There is a war on women, and it is real.
In one of the most disturbing releases regarding the Islamic State yet, fighters have apparently been provided with a manual on how to buy and sell women and girls captured by the militant group, which gives the green light to have sex with pre-pubescent girls.
Thousands of non-Muslim captives are believed to still be in the hands of the IS jihadists, notably those from the Yazidi minority sect.
The Arabic-language manual was purportedly distributed outside of a mosque in the captured Iraqi city of Mosul, but was also circulated on Twitter by pro-IS accounts, attributed to the Research and Fatwa department of the jihadist group.
The document’s authenticity has only been assured by the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute, an organization oft-criticized for its reporting on the Arab world in a overly negative light. MEMRI translated the document to English.
The pamphlet itself appears to give instructions on how women and girls can be sold, how they can be used as concubines, and how they can be given as gifts. The manual explicitly states what is to be done sexually with pre-pubescent (usually less than 12 years of age) girls.
“It is permissible to have sexual intercourse with the female captive . Allah the almighty said: ‘[Successful are the believers] who guard their chastity, except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, for then they are free from blame [Koran 23:5-6]’…”
“Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female slave who has not reached puberty?” one question asks.
“It is permissible to have intercourse with the female slave who hasn’t reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse; however if she is not fit for intercourse, then it is enough to enjoy her without intercourse,” the response is translated.
It does not specify what “enjoying her” may entail.
“Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female captive immediately after taking possession [of her]?” another question is translated.
“If she is a virgin, he [her master] can have intercourse with her immediately after taking possession of her. However, is she isn’t, her uterus must be purified [first]” the response is given, with purification taken to mean after she has had a period.
It also forbids the selling of a woman who is pregnant with her “owner’s” child, and from separating her from her children, but allows the separation of women and their children if the children are older.
The advice also appears to suggest it is “permissible to buy, sell, or give as a gift female captives and slaves, for they are merely property, which can be disposed of.”
The document purportedly says any non-Muslim woman can be taken as a captive, but bars taking any Muslim women, even if they have become “apostates” or non-believers.
A group of men who all “own” the same woman cannot all have sex with her, the document appears to say, but only one man who “owns her” entirely. It also appears to give advice on the withdrawal method for sex with captured women and girls.
It finally suggests that beating the captured women and girls is permissible, as long as they are not hit in the face, or tortured just for the pleasure of an owner. It gives the punishments doled out for the captives who escape, saying it is the “gravest of sins” and they should be “reprimanded… to deter others like her from escaping.”
What are your thoughts on this terrifying manual?