan,‘had more than three hundred and ninety women’ in his harem. The Nawab had become impotent early andused all kinds of tools to satisfy his great multitude of concubines and wives. When Pakistani army took overhis palace, ‘they found a whole collection of dildos. About six hundred, some made of clays, some bought inEngland and battery-operated. The army dug a pit and buried these dildos.’ 844 The Arab kings till todaymaintain sizable harems of some kind.EUNUCHS AND GHILMANAnother extremely cruel, dehumanizing and degrading aspect of Islamic slavery was the large-scale castrationof male captives. It has received little attention of critics and historians. Historically, castration did receivelittle opposition in the Muslim world well into the modern age. But Muslims normally engaged Jews or othernon-Muslims to perform the operation on the argument that mutilation of human bodies was prohibited inIslam. (This is hypocritical in the least, since beheading of totally innocent people in large numbers has been acommon practice right from the days of the Prophet, while amputation of hands and legs are divine Islamicpunishment for certain crimes.) Yet, the employment of eunuchs is clearly sanctioned by Allah, as the Quraninstructs Muslim women to cover their body and ornaments with cloaks except ‘to their husbands or theirfathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers, or theirbrothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or the maleservants not having need (of women)…’ [Quran 24:31]. Prophet Muhammad had himself accepted a eunuchas gift, says a hadith, which has been excluded from canonical collections. 845Castrated males, normally young handsome boys, were in great demands amongst Muslim rulers andelites mainly for three reasons. First, Muslim harems and households used to have a few to thousands ofwives and concubines. Naturally, most of these women were left sexually unsatisfied as well as jealous andindignant about sharing their husbands and masters with so many women. Keeping male slaves in suchpalaces and households was a cause of concern for the husband and master, because those sexually unsatisfiedand often indignant women could be tempted into sexual contact with the male-slaves. Attraction of haremwomen to other men was rather common. For example, when Pellow, not a eunuch, was surprisingly placedas a harem-guard by Moulay Ismail upon a request from one of his favourite wives, his wives showedamorous interest in him. Aware of the consequence of such a tango if the sultan found out, ‘‘I thought ithighly prudent to keep a very strict guard upon all my actions,’’ wrote Pellow. 846843. Milton, p. 120844. Naipaul (1998), p. 332845. Pellat Ch, Lambton AKS and Orhonlu C (1978) Khasi, In The Encyclopaedia of Islam, E J Brill ed., Leiden, Vol.IV, p. 1089846. Milton, p. 126238