Islam, Sex & Violence

(Essays on Islam by Anwar Shaikh)

Contents

Islamic Concept of Sexual Psychology

The Islamic message when analyzed carefully, emerges as a novel doctrine of sexual psychology, which stands on the two pillars of carnal enjoyment and conscience--free violence in the name of Allah, who claims to be the Most 
Merciful and the Best Judge. Though this faith cannot stand without these props, they have been masterfully camouflaged with Divine Veneer, which loses its luster when subjected to a rational examination. To demonstrate this truth, I must first, narrate the two universal legends - The Greek and the Biblical - which have determined the sexual status of woman in Islam, and the appeal of her carnal attraction in arousing the spirit of Jehad, the holy concept of violence, seeking plunder, persecution and paralysis of non-Muslim societies. 
The Greek tradition holds that Pandora, the first woman was especially created by Zeus, the King of gods, to punish man for receiving the gift of fire that Prometheus had stolen from Heaven. He commanded Hephaestus, the divine artisan, to mix earth with water for preparing woman's body, which ought to have man's voice, but in fairness and beauty it must resemble an immortal goddess. He bade Athena to teach her the art of weaving highly complex webs. The golden Aphrodite was ordered to embellish her (woman's) head with grace, as well as, painful desire, and cares that decimate limbs. At the same time, Hermes, the god's messenger, was told to equip her with a dog-like mind and deceitful manners. To obey Zeus, the gods allotted her a beguiling mode of utterance. When the creative act was completed, the woman was called Pandora because every god had bestowed on her a gift, which was to be a source of some mischief to man. The fascinating souvenir was presented by Zeus to man - Epimetheus, whose brother Prometheus, had warned him not to accept any memento from gods. So beautiful was Pandora that Epimetheus could not resist the temptation of accepting her. 

How did this Divine plan materialize? Prometheus had left a mysterious box in the custody of Epimetheus with the express instructions not to open it under any circumstance. When Pandora saw it, her curiosity became boundless. She opened the box whereupon ten thousand evils rushed out and started plaguing man. Hope was the only one that could not escape for the timely replacement of the lid. Had Pandora listened to Epimetheus, evil would have been unknown in the world. Thus, the moral of the story is: 
1. Man is innocent and woman is guilty. 
2. It is the sexual attraction of woman that misled Epimetheus to accept the gift despite a stern warning from his brother not to do so. 
3. Since Epimetheus heeded the warning but Pandora did not, man is superior to woman in resolve, wisdom and general character but woman is the source of mischief, misery and misunderstanding. 

This Hesiod point of view about womanhood seems to have served as the cornerstone of the Greek culture, allotting her the lowest status in society. As a result, the Greek culture became patriarchal in which woman ranked as a household chattel. She was just a man's sexual toy; even in this state she had to compete with boys, who were preferred by majority of men. No doubt, this Greek legend has exerted an enormous influence on human civilization, but the Biblical story of Adam's creation has a greater psychological depth than the Pandora's tale. The Bible states: Having created man in His own image, "the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone: I will make him an help meet (companion) for him " "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fail upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;" "And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man." "And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man." ''Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." ( Genesis 2: 18- 25 ) 

In these verses, it is clearly stated that: 
1. Man without woman is a lonely being. 
2. Man has precedence over woman because she has been created out of his rib. 
3. Woman is the dearest thing to man because he believes her to be "the bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." 
4. Man and woman shall leave their parents to live together until death them do part. 
5. Because of their closeness, it is not shameful for man and woman to be naked in each other's company. 

According to the Biblical description, man is the source of woman's creation, and she has been brought about for the company and pleasure of man. Yet, in status, she is nearly equal to man because they have to live together eternally as one flesh. So far so good. However, the story of creation adds a strange twist to this affair by adding that the couple were found a home in the Garden of Eden where there was to be no sorrow, no illness and no death, and where all luxuries of life would be available free, just for desiring. In the Garden, there was "the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2: 9) The Lord God expressly forbade Adam not to eat the fruit of this particular tree but he defied the Creator at the behest of Eve, his wife. Since this event shows that man rebelled against God to please his woman, it demonstrates the significance of sexual delight to man. Stated briefly, the event establishes that: 
1. So important is carnal gratification to man that he will defy God for sexual pleasure. On the contrary, God shall be adored by man most humbly and fervently if He were to promise him abundant sexual satisfaction by way of houris (beautiful virgins) and ghilmaan (pretty boys) as the reward for obeying Him. 
2. Sex is the chief drive of male activity and plays a major role in his felicity and frustration. Diagnosis of his mental, physical and spiritual condition is somehow, associated with the realization of his sexual dreams. This link is not restricted to puberty and adolescence but goes back to infancy because parental harmony and discord, which influence baby's tendencies, are broadly determined by their sexual attitudes and mutual satisfaction. No matter how educated and materially prosperous a household be, without sexual match, which is the fountain of love, it cannot provide a healthy growth to the children. 
3. Sexual appeal of woman is her greatest shield against the brutal proclivities of man. In fact, it is more than a shield: it can be an offensive feminine weapon to tame, twiddle and twist him. The effectiveness of this tool can be greatly enhanced by the woman who knows the art of loving, shedding tears, self-beautification, tantalization, and keeping man at a boiling point through hearty, hilarious and high-sounding promises. However, the Church Elders failed to gauge the psychological depth of this episode. Instead of utilizing its hidden wisdom for the good of humankind, they used it to promote their selfish interests. Calling this event as the origin of sin, which precipitated Adam's fall, they branded woman as the agent of Satan and the enemy of man. This Christian interpretation led to the inferior social status of woman and creation of a patriarchal society with its concomitant afflictions to the fair sex. 
Both the tales of Pandora and Eve have been invented to depict woman as the enemy of man. An enemy is someone, who is feared because he or she has the power to damage, debilitate and devastate. Feminine charm, which is the aggregate of woman's sexual appeal plus her tantalizing manners, constitute the powerful threat that makes man grovel before her. These tales not only indicate man's fear of woman but also arouse his contempt, preparing him for a head-on collision with her. Again, everything is known by its opposite: for example, light can be recognized by darkness only and the concept of sweet has no meaning without bitter. In fact, all psychological attributes e.g., love, friendship, etc., also have their opposites. Feminine charm is no exception: man is endowed with dominance-urge, which acts as a counter to the feminine charm. It is not to say that women do not possess dominance-urge. They certainly do, but this trait is a far less effective part of their personality compared to what I call Feminine Charm. The fact that human society has been chiefly patriarchal, proves decisively that the male urge to dominate is severe, successful and supreme. Patriarchal society is the one in which man is the boss; his word is the law and woman has no choice but to obey him in his capacity as a father, son and husband. In a nutshell, she exists only for the pleasure and convenience of man. This is an extreme form of degradation, which woman would try to avoid at all costs, if she could, but it has not been possible over the centuries except in casual circumstances when small matriarchal societies appeared for short periods. 

The concept of dominance-urge is explained by the pecking order where the stronger bird pecks the weaker bird for no other reason than making a show of his commanding stature. It is this dominance-urge, which is the source of competition in all walks of life, setting new and higher goals to be achieved. To my mind, the mechanism of human culture, in the last resort, is operated by the fraction of Feminine Charm and Dominance-Urge. These two opposites are different from the physical opposites known as positive and negative poles, which are equal in magnitude, and act as functional mates and not as adversaries. On the contrary, dominance-urge recognizes no other goal than securing ascendancy on both friends and foes. This is the reason that it can be 
malicious, merciless and morally bankrupt. Since woman has been projected as the chief enemy of man, dominance-urge is particularly misogynist i.e., hater of womanhood, and requires its total submission through a process of cunningness but painted in brilliant colors of serenity, sincerity and suavity. Religion has been man's best friend because it has enabled him to unleash his 
dominance-urge to fool and snool women in the name of God, who wants them to surrender all their human rights to please their fathers, husbands, sons and brothers! Polygamy, concubinage etc., which turn women into appetizing sexual objects of seraglios, are some of the well-known examples. 

