Within the context of keeping the Syrian jihad alive, it seems there is no end to the attempts of some Islamic clerics to legitimize otherwise forbidden behavior in order to gratify the sexual urges of the jihadis and keep them fighting Syrian president Bashar Assad.

First, there was the now infamous “sex-jihad” fatwa, which holds that any Muslim woman who willingly allows her body to be used by the sexually-deprived jihadis becomes herself a jihadi, if not a “martyr,” deserving of all the honor and rewards associated with those titles. (Much has been written about the sex jihad, including videotaped testimonials—and how one teenage girl, after copulating with countless jihadis, got pregnant and contracted aids—even as pro-Syrian war Western entities like Foreign Policy try to deny it.)

Another fatwa permitted the jihadis in Syria to enslave and rape any non-Sunni women—including Alawites (Assad’s sect), Christians, Druze, and all Shia—in the context of their status as melk al-yamin or “right hand possessions,” per Koran 4:3 (a verse that permits the enslavement and sexual use of conquered “infidel” women).

Now, the same Islamic cleric who issued this last “rape fatwa” has issued another fatwa urging destitute women in war torn Syria to become the “right hand possessions” of any man willing to support them—basically, to sell themselves into sex-slavery.

In a video that appeared in December 2013, Jordanian Sheikh Yassin al-Ajlawni, who says he lived in Syria for 17 years, asserted that “the needy, disenfranchised Syrian woman is permitted to ask the Muslim man who is capable of supporting her, to enter into a “right hand possession” contract with him, whereby she becomes his right hand possession.”

Ajlawni’s logic is that, because Syria is in a state of war, and the numbers of men are dropping, needy and displaced women are permitted to seek out support by selling themselves into concubinage.

In the Muslim sheikh’s own words:

We hereby give fatwa permitting the Syrian woman who desires to be married to a Muslim man, via a “right hand possession” contract—whereby he becomes her master and she becomes his slave—that all this contract needs is for the woman be clean of her menstruation period, and that this contract be registered with the sheikhs or other authorities, either in a Sharia or civil court… Afterwards, once the woman says, “I give you possession over myself,” via contract of “right hand possession,” this woman becomes his loyal servant, and he her lord; she becomes a slave and concubine to him, and he must support her according to a previously agreed upon monetary fee … thus they become governed by the rulings of “right hand possession,” and there is no problem with this, Allah willing.

To bolster his fatwa, al-Ajlawni referred to a few hadiths (recorded words and teachings of Islam’s prophet Muhammad), including: “One of the signs of the [final] hour is that knowledge will decrease, ignorance will increase, adultery will appear, women will grow in numbers, while men will grow less, so that fifty women will be worth one [man].”

Al-Ajlawni also cited a hadith from the canonical Sahih Bukhari, which has the prophet saying: “whenever fitna [sedition from Islam] becomes widespread, Allah distinguishes his followers, so that 50 women follow one man, saying, ‘Oh Abdullah [“slave of Allah”], take care of me,’” adding that in the same narrative the woman says, “O Abdullah, have sex with me.”

In closing, the sheikh said: “We call on the ulema of Syria to adopt this [fatwa], for it is the only legitimate way to guarantee that displaced Syrian women who have no one to rely on but Allah are not physically or sexually exploited or beaten in ways that contradict Sharia. All prayers and blessings upon our prophet.”

While one may rationalize such fatwas away in the context of the chaotic situation in Syria, the fact is, the same fatwa, the same logic, was earlier issued in Egypt, soon after Muhammad Morsi became president in 2012. Then, Egypt’s first “sex slave” marriage took place, when a woman declared before her future master-spouse, “I enslave myself to you,” before they kissed to an applauding crowd.

The justification for “right hand possession” marriages in Egypt was not displaced and destitute women, but rather young, sexually-frustrated men not able to afford wives, and women who wish to dress promiscuously—since the rules governing female “right hand possessions” forbid them from wearing the hijab (as sex-slaves, they are required to be partially naked, differentiating them from Muslim women, as explained by this Kuwaiti woman).

On March 26 in Egypt, an increasingly common scene took place. Shenouda Riad Musa, a Coptic Christian man, was kidnapped by “unknown persons” who later called his family demanding one million Egyptian pounds for his release, roughly the equivalent of $150,000 USD, an exorbitant sum in Egypt.

Such scenarios—Coptic children or adults abducted at gunpoint and held (and sometimes killed or forced to convert to Islam) by “unknown persons” in exchange for money—are dramatically on the rise in Egypt (see here, here, here, here, and here for some recent examples).

Earlier this month, Isaac Eli—another Coptic man—was abducted under threat of gunfire by four “unknown persons” armed with automatic weapons. They came upon the Coptic wood merchant while he was working in front of his home, coerced him into their car, and sped away.

Later, one of his relatives received a phone call demanding a hefty ransom to release the Christian man: 500,000 Egyptian pounds.

The logic of these many “unknown persons” appears to be simple: according to Islamic law, non-Muslims are required to pay jizya, or tribute, in order not to be molested or plundered (see Koran 9:29).

However, because the jizya has been abolished since the 19th century, thanks to the intervention of colonial powers, these “unknown persons” have found a way to make a profit that is conscionable enough for them: target Christian minorities in their midst for ransom money and justify it all in the context of receiving their just due of jizya from them.

If Christian infidels are not made to pay tribute to the state—as Koran 9:29 mandates and as Salafis regularly insist—apparently the “jizya-vigilantes” will get that money one way or another.

By Bob Taylor

Communities Digital News

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 2, 2014 — Islam is a religion that is, by definition, extreme. What is regarded as extreme by Western standards is, more often than not, considered normal in the Muslim world.

The word “Islam” means “submission.” A “Muslim” is translated as “one who submits.” Now add in the holy book of Islam, the Koran, which, though filled with many contradictions, is believed by Muslims to be perfect because it is “the revealed word of God (Allah) through the Prophet Muhammad.”

The Koran is more than a holy book. It is the ultimate guidebook; it specifically tells Muslims how to conduct their lives.

There is another major Islamic book of teachings that is second only to the Koran, the Hadith. The difference between the two is that the Koran lays out the “rules” that are to be followed while the Hadith provides specific examples as demonstrated by Muhammad himself.

If Muhammad was the “perfect man” and the Koran is the “perfect book” — handed down to the prophet by God to be a roadmap for how to live your life — then reason demands that the only way to be a true believer is to follow its tenets exactly. Islam does not provide for variations from the text, so moderation is not an option.

Islam in its purest sense is comprised of five pillars: declaration that there is no god except God and Muhammad is His messenger; prayer, which is performed five times each day; fasting during the holy month of Ramadan; tithing; and pilgrimage to Mecca, which must be done at least once in the lifetime of anyone physically able to do so who can afford it.

Islam is not a passive religion. For example, Surah 9:29 of the Koran says, “Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given as believe in neither God nor the Last Day, who do not forbid what God and his Apostle have forbidden, and do not embrace the true Faith, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued.”

Sharia Law is the moral code by which Islam is governed. It is a legal system that condones beheadings, stonings, severing of limbs from opposite sides of the body, and even honor killings. To Western standards, such atrocities would certainly be considered extreme, but to many in the Islamic world they are every day practices.

As Islamic expert Raymond Ibrahim points out, “if a self-professed Muslim does not uphold Islamic teachings — including prayer, fasting, paying zakat etc. — how is he being a ‘moderate’? Seems more logical to say that he is not much of a Muslim at all — that is, he is not submitting to Allah, the very definition of ‘Muslim.’”

Media love the term “Islamophobia” because it gives them a neat little word to categorize those who reject the concept that Islam is a “religion of peace.”

The time has come to take our heads out of the sand and stop pandering to those who would choose to do us harm. Wake up Mr. Beckel. Moderate Muslims will not speak out. They cannot do it because they simply do not exist.

Bob Taylor has been traveling the world for more than 30 years as a writer and award winning television producer focusing on international events, people and cultures around the globe. Taylor is founder of The Magellan Travel Club (www.MagellanTravelClub.com).

Read more of What in the World and Bob Taylor at Communities Digital News. Follow Bob on Twitter @MrPeabod