While not all Muslims are in agreement about the liceity of sexual jihad, there are ample religious texts that justify it in the name of Allah.
Recorded in Sahih Bukhari—for most Sunni Muslims, the second textual authority after the Koran itself—is an anecdote of one Muslim giving another Muslim one of his wives for sexual purposes. The story is as follows: When some of Muhammad’s followers from Mecca migrated to Medina, a complaint was raised that the people of Medina had better profited from following Muhammad than his original Meccan followers who had suffered more deprivations. In this context, Muhammad paired up the Meccan Abdul Rahman bin Awf with the Medinan Sa‘ad bin Rabi‘a, for the latter to share some of his possessions with the former. So Rabi‘a offered to Rahman half of all his possessions, adding “Look at my two wives, and whichever of them you desire, I will divorce her so you can have her” (Sahih Bukhari: 118, 1943).
Based on this, divorcing one’s wife for the use of another Muslim became acceptable—indeed, laudable and generous behavior. Sahih Bukhari has an entire chapter (bab) on the jurisprudence of this practice. Nor should it be forgotten that, recorded in the Koran itself, one man divorced his wife and gave her to Muhammad simply because the prophet desired her.
The video at that link is well worth watching, painful as it is, because whether or not Muslims agree with the concept, they all seem to have the same basic assumptions:
- marriage is primarily for male sexual pleasure;
- the children conceived are irrelevant (abortion and contraception are allowed);
- marriage is temporary if the man deems it so;
- wives may be shared;
- wives may share their husband;
- age is no constraint if the man deems it so;
- women have an obligation to obey men, regardless of their conscience;
- a woman's full and free consent is secondary to a union;
- women are seen in an entirely utilitarian way;
- words have power.
The last point is essential: hurling "Allahu Akbar" will confer a marriage, clear the path for sexual intimacy, change a relationship, or otherwise establish a boundary. It is like a talisman for some--even those who would not engage in promiscuity or prostitution fear its use, because the words themselves hold a power over them.
Whether or not modern-day "reformed" Muslims subscribe to such an approach to marriage, no one can deny the example of the prophet, the illustrations in the ahadith, or the historical evidence supporting such behaviour. None of this benefits women, children, or societies--all of which depend on lasting bonds of charity and paternal care. Mut'a offers no such thing even though much of the Muslim world accepts it.
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