As stated before, the earth has occasionally relished matriarchal societies on a limited scale. It represents a social state where mother is the head of the family and descent is reckoned in the female line. Thus, matriarchy is the antonym of patriarchy. Woman is artful in relation to man because this is the only way she can survive. Otherwise, she is mercy, love and care. This is the reason that, as a general rule, she is a poor substitute for a man in the political and military fields, which require tough, selfish and murderous attitudes to succeed and prosper. In a matriarchy i.e., government by women, its members may bicker but it is unlikely that they will declare and wage bloody wars because they are too soft to be severe and too kind to be cruel. After this background discussion, I am in a positive to state why the prophet Mohammad chose sex and violence as the two pillars of Islam. 

No person (in known history) has ever possessed the magnitude of dominance-urge that Mohammed did. If we turn the entire humankind into a pyramid, right at the apex shall be found the Arabian Prophet: he declared himself to be the divine Model of Behavior for the human race, which means that everyone should think and feel like him, act and rest like him, walk and talk like him, eat and drink like him; all the laws he made in the name of Allah are there to suit his convenience; faith in God alone is immaterial to qualify for divine mercy or salvation unless one believes in him as well; he is the Intercessor because it is his word on the Day of Judgment, which shall decide whether a person is entitled to hell or heaven. Above all, Allah and His angels pray peace to Mohammed i.e., worship him;. this is what testifies to the immensity of Mohammed's dominance-urge: even Jesus Christ is found praying to Jehovah, the God, but Allah, the God adores Mohammed along with His angels! This type of position, which is beyond the grip of both man and God, requires patience, planning and power. The prophet was endowed with all these elements and the ability to operate them with an unusual degree of success. Having discussed them fully in my book "Islam, The Arab Imperialism," I need not describe them here again except to state that the Prophet decided to weld his nation into a formidable fighting force for creating a mighty empire, principally founded on his personal holiness, and sanctity of teachings. In an effort to make the Arabs a stout and fearless army that could administer a mighty dose of torture, tyranny and torment to achieve his imperial goal, the Prophet used sex appeal as the most attractive force to draw men towards his cause. However, realizing that man's delights are not restricted to carnal enjoyment, he widened the fascination of his appeal and invented Jehad, which not only provided abundant supplies of women and boys to his holy soldiers (Mujahadeen) but also legalized loot and murder of non--Muslims and served as the best way to please Allah. This was the Prophet's master-stroke to create a fantastic faith in his followers' minds that robbery, murder, seduction, spreading untold misery and creating helpless orphans and widows as Jehad (the Holy War) was the supreme act of piety that assured wide opening of the heavenly portals. Of course, there had been terrible predators known as conquerors before the time of Mohammed, but nobody had ever named such atrocities as pieties packed with blessings, benedictions and beatitudes. This power of brainwashing that the Prophet Mohammed possessed, was not only massive but also everlasting because it is still going strong on both counts, even after a passage of fourteen centuries. It is only tough, tedious and tyrannical men, who win battlefields; effeminate fellows faint at the sight of blood. The deep insight that the Prophet possessed enabled him to exploit the psychological mechanism, which I may describe as "feminine charm versus dominance urge." When the goal is achievement of personal ascendancy both in love and loathing and fair and foul, the urge of dominance seldom recognizes the established rules of conduct. Therefore, Mohammed had to rise the status of men at expense of women. So he hammered out a plan of sexual gratification based on male command, which embellished man with dictatorial rights and turned woman into a sexual toy. Man was legally empowered to set up private brothels, technically known as seraglios. These abodes of luxurious wickedness carried out only the approval of "The Most Munificent" Allaha but also constituted as the sole object of salvation because a Muslim obeys the commands of Allaha-Mohammed only for the purpose of gaining entry into paradise, which is inhabited by the most exquisite virgins and boys, the source of wonderful sexual delights. 

Although the "theory of feminine charm versus dominance-urge" could be an effective scheme to secure the purpose of Mohammed, putting it into practice was an extremely difficult task because the land of Arabia had a matriarchal system, which bestowed considerable reverence and authority on a mother or grandmother. It has been the policy of Islam to destroy the pre--Islamic culture of the land wherever it achieved domination. Arabia itself is no exception. Yet if one gazes through history, one finds that Arabia can boast of several queens during the pre-Islamic era. It would not have been possible unless women enjoyed fundamental civic rights: We find that Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 B.C.), who founded the Assyrian Empire, carried out several military expeditions against Syria and its adjoining territories. In the third year of his reign, he succeeded in exacting tribute from Zabibi, the Queen of Aribi (Arabia). Another Arabian queen, who was conquered by him during the ninth year of his rule, was called Shamsiyah. The Palmyrean king, bearing an Indian name Odaynath, who chased the famous Persian Shapur to the walls of his Capital, Ctesiphon (al-Madain), had a beautiful, courageous and ambitious wife called Zenobia. Appointing herself the regent of her son Wahb-Allath, she ruled her land capably and after repulsing several Roman attempts to re-conquer Palmyra, she declared herself to be the Queen of the East. 

The most famous of all the Arabian queens was the Shunammite girl, whose beauty bewitched Solomon, the Wise, considered a major prophet of God by the Muslims. She is believed to be an Arab of the Kedar tribe. Her physical elegance has been preserved by Solomon, who also happened to be a romantic poet. This Arab damsel called Bilqis is known to history as Queen of Sheba. Hearing the fabulous tales of Solomon's wisdom, she became enamored of him, and traveled all the way to Jerusalem with abundant gifts to see him. The meeting proved to be really jubilant. In return, the Wise Solomon "gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants." (1 Kings: 10. 13) These verses have been interpreted by the Biblical scholars to mean that Solomon showered sexual favors on her when she was his guest. Exaggerated it may seem, but its veracity has been borne out by history. This prophet of God indulged in the hobby of woman-collecting. Thus he succeeded in adding no fewer than 300 concubines to his harem, which also contained wedded wives! History testifies to the fact that the Queen of Sheba conceived to celebrate the erotic hilarity of the occasion and gave birth to a son, who came to be known as Menelik the second: he fathered a small African tribe of Jews, called Falasha, whose existence remained unknown until 1867. The purpose of this description is to demonstrate that the Arab women did not live as veiled captives of their men. This situation was created by Islam to manipulate womanhood. Prophet Mohammed himself was a trusted employee of Khadija, whom he married later. It is noteworthy that the Allah did not command Muslim women to observe purdah (veil} during the life-time of powerful Khadija, who was a caravan trader in her own right. Nor did Mohammed indulge in polygamy when she was alive despite the fact that she was fifteen years older than he was and had been married twice before becoming his wife. 

One should also note that polyandry was a recognized custom of Arabia before the advent of Mohammed. It refers to the practice that allows a woman to have legally more than one husband at the same time, and gives her a commanding position in the household. The Mahabharta story of Draupadi shows that polyandry as a legal custom originated in India. She was married to the five Pandab brothers. Polyandry is not a privileged sexual access to a woman by several men. It is a form of regular marriage in which woman is the boss. This practice was associated with the customs of kinship. It is usually brothers, who are found in this marital relationship, though unrelated men can also enter this arrangement and call themselves " brothers. " Polyandry was totally different in essence from the "lek mentality;" lek refers to the communal area in which two or more males of a species perform courtship displays. While the lek behavior of insects such as fire flies is playful, among male mammals, it means an arena, which they enter to display ferocity for establishing their priority to sex, food and water. The standing-by females are so much awed by the winning male that they willingly submit to him for satisfying his sexual desires. This is the situation in which a female has no 
rights; she does not have to be a consenting partner; she must be available when she is wanted. This is what I call "Sex by domination;" it nullifies the defensive role of feminine charm, which gives the fair sex her grace, greatness and grandeur. Sexually, this is an ideal situation for man because it enables him to have carnal pleasure by command. This setting is opposite of matriarchal institution, which demands genuine respect for female beauty and dignity. In fact, this social state carries the same significance for fair sex as a flower has for bees, flame for moths and rain for the parched soil. Thus it lowers the value of dominance-urge, which usually is driving force for man. In fact, manliness is associated with urge of dominance which motivates him to tame brutes, humble storms and build empires. 

Men, whose aggressive spirit is dampened by consideration of sexual pleasures, change into sex-worshippers. They become effeminate and cannot rise to the situations demanding high tests of toughness, dare and supremacy. In this sense, feminine charm ceases to be the opposite pole of dominance-urge for lacking equality of functional dynamism and acts as an ineffective challenge to man's brute force, which is not only physical but also intellectual. Dominance-urge is to manliness what fire is to locomotive engine, eruption of lava is to earthquake roar is to lion. Thus, man feels that he is not a man unless he is the dominant member of community. This is the secret of the patriarchal society, which is established at the expense of women's rights. 

Prophet Mohammed knew this fact, his marriage to Khadija, in which she was evidently the dominant partner, must have made him more conscious of the male dominance-urge. So he forged the doctrinal policy of Dominance-Urge vs. Feminine Charm for creating a really virile, virulent and vibrant nation which built an empire. Thus, he allotted sexual pleasure, the central role in his religion deliberations: man was to have all the rights and woman was to be  burdened with all the obligations; man could legitimately have as many woman as he wished in the form of wives and concubines; only a true Muslim was to enter paradise, the place of the choicest sex; and the pious and swift way of securing houris (the paradisiacal virgins) was through Jehad, which makes mutilation, murder and massacre of non-Muslims so holy that in case of surviving battle, the Mujahid (warrior) receives plundered wealth and women as Allah's mercy and if he is killed in action, he goes straight to paradise where no fewer than seventy-two houris are restlessly waiting to offer him their lusty goodies. 

The entire purpose of this divine planning is to install Mohammed as the holiest of holies. This was not possible without waging wars, but men do not risk their lives without expecting high rewards. The solution is the concept of holy Jehad, which the Prophet conceived masterfully. It is claimed that the real Superpose of Jehad is to enforce righteousness and forbid evil. History does not support this view of the Koran. Here is an episode which reveals the true nature of Jehad and its relationship to sex: The Battle of Honein, which was fought on February 1, 630 A.D. yielded the following booty: "24,000 camels, 40,000 sheep and goats, 4,000 ounces of silver and 6,000 prisoners. They were removed to the neighboring valley of Al-Jirana, and sheltered there, awaiting the return of the army from At-Taif." Citizens of At-Taif held out bravely but when Mohammed's army started destroying their famous vineyards, which formed the backbone of their economy, they surrendered but the time that this process took was too long for the soldiers of Allah to wait for their share of the plunder. Having agreed the restoration of prisoners to their relatives, as Mohammed mounted his camel and proceeded to his tent, further waiting proved very trying for his followers, who wanted an immediate distribution of the booty. Barricading his way, they shouted: "Distribute to us the spoil - the camels and the flocks!" "So rudely did they jostle him that he was driven to seek refuge under a tree, with his mantle torn from his shoulders;.. 'Return to me my mantle, O man:' cried Mohammed, who had now secured a more free position, extricating himself with some difficulty from the crush: - 'Return my mantle: for I swear by the Lord that if the sheep and the camels were as many as the trees of the forest in number, I would divide them all amongst you. Ye have not heretofore found me niggardly or false." "Then plucking from his camel's hump a hair, he held it aloft, and said, 'even to a hair like this, I would keep back naught but the Fifth; and even that I will divide amongst you.' They were pacified, and Mohammed went on his way." From the above quotation, it is quite clear that the followers of Mohammed joined him in his invasions not to enforce good but to secure plunder; their greed is demonstrated by their rude treatment of the prophet. 

Again, Jehad was a tool of the prophet for gaining followers to glorify himself through distribution of plunder. According to this episode, the Prophet gave much bigger shares to those who had just embraced Islam, and whose conversion had some significance. For example, Abu Sufyan along with his two sons, received 100 camels each. And so did Hakim Ibn Hizam, Safwan, Suheil and several others. These are the men who had been Mohammed's deadly enemies only a few weeks earlier. The lesser chiefs received fifty camels each. Those who still grumbled, their share was doubled without hesitation. There were men like Joeil, who received nothing except lip-sympathy. In reply to the complaint about such a distribution, the Prophet said, "I wish to gain over the hearts of these men to Islam, while Joeil bath no need of such inducement." Is it not pure politics? Does the Almighty need this type of behavior to pacify men with plunder of the innocent in return for worship ? If it is really the attitude of Allah, then is He worthy of adoration? Wealth and women are the two psychological weaknesses of man, and Jehad remedies them both. Among the captives of At-Taif were three beautiful women. The Prophet gave one of them to All, another to Uthman and the third to Umar. One ought to remember that All and Uthman were the Prophet's sons-in-law, and Umar was his father-in--law. 

Again, it should be noted that Islam held it legitimate to have sexual intercourse with one's slave-girls; the prophet himself had at least two slave-girls. One of them, Mary, was the mother of his son Ibrahim, who died as an infant. Such a practice was considered a grave offence in the Roman Empire and carried sentence of death for the lewd master. Handing slave-girls to one's son-in-law and father--in-law is certainly an unusual act; its moral undertones are difficult to understand unless it is treated as an integral part of Jehad, which declares it Allah's blessing to a Muiahid, the Muslim warrior, though to women folk, it is the greatest blight reducing them to the status of a household chattel, which can be abused, sold or thrown away. It clearly shows that Jehad is man's tool of dominance, which seeks to humiliate women for easy and cheap sex. 

The Islamic view about sex and violence has been camouflaged so skillfully that vice appears as virtue, wrong as right and dark as bright. The stark truth is that it is nothing but sexual psychology, purposely developed to create and sustain Arab Imperialism. Since its face is being unveiled for the first time in this book, it is imperative that confusion forms no part of its description. Therefore, its salient points ought to be reiterated in terms of modern psychology with reference to its origin, nature and purpose. The Islamic theory of sexual psychology may be stated as follows: Sex and violence are the two pillars that have supported Islam since its inception. Though in practice, they have wrought havoc with civilization, in appearance, they represent the apex of purity, piety and providence. Islam has blended sex and violence in its doctrine so diligently that these two elements along with their details, constitute what may be called "Sexual Psychology." What is Islamic sexual psychology? To understand this concept one should refer to the Old Testament. Its fundamentals are to be found in Genesis 1-3. Stated simply, it means that God made man (Adam) in His own image. Realizing that Adam is lonely, and thus unhappy, God created woman from Adam's rib. This shows man's precedence over woman, whose naturally allotted function cannot be anything but living for man's pleasure. Since woman comes out of man, she essentially controls his psychological mechanism and thus, his felicity and frustration come to depend upon her attitude towards him. She exerts such an enormous influence on man that he defies God for paying deference to woman. This is how woman becomes a threat to God and all those who want to be godly. Therefore, it is the will of God to coerce woman's liberties for keeping her under the control of man! 

In view of the restrictions that Islam has imposed on woman's rights, it emerges that her ability to provide man with sexual delight is her competent weapon, which is made lethal by her virtues of presence, cunningness, flirtation, arts of beautification, sartorial elegance and modes of self--exhibition. The combined effect of these skills may be termed as "Feminine Charm." Of course, it is highly desirable, but despite being alluring, gratifying and delightful, it is inimical to man's urge of dominance, which is the fountain of his greatness, grandeur and glory. A man enslaved by feminine charm ceases to be manly because he develops womanly characteristics, which disqualify him as a soldier, a pioneer, an adventurer or a commander. Since sex is man's greatest delight, it is unnatural for him to become an ascetic or practice celibacy. In fact, the more the chances for a man to enjoy sex, the greater the likelihood for his happiness, but carnal gratification must not result in man's surrender to feminine charm. On the contrary, it must reinforce man's dominance-urge but this is possible only if he can achieve sexual satisfaction by command, and not by pleading. Thus, there is a direct clash between man's dominance-urge and woman's feminine charm. Since dominance-urge is the drive, which enables him to conquer all challenges, Islam has taken all those legal and social steps, which deprive woman of her liberties to decimate the powers of feminine charm; polygamy, purdah (veiling), man's superior rights of inheritance, discriminatory privileges in tendering legal evidence and divorcing woman at will, are some of the examples. What is even more stunning is man's prerogative to beat woman when she fails to delight him or denies him the pleasures that he demands. 

Woman-beating is not only a specialty of Islam but a part of the integral disabilities that this religion inflicts on woman to make her think of male--persecution as a source of divine benediction, bliss and beatification. This veneered piety is, in fact, a form of masochism, which has several forms: 
1. It applies to those people, who find sexual gratification in self-humiliation and physical injury. 
2. Its meaning is also extended to the self-damaging behavior, which has become the hall-mark of a Muslim woman's piety; her husband ranks as her metaphoric god and she feels pious, proud and privileged to make him happy by humiliating herself! 
3. Subservient sexual role of Muslim women through self-demotion, which is a form of masochism, has been prescribed for them by the Koran: it lays down that women are tillage for men, who are empowered to use them as they think fit. Masochism is essentially a form of violence interwoven with sex. Its more hideous kind is known as sadism, which is a state of mind requiring sexual excitement or gratification through inflicting physical pain, including murder Jehad is the culmination of the Islamic sexual psychology, which motivates a Muslim soldier to participate in battles for booty - and booty does not mean just plundered goods but also women and children of the "enemy." These soldiers of Allah are entitled to use them sexually; as the social status of these 
concubines is that of a household chattel, their masters enjoy carnal pleasures by command, smashing the fortification of the feminine charm! 

Stated briefly, the Islamic concept of sexual psychology is based on the following facts: 
a. Sex is man's greatest delight, which makes him so vulnerable to feminine charm that he is prone to defy God and deify woman. 
b. Man is man because he is endowed with the urge of dominance, which enables him to fight and command. An uxorious man becomes a victim of feminine charm and loses his manliness (the fountain of dominance-urge). 
c. Thus, there is an inverse ratio between feminine charm and dominance urge. The way to strengthen the latter is to weaken the former through a legal code and social practices. Prophet Mohammed was possibly, the greatest national hero that any country ever produced. His greatness lies in the fact that he sought personal glory through the elevation of his nation (the Arabs). To make them dominant, he had to offer them some really attractive incentive to fight and build an Empire where his word counts as the law and he himself ranks as the holiest of holiest The concept of sexual psychology, which uses sex and violence as its two props, proved to be the perfect source of realizing the Prophetic dreams. This book endeavors to illustrate this phenomenon in a responsible manner, using reason and evidence as its guiding principles. It certainly has not been written out of any animosity to Islam but try serve the cause of humanity including the Muslims, who claim to be required by the Koran to promote the cause of truth by argument (2: III) and not coercion (2: 255). Here is a challenge for them to demonstrate sincerity of their faith. 

Manipulation of Womanhood

The Islamic laws seek to reduce woman to the status of a sexual toy. Thus, they have been forged to minimize female liberties for enforcing the doctrinal policy: "Dominance-urge versus Feminine Charm." However, through the force of indoctrination, the Muslims are made to feel that Islam is the first religion that has given women the following rights: 
1. The right to inherit property, and 
2. The right to divorce man. 
But in effect, these rights are spurious because they cannot be exercised by women for the following reasons: Law is not law unless it is equally applicable to all and sundry. Thus, the law of inheritance must also apply to the descendants of the Prophet i.e. Fatima (his daughter) with the same force as to other women, but this is not the case. The hadith 3: 4351-Muslim, is highly illuminating on the subject: 
1. "We (Prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is (to be given in) Charity." It is difficult to abide by the logic of this hadith for two reasons: Firstly, the Prophet claimed to be the Model of Behavior for all the people Therefore, depriving Fatima of her paternal inheritance is an act of gross injustice and discrimination against her. A law cannot be discriminatory against a person just because he or she is related to the legislator. 1a. Allah has subjected women to the law of purdah, that is, they must not participate in social life: "And so to the believing women, that they cast down their eyes and guard their private parts, and reveal not their adornment save such as is outward; and let them cast their veils over their bosoms and not reveal .."(Light XXIV: 30 ). Secondly, Fatima expected her patrimony urgently and her husband Ali, was equally desirous of it. The matter was referred to Abu Bakr, the Caliph, who "refused to hand over anything from it (the prophet's property) to Fatima. She got angry with Abu Bakr for this reason, and forsook him and did not talk to him until the end of her life ... when she died, her husband, Ali b. Abu Talib, buried her at night. He did not inform Abu Bakr about her death and offered the funeral prayer over her himself." It is evident that if the prophet can deprive his own daughter of her parental legacy, other women cannot expect much from the Islamic law of inheritance, which looks good on paper only . 
1. The truth is that the Islamic law is completely outdated. A woman's right to divorce her husband is a modern phenomenon, brought about by Women's liberation movement. Further study of the subject revealed to me that Khula has no validity in Islam, and has been made fashionable by the Muslim divines to appease women for avoiding an open rebellion. The Koran does not support Khula, but there are several hadiths that oppose it. Just look at one of them: " ..... The women who break the matrimonial ties by using Khula are hypocrites and not Muslim." (Mishkat, 2: 3148) Again, the Koran says: "O Prophet, say to the wives and daughters and the believing women, that they draw their veils close to them " (The Confederates XXXIII: 55) In addition to veiling, Allah confines women's activities within the four-walls of their homes: "Remain in your houses; and display not your finery, as did the pagans of old." (The Confederates XXXIII: 25 ) With a view to depriving women of their rights, the Koran lays it down: "Men are the managers of the affairs of women for that God has preferred in bounty One of them over another ..... Righteous women are therefore obedient ..... And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches and beat them." (Women IV: 35) Since a woman is obliged to wear a veil and restricted within her home, and man is appointed her manager with the authority to beat her if she does not obey him, her property rights are just an attractive gimmick: they are a body without a soul, a locomotive engine without steam and a bow without arrows. 
2a. As stated in the footnote, a woman has no legal right to divorce her man. However, Khula has come to mean that she can do so. Even then, a man can undo his matrimonial ties quite independently and at will, but the wife has to achieve this goal through the process of law, which is very cumbersome to say the least. Also, she is subject to the wrath of God and curses of angels if she 
takes this step without complete justification. Again, in a male chauvinistic society, it is likely that her pleas will have no effect on the ears of a male judge, who is used to deriding, depressing and dominating women. According to Ibn-e-Majah, vol. 1, page 571: A wife must not seek divorce from her husband without a serious cause. If she does, she will not enter paradise. If she can prove her case, she will be awarded decree only if she returns all that her husband had bestowed on her as an entitlement or outright gift. A woman who seeks Khula, cannot expect settlement! The laws of inheritance treat one male equal to two females (Women IV: 10). The law of evidence is even harsher: not only two women equal one man but she may not be allowed to tender evidence where male witnesses are available. In view of the following limitations that Islam has imposed on woman, one can honestly conclude that it has been done deliberately to deprive her of human rights for converting her into a sexual toy so that men should flock to Islam: 1. Woman has a religious duty to produce the maximum number of children; Ibn-e-Majah reports in Vol. 1, page 518 and 523 in his "SUNUN:" The Prophet said "Getting married is my basic doctrine. Who so does not follow my example, is not my follower. Marry, so that I can claim preference over other communities (Jews and Christians) owing to commanding a greater number of followers." "MISHKAT" reports in Vol. 3 page 119, a similar hadith: "On the Day of Judgment, I shall have the greater number of followers than any other prophet " Having the largest following was obviously, the greatest passion of the prophet Mohammed, and could be realized only by subjecting woman to the exclusive burden of motherhood. A woman who is the mother of a dozen children, obviously does not have time to think about her human rights. Her mind is likely to be tortured by the fear of what happens if she is deserted by her husband. This deterrent is powerful enough to keep her under his thumb. 
2. The second condition that governs woman's status in Islam is stated by the Koran in "Iron: 25:" And monasticism they invented - We did not prescribe it for them - only seeking the good pleasure of God; but they observed it not as it should be observed." Simply stated, these verses mean that the Christians flouted God's will by practicing monasticism because enjoyment of women by man is "the good pleasure of God. " 

Thus, woman is nothing but the source of pleasure to man. However, it implies that, in return for being the provider of delight, she is entitled to love and reverence as her fundamental rights. In fact, every woman is conscious of it and wants to be treated respectfully, but Islam in line with the Semitic philosophy, which states that man must have sexual pleasure by command, opposes this attitude. This is why there is no Islamic concept of consent in sexual intercourse: Woman in Islam is man's tillage and he is empowered to use her as he wishes. This is the reason that Islamic law aims at man's ascendancy, inflicting corresponding humiliation on woman. The reader can judge this truth from the following: "Women have such honorable rights as obligations but their men have a degree above them. " ( The Cow: 2 5 ) This is a highly debated verse, and Islamic zealots are always stretching it to prove equality of sexes. Therefore, I may quote from the hadith to demonstrate its truth: "If women comply with your commands, do not molest them listen carefully, they have a right over you that you take care of their food and wear." (Ibn-e-Majh, Vol. 1, p 519) Woman's rights are limited to her maintenance provided she obeys her man. Instead of indulging in further discussion of this point, I may state the usually held Islamic belief that man is superior to woman. In fact, the Koranic law supports this idea to the hilt. Here is the explanation: 
3. " marry such women as seem good to you, two, three, four." (Women: 1 ) Here man is given legal prerogative to have four wives of his own choice at the same time. The Muslim scholars have been putting various interpretations on this verse to avoid the shame of polygamy. For example, they say, woman is not allowed polyandry (having more than one husband at the same time) because it becomes impossible to know the father of the child. This argument does not hold good when we are talking about the basic rights of man and woman, which constitute the principle of equality. Again, this point of view is nullified by the scientific advances: firstly, invention of the Pill has given woman control over her body, and she does not have to bear children unless she wants them. Secondly, clinical tests today, can establish the fatherhood of a child with certainty. Therefore, this type of argument proves nothing but futility, frivolity and fictitiousness of the Islamic law, which seeks to impose male dominance on woman in the name of fairness, felicity and fruitfulness. 

4. Add to the above, the Islamic law of concubinage, which allows a man to have as many women in his harem as he can afford. For example, Akbar the Great of India had 5,000 concubines and his son, Jehangir, had no fewer than 6,000! There is only one description for them - private brothels. Yet the Muslim scholars talk of morality and women's rights. We are told, as men have rights over women so women have rights over men. This is quoted as the proof of equality. In fact, this is highly misleading because relationship of their mutual rights makes man the master and woman the slave. 

The only mentionable right that woman has over man is the right to be fed and clothed. I have already quoted a hadith to this effect. Now look at the other side of the coin: "If I were to order someone to prostrate before other than God, I would have commanded woman to prostrate before her husband. If a husband tells his wife to keep carrying a load of stones from that red mountain to that black mountain, she must obey him whole heartedly. " (Ibn-e-Majah, Vol. 1, ch. 592, p 520) "By God, who controls the life of Mohammed, a woman cannot discharge her duty towards God until she has discharged her duty towards her husband: if she is riding a camel and her husband expresses his desire, she must not refuse. " (Ibn-e-Majah, Vol. 1, Ch. 592 p 520) 
Again, ".. if a man is in a mood to have sexual intercourse, the wife must come immediately even if she is baking bread at a communal oven" (Tirmzi, Vol. 1, p 428) 

5. One should also bear in mind that Islam does everything to stop a woman from divorcing her man, and this is especially true if she happens to be a mother because it is father, who takes custody of children. This cruelty is legitimized by Islam to establish man's grip over woman. 

6. So great is the Islamic discrimination against woman to favor man that it starts right from the lowest rung of the social ladder: Aisha said "that she had a slave and a slave- girl who were married. She told the prophet that she wanted to set them free. He said that she ought to free the slave (man) first." (Ibn-e-Majah, Vol. 2, ch. 130, p. 100) 

7. The same attitude asserts itself in the field of inheritance and legal evidence. Though I have already stated Islamic views on these subjects, I may add a word or two about the law of evidence regarding women: " And call in to witness, two witnesses, men; or if the two be not men, then one man and two women, such witnesses as you approve of " (The Cow: 280)

8. Thus, legally, one man is equal to two women! Nothing is more erroneous than the assumption that the Islamic concept of polygamy is confined to four wives; its hidden meaning is much deeper than what appears to be because it carries a sense of built-in mirage: "And if you desire to exchange a wife in place of another ;..take of her nothing;.. " (Women: 20 ) It implies that a Muslim husband is entitled to keep substituting one wife with another provided the number does not exceed the prescribed limit of four at the same time. He can do so easily because he has the power to divorce at will, without giving a reason for his action. This is how Hassan, a grandson of the Prophet multiplied the number of his wives, ranging over seventy. It was his practice to marry during the day, and after a night or two, he would divorce her to marry again.

9. Having intercourse with a concubine, who is a helpless woman, is a first degree crime against humanity. The Roman Law made it punishable by death but Islam encouraged this indecency to attract followers. There is no law against the concubine--rapists but there is swift retribution for an indecent woman, and her man can inflict this punishment on her without fear of legal 
consequences: "Such of you women as commit indecency call four of you to witness against them; and they witness; then detain them in their houses until death takes them or God appoints for them a way."  (Women: 20 ) Since nobody has explained satisfactorily the meaning of: "Or God appoints for them a way, " the punishment for an indecent woman cannot be anything but death by incarceration. And this is in addition to other forms of punishment e.g., flogging and stoning. 

10. The true Islamic value of woman becomes evident when we realize that her marriage is not substantive but precarious. If a man does not like his daughter--in-law, and tells his son to divorce her without giving a reason for it, he must do so. (Tirmzi, Vol. 1, p 440) 
a. There is also a famous tradition of the prophet ascribed to Katib al Waqidi and proudly recited by the mullahs to declare brotherhood of the fellow--Muslims: " Behold my two wives and select the one you like the best." This brotherly gesture was made by a Medinite Muslim (an Ansar) to an immigrant Muslim, when the prophet fled Mecca along with his followers to seek refuge in Medina. The offer was accepted readily and the offerer divorced the wife chosen by the offeree! It shows that woman is just a souvenir in Islam. Look at the following hadith as well: 
b. In the battle fought against FAZARA under the command of Abu Bakr, a very pretty Arab girl was given as share of booty to Salama Bin Al-Akwa. He had not seduced her when the prophet met him in the street, and said, "O Salama, give me that girl, may God bless your father." Salama said, "She is for you, Messenger of Allah! By Allah I have not yet disrobed her." The Messenger of Allah sent her to the people of Mecca, and surrendered her as a ransom for a number of Muslims, who had been kept there as prisoners. (Muslim: 4345) The Prophet himself accepted women as a gift. The Coptic Mary, who bore him a son, is an example in point. 

11. The Prophet declared from the pulpit at Hajj, a wife must not spend anything belonging to her husband without his permission, and this prohibition equally applied to buying foodstuff. (Tirmzi, Vol. 1, p 265) 

1 2. Even in religious matters of great importance, a wife is subjected to her husband's command. There are several hadiths which say that a wife may not observe fasting without her husband's permission in case he wants to have sexual intercourse with her. (Tirmzi, Vol. 1, p 300) 

13. Islam treats woman as a devil owing to her erotic effect on man: "The prophet unintentionally looked at a woman and was aroused. He went home and had intercourse with Zainab (one of his pretty wives). He said, 'Woman faces you as Devil. If you are affected by her charm, have intercourse with your wife because she has the same thing as the woman who affected you." (Tirmzi, Vol. 1, p 428)

14. Woman is twisted by birth. The Prophet said: Woman has been created from a rib which is twisted. If you try to straighten it, you will break it. It is desirable to make the best use of it as it is. (Tirmzi, Vol. 1, p 440) 

15. Here is a surprising hadith: " The woman whose husband remains happy at night, and every night, she will be admitted into paradise."  (Tirmzi, Vol . 1, p 4 28 ) It obviously means that for a woman, gratification of man's lust is an act of worshipping God! a. This is the reason that another hadith says: The woman who decorates herself for anyone other than her own husband is like darkness of the Day of Judgment. (Tirmzi, Vol. 1, p 430) 

16. A woman is a calamity for man by her very nature: The prophet said that he had not left for man any calamity which could hurt him except woman. (Tirmzi, Vol. 2, p 286) Add to the above, the following to realize woman's status in Islam: 

17. A woman is not a believer if she undertakes a journey which may last three days or longer, unless she is accompanied by her husband, son, father or brother. ( Ti rmzi, p 431) 

18. If a woman refuses to come to bed when invited by her husband, she becomes a target of the curses of angels. Exactly the same happens if she deserts her husband's bed. (Bokhari, Vol. 7, p 93) 

19. The women, who are ungrateful to their men, are the denizens of hell; it is an act of ingratitude for a woman to say: 

20. "I have never seen any good from you." ( Bokahri, Vol. 7, p 96) 

21. A woman in many ways is deprived of the possession of her own body. Even her milk belongs to her husband. (Bokhari, Vol. 7, p 27) She is not allowed to practice birth-control either. 

21. The Prophet said: "When wife vexes her husband, then houris of paradise utter curses on her saying, 'may God destroy you because he is with you only for a short time; he will shortly leave you to come to us.' (Ibn-e-Majah, Vol. 1, p 560)

22. The Prophet said, "A woman's evidence carries half the weight of that of a man;. it is owing to lack of wisdom on their part. However, they are also injurious to the dignity of faith and cannot be allowed to say prayer during the period of menstruation or observe fasting." (Mishkat, Vol. 1, p 19)

23. The Prophet said: "Beware of women because the calamity that the Israelite suffered was caused by women." (Mishkat, Vol. 2, p 70)

24. The Prophet said: "Misfortune is a part of womanhood, residence and horse." ( Mishkat, Vol. 2, p 70)

25. The Prophet said: "No woman should perform a marriage ceremony of another woman or her own because such a woman is the true seducer." (Mishkat, Vol. 2, p 78)

26. The Prophet said: "If Eve was not created, no woman would have been dishonest towards her husband." (Mishkat, Vol. 2, p 98)

27. The Prophet said: "When a man calls his wife to bed and she refuses and he is angered, then angels keep cursing her all night;. even the Master of Sky (God) is annoyed with her until husband is reconciled with her." (Mishkat, Vol. 2, p 100)

 28. The Prophet said: "When a woman dies, if her husband was pleased with her, she goes to paradise. (Mishkat, Vol. 2, p 102)

29. The Prophet said: "On the Day of Judgment, a husband shall not be questioned for beating his wife." (Mishkat, Vol. 2, p 105 ) 
a. Beating is a specialty of Islam for taming the "feminine brutes." The Koran says: "And those you fear may be rebellious admonish banish them to their couches, and beat them. If they then obey you, look not for any way against them." (Women: 35 ) It has been said that, due to shortage of women, the Arabs practiced a culture which was nearly matriarchal, that is, women had high social positions in their clans, and were, therefore, inclined to dominate men. Prophet Mohammed was himself an employee of Khadija whom he married, despite the fact that she was fifteen years older than he was. The Prophet was endowed with a masculine social approach and wanted men to be dominant for creating a hardy, warrior Arab nation, capable of conquering world. This is the reason that Koran gave men an absolute authority to subdue women to beating, if necessary. It was an essential part of subjugating woman to man's suzerainty. Men, certainly made best use of this prerogative. A hadith says " ..... women had become bold with their men, and so the Prophet authorized beating them. As a result seventy women, during one evening, gathered at the residence of the Prophet to complain ruefully against their husbands, who they thought, were not good people." (Ibn-e-Majah, Vol. 1, p 553)

30. I ought to repeat that with wife-beating goes the Koranic behest of purdah, which has been a major cause of destroying female liberties. For reader's convenience, I may requoting the relevant Koranic verses: "And say to the believing women, that they cast down their eyes and guard their private parts, and reveal not their adornment save such as is outward; and let them cast their veils over their bosoms, and not reveal their adornment save to their husbands " ( Light X XIV: 30 ) Again: "O Prophet, say to the wives and daughters and the believing women, that they draw their veils close to them." ( The Confederates: 33: 55 )

31. Then came the further Koranic command for women: "And stay in your houses " (The Confederates 33: 25) Thus, the Muslim woman was totally secluded from society to make her a sexual toy and a source of political convenience for man. This truth can be easily verified from the personal attitude of the Prophet towards women. I shall devote the next chapter to explain this point. 

Mohammedan Attitude Towards Fair Sex

 The Muslim nations have suffered a huge setback during the 20th century. Its major cause is lack of women's rights, which have held them back from playing their full role in modern history.

A socially restricted woman is a handicapped mother, who being deprived of proper training, cannot teach her children to cope with the mode of time. As we have seen in the previous chapter, a Muslim woman is raised to live for the pleasure of man, yet she is made to feel through misinterpretation of the Muslim doctrine that she has substantive legal rights, which make her man's equal. Since this issue has been deliberately made complex by the Muslim divines to serve their own purpose, I may draw reader's attention to the personal attitude of Prophet towards member of fair sex. Since he was the Model of Behavior, his precedents may enhance understanding of the issue:

 1. The hadith (Muslim 2: 3371 ) describes the frivolity of coitus interruptus, which means withdrawing penis for the purpose of discharging semen outside the female organ. In Arabic, it is called Al-Azl. Abu Saeed narrates: "We went out with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on the expedition to the Banu-Mustaliq and captured some of their excellent women: We desired them because we suffered for being absent from our wives. So we started copulating with them by practicing azl, that is, withdrawing penis at the moment of orgasm with a view to avoiding conception. Realizing that we were doing an act while the Messenger of Allah was amongst us, we decided to refer the matter to him. The Prophet said, 'It does not matter whether you observe azl or not because every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Resurrection will be born." One should ponder over the following points contained in this hadith:

1. The Prophet himself headed this expedition against the tribe of Mustaliq, who had not yet embraced Islam.

2. The companions of the Prophet i.e., his immediate followers, who were practically in his company, seduced women whom they captured after murdering their menfolk.

3.  Not only did they want to copulate with them but they also desired to get ransom for them.

Allah claims to be the Creator and God of all irrespective of color or creed, yet He is pleased when the Muslims lead military expeditions against innocent people for the sheer "crime" of not believing in Him and Mohammed. Is it really Allah playing havoc with the unbelievers? He cannot; the Creator of this immense universe is too great to care about beliefs and disbeliefs of ordinary mortals. If it really mattered, He would have created believing humans. Since longing for praise and greatness is a human weakness, it is Mohammed's desire to murder and enslave innocent people for personal glory. It is certainly defamation of Allah's character and an insult to His greatness. Fancy a man projecting himself as the ambassador of high morality and encouraging seduction of innocent women. Instead of allowing and encouraging coitus interruptus to his reverent companions, he should have rebuked and punished them to serve the cause of human values. The fact that he did exactly the opposite, clearly demonstrates that the prophet used sexuality to enhance his own purpose, which was personal deification and national dominance. Had he punished the seducers, nobody would have joined him in his campaigns. It should be remembered that seducing a slave-girl was punishable by death in the Byzantine Empire, and it was customary not to dishonor the captive women because it was considered inhuman in the Christian and pagan worlds to subject conquered women to such disgrace as helplessness was their only crime. These people were conscious of the fact that the captured members of the fair-sex had lost their fathers, husbands, sons and brothers in the battle. It was considered a great punishment in itself, and any further humiliation was thought of as sheer barbarity. This is the reason that ransom was deemed conditional on respecting the captive women in the civilized world whereas the Muslims observed azl as a cover-up to receive ransom.

 2. Like ordinary people, politicians and priests, the prophet also used women to conclude family alliances with powerful men: Abu Bakr and Umar were his fathers-in--law and Uthman and Ali were his sons-in-law. These are the men who are considered next to the prophet in rank and dignity for the part they played in spreading Islam and establishing the Arab Empire. One expects higher morality from the prophet, who claimed to be the model of Behavior for mankind, appointed by God.

 3. Sodha Bint Zama was one of Mohammed's oldest wives. He married her after the death of Khadija. As she had migrated to Medina with her husband (Mohammed) under dreadful conditions, she obviously possessed great wifely virtues. The Muslim commentators say that the prophet wanted to divorce her because of her age, though she was only a year or two older than he was. She did not relish the idea of consortial separation and wanted to avoid this catastrophe at all costs. The prophet had several wives, and as a matter of equity, he prepared a quota system to spend a particular night with each of them regularly. Since Aisha was the most dearly loved wife of Mohammed, Sodha volunteered to give up her own turn in favor of Aisha to influence him. The Prophet willingly accepted this offer and desisted from his threatened action. (Mishkat,Vol. 3, P 352)

Is this action compatible with the concept of equity? On the contrary, does it not show what the prophet thought of womanhood? Why did the Prophet accept this proposal? The following account may explain the issue.

 4. The Prophet was a wise man. He wanted to create close ties with Aisha's father, Abu Bakr, who was very rich, very sincere and very capable. After Mohammed's death, Islam would have become an echo of wilderness but the wisdom, resoluteness and bold action of Abu Bakr, who had succeeded Mohammed as his caliph, made Islam a living faith, which imposed the Arab cultural imperialism over all Muslim people of the world. This is exactly what Mohammed had dreamt of. As this episode is sexually oriented, I may provide readers with necessary details of Mohammed's marriage with Aisha so that they may come to their own conclusions: Khadija, the prophet's first wife, was a rich and powerful woman, and thus proved helpful to his career. It is universally accepted that she was fifteen years older than the prophet. However, he was forty-five years older than Aisha. She was a child of six and the prophet was fifty-one at the time of their nuptial ceremony. This age-difference of Khadija and Aisha in relation to Mohammed, reveals his personal attitude towards womanhood.

Aisha was a child of six and naturally did not know anything about matrimony or its purpose. Islam has laid down certain rules for the marriage of women:

a. No woman should marry without the permission of her guardian. The ruler or state is the guardian of such a female, who has no guardian at all. (Mishkat, Vol. 2 p 78)

b. No widow or virgin should be married off without her consent. (Mishkat, Vol. 2, p 77)

Of course, Abu Bakr, Aisha's father was her guardian, but she was too young to know the meaning or purpose of marriage for giving her consent. Thus the episode of Aisha's marriage does not satisfy the basic Islamic rules of matrimony. Aisha was conscious of being the most beloved wife of the prophet (Mishkat, Volume 2, page 79), and this is proven by the unusual behavior of a husband towards his wife: Aisha said: "The Prophet would stand in the (open) door and as Negroes practiced their spears in the yard of the mosque, he (the prophet) picked me up and held close to his chest so that I could watch them from over his shoulders. He kept standing because of me until I left him. One can judge little girl's interest in game from this." (Mishkat, Vol. 2, p 99) Aisha said: I used to play with my dolls in the presence of the Prophet. I also had other little girls as my friends, who would play with me. When the Prophet came, they left. When the Prophet directed them towards me, they would start playing with me again."      (Mishkat Vol. 2, p 99) Aisha said: "During menstruation, I used to bite off meat from bone; the Prophet would take the bone from me and place his mouth at the same spot to eat of it where I had been biting; when I drank water, he would take the vessel from me and place his lips at the same spot where I had put mine." (Ibn-e-Majah, Vol. 1, p 202-3)

Aisha said: "The Prophet told me that she was shown to him in dreams by an angel for three nights consecutively. Each time, the angel brought me (Aisha) to him (the Prophet) wrapped up in a silk cloth and said, 'this is your wife.' The Prophet removed the cloth from my face and confirmed that it was I. He said that if it was from Allah, it was bound to happen." (Mishkat, Vol. 3, p 265)

The above hadiths demonstrate the Prophet's deep rooted love and desire for Aisha, but the following hadith is really stunning: "..... Gabriel does not come to me with the Divine message when I am in bed with any of my wives except Aisha  " (Mishkat, Vol. 3, p 265) Aisha said, "The Prophet and I used to take bath together from the same vessel of water. If he was in a hurry, I would say, 'leave some water far me '. At that time we both used to be in a state of defilement." (Mishkat, Vol. 1, p 102) Here are more hadiths which should help to understand the Prophet's attitude towards womanhood:

a. Aisha said: "I was six years' old when the Prophet  married me then we migrated to Medina where I caught fever. My hair fell off, and I became clean- headed. My mother, Rumaan, came to me when I was playing on the swing with my friends. She called me and I came to her. I did not know her intentions. She held me by my hand and made me stand in the door while I was panting. She washed my face and head, and then took me inside where some Ansaar women had gathered. They were saying 'God bless and good luck.' Then my  mother handed me to these women, and they decorated me. Then the prophet came and I was frightened; they handed me over to him. I was nine years' old at that time." (Ibn-e-Majah, Volume 1, p 526)

The following hadith gives fuller explanations:

b. "When the Prophet Mohammed married Aisha, she was six years' old; when she left her paternal home and came to live with him, she was nine, and when he died, she was eighteen." (Ibn-e-Majah, Vol. 1, p 250)

Here the hadith 'b' elucidates the event described in 'a' i.e., it is not about the wedding ceremony but about consummation of marriage. One should pay attention to the fact that it was Aisha's mother who washed her face and head. It means that, mentally, she was not ahead of time but a normal nine-year-old child. The following hadith completes the story:

 c. Aisha said:"  she was nine years old when the act of consummation took place and she had her dolls  with her." (Mishkat, Vol. 2, p 77)

The hadith speaks for itself and the reader can draw his or her own conclusion. Sexual intercourse has universally been considered a private and confidential affair between the parties concerned but there is a stunning hadith in "Muslim." :..."Anas reports that Allah's apostle (may peace be on him) had nine wives and he appointed a separate night for each of them. Thus, the turn of each wife fell on every ninth day. However, they all used to gather in the house of the one whose turn it was to have coitus with the Prophet. It was the night of Aisha (the youngest wife) when Zainab (a pretty wife) came there. The Prophet stretched his hand towards her. As Aisha noticed it, she said, "It is Zainab." So, he withdrew his hand. The two wives got involved into an altercation, which gradually became louder and lasted till early morning when Adhan ( Iqama ) was announced for prayers. ( As usual ) Abu Bakr, father of Aisha called to accompany the prophet to the mosque. He said, "Messenger of Allah, come for prayer, and throw dust in their mouths. "

Aisha remarked that after finishing prayers, Abu Bakr, her father, would return to reprimand her as he did on such occasions. This is exactly what happened: "Abu Bakr returned and spoke to her (Aisha) in stern words, and said 'Do you behave like this?" (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 3450, p 747) Having coitus with one wife in the company of several others, is an unusual attitude. Even more amazing is Abu Bakr's treatment of his daughter in a matter, which was purely sexual.

 5.The Prophet claimed to be Mercy for all humankind, Model of Behavior and the preacher of higher morality, but it becomes difficult to believe these assertions when we carefully examine his attitude towards the institution of concubinage at the expense of his own laws: It is a universally accepted principle of jurisprudence that once a law has been laid down, the law-giver must abide by it while he allows it to stand. The reason is that the law is considered supreme and indivisible; therefore, nobody is above the law because it applies equally to both the high and low. In theory, the Koran acknowledges that bias in the application of law leads to contradiction within the legal system, and this is something which is injurious to the dignity of the Word of Allah: "What, do they not ponder the Koran? if it had been from other than God surely they would have found in it much inconsistency." (Women: 80). Briefly stated, this verse means that a message cannot be from God if it contains inconsistency. When this rule is applied to the Koran, it fails to pass the test of divinity because we find numerous inconsistencies in it. Let us take the law of marriage, for instance: "Any one of you, who has not the affluence to be able to marry believing freewomen in wedlock, let him marry believing slave-girls that your right hands own; God knows very well your faith; the one of you is as the other So marry them, with their people's leave, and give them their wages honorably as women in wedlock, not as license or taking over. (Women, 4: 25) Here, the law of sexual intercourse has been clearly stated, that is:

1. Marry believing freewomen, but if one cannot afford such a marriage,

2. then marry a believing slave-girl honorably by observing all the legal and proper customary rules of marriage.

Now, it is evident that the Koran does not permit sex outside marriage. It means that coitus with a concubine is tantamount to rape or adultery because she has not been given the marital honor through the recognized process of marriage. Even though she is the property of her master, he has no right to have sexual intercourse with her; it is simply seduction. The Byzantine (Roman) law acknowledged a slave girl's right of chastity and prescribed death for the violator. Allah has obviously adopted the same approach, which is further supported by the following verses: "Marry the spouseless among you, and your slaves and handmaidens that are righteous; If they are poor, God will enrich them of His bounty .... And let those who find not the means to marry, be abstinent till God enriches them of His bounty. Those your right hands own who seek emancipation, contract with the  accordingly ;.And constrain not your slave-girls  to prostitution, if they desire  to live in chastity " (Light, 24: 30) The above verses clearly lay down that a man must observe abstinence until he can afford to get married. Thus forcing a slave-girl to coitus amounts to prostitution, which is a sin and carries a heavy penalty. So far so good; then the Koran contradicts itself suddenly: "O. Prophet, We (God) have made lawful for thee thy wives whom thou hast given their wages and what thy right hand owns, spoil of war that God has given thee ...(The Confederates, 45).On the one hand, the Koran forbids sex outside marriage but on the other, it authorizes sexual intercourse with slave-girls despite having declared it unlawful! Why this glaring inconsistency? The reason is also given in these verses: here slave-girls (what the right hand owns) are mentioned with the spoils of wars. Owing  to scarcity of women, the Arabs had developed enormous appetites. Allah allowed the seduction of slave-girls as an inducement to Jehad, which sought to attract the pagan Arab to Islam through a carnal bait. Again as a war booty and its use was declared "lawful and good" by the Koran, concubinage, that is, seducing slave-girls on a regular basis, became lawful and pious act in Islam. Further, one must also remember that the prophet himself  came to own slave-girls as his share of booty in battles against the Jews. For example, pretty Saffyia, the prophet's share of booty, embraced Islam and became his wife as a freewoman but beautiful Rihana refused to accept Islam, and therefore had no choice but to act as prophet's concubine: her legal status was that of a household chattel. Therefore, she could not ignore the sexual demands of her master.

As sex-potential of concubinage became evident in relation to gaining and retaining converts, the prophet extended its scope beyond the spoils of a battlefield. He made it lawful to purchase women for concubinage and accept them as gifts of goodwill. For this purpose, he encouraged concubinage as an institution: "So not marry idolatresses, until they believe; a believing slave-girl is better than an idolatress, though you may admire her."  (The Cow 2: 220). It does not imply that a (Muslim) man must marry a believing slave-girl; he is free to have intercourse with her. It simply enlarges the institution of concubinage by forbidding marriage with the unbelieving women; they are considered good enough for sexual intercourse but not suitable for the holy bond of matrimony. What kind of morality is this?

Mohammed, being the Behavioral Model for all beings by Allah's decree, set the example of concubinage. He accepted Marya, (Mary) the beautiful Coptic girl, as a gift from the ruler of Egypt. As she did not embrace Islam, she remained the Christian concubine of the prophet and bore him a son, Ibrahim, who died in his infancy. As already mentioned, the prophet had made a quota system which required of him, as a rule, to spend a particular night with a certain wife. Since a concubine has no spousal rights, Marya (a Christian) and Rihana (a Jewess) did not come within this rule of regularity, but had to be available whenever the prophet desired them.  It happened that when it was the turn of Aisha (the prophet's youngest wife), Hafsah (another wife of the prophet, who was Umar's daughter ) found him in her own room with Marya. Since it was a serious breach of the quota system, the prophet realizing its consequences, pleaded with Hafsah not to tell Aisha. He vowed to her that as a compensation for the act, he would have nothing more to do with Marya. But the fiery Hafsah, who could not swallow the fact because it had happened in her bed, gave the secret away.

Marya was a Christian slave-girl of Egyptian origin but all prophet's wives (except Saffyia) were proud of their Koresh descent, and looked down upon her. This incident bore heavily upon them because:

1. He broke faith with Aisha: instead of sleeping with her according to the quota system, he honored Marya.

2. Hafsah was completely upset by the fact that he used her room and bed for the purpose.

It led to a mighty row between the prophet and his wives. To gauge the magnitude of domestic discord, one must pay attention to the following verse: "Wives of the Prophet, you are not as other women. If you are god-fearing, be not abject in your speech;. but speak honorable words." (The Confederates, 33: 30) Abject speech cannot be anything but abusive language. This is what the prophet is complaining about here. As the situation worsened, he threatened to divorce them and declared "Ila," that is, a period of separation, before finalizing the act of divorce. The details of this episode are to be found in Chapter LXXXI of Sahih Muslim. It ought to be stated that both Abu Bakr (the father of Aisha) and Umar (the father of Hafsah) spanked their daughters to make them obey the prophet, their son-in--law! I must add emphatically that concubinage was not Mohammed's invention. It had existed in the East long before his advent. Being a prophet of God, who had come to enforce higher morality through personal example as the Behavioral Model, he should have abolished it. I must state categorically that concubinage is an evil institution, and those who practiced it, must have known it. This is an abomination because:

1. A concubine is the property of her master; he can sell her and flog her.

2. She is a forced mistress and cannot withhold herself from the master whenever he wants her. Nor could she walk out on him because the law concerning the fugitive slaves was very severe, indeed.

3. Sleeping with a concubine amounts to rape because she is forced, and not a consenting party.

4. Concubinage is a crime against womanhood: it abolishes all her (human) rights of freedom, inheritance and dignity.

5. Concubinage means that woman has no purpose but to please man. Since modern scientific advances have hit at the roots of scriptural faith sustained through brainwashing, the Muslim scholars have come out with very large nets of misinterpretation to keep the faithful in an eternal hypnotic state. They  claim that a concubine in an Islamic household is not a woman kept for sexual purposes against her will, but is secondary wife. This is very misleading because:

1. The prophet Mohammed did not marry Rihana or Marya: both these women were his slaves, and he slept with them whenever he liked. Allah may sanction sexual intercourse with a helpless woman "possessed by the right hand" of a Muslim, but morality does not permit such an atrocity. How would the Muslims feel if their daughters, sisters, mothers and wives were seized by the non-Muslims and used for immoral purposes ?

2. There is no such thing as a secondary wife even in a polygamous Muslim household: " Marry such women as seem good to you, two, three, four; but if you fear you will not be equitable, then only one or what your right hand owns." (Women, 1 ). This verse decisively states:

a. Polygamy is allowed on the strict condition that a husband treats all his wives equally and fairly. Hence equity is the basic principle for having more than one wife at the same time. If a man cannot be equitable to all his wives, he loses the right to polygamy. One should remember that marriage is a civil contract, which is brought about by a nuptial ceremony recognized by custom and law. The rule of equity demands that a man must go through a matrimonial ritual with a concubine, too. If he does, she becomes a wife entitled to equality, and thus cannot be treated as a "secondary wife." Either she is a wife or she is not.

b. The verse quoted above clearly states that if a man fears that he will not be equitable to all his wives, then he must have only one wife but can also possess concubines. This fact demonstrates beyond a shade of doubt that a concubine is not a wife but a woman kept for domestic duties and carnal pleasure.

c. There are several hadiths which show the distinction between a wife and a concubine: Abd b. Zamaa said to the Prophet: "He is my brother and the son of my father's concubine."  ( Mishkat, page 115 ). Here the distinction between a wife and concubine is maintained deliberately. The prophet said: "The concubine, who bore her master a child, would become free after his death."     ( Ibn-e-Majah, p 96 ). Jabir narrated: "We used to sell our concubines, who bore us children but the prophet expressed no revulsion." (Ibn-e-Majah, p 96) "A man seduced the slave-girl of his wife but the prophet did not subject him to any punishment." (Ibn-e-Majah, p 107) Even punishments are different for a wife and a concubine: If a wife commits adultery, she is liable to death by stoning but a concubine must be flogged even if she does it four times; thereafter, the master must sell her even if he can get only a piece of string for her. However, there is a very strange twist to the whole affair of concubinage when it comes to the children she has borne to her Muslim master: they are treated as legitimate even if the concubine is a Kafir i.e., non-Muslim! How surprising it is that in sexual pleasures the difference between belief and unbelief disappears! One wonders about the morality and legality of the Islamic doctrine.

 It should be noted that the Prophet himself had a son, called Ibrahim, from his concubine, Marya! Concubinage became rife in the world of Islam because the Muslims believe that the prophet is the Behavioral Model for them, and entry into paradise is not possible until he is imitated sincerely in all aspects of life including eating, drinking, walking, talking, and so on. In fact a person is not a true believer unless he acts like the prophet and looks like him. This attitude is based on the following Koranic verse: "You have had a good example in God's Messenger for whosoever hopes for God and the Last Day"  (The Confederates, 33: 20). The truth is that the Prophet cannot be a Model of Behavior for people because he was above his own laws. If he is not willing to practice his own rules of conduct, how can he expect other people to follow them? Here are a few examples, out of many such episodes:

1. A Muslim is not allowed more than four wives at the same time but the Prophet had no fewer than nine wives simultaneously.

2. A Muslim is permitted more than one wife on the strict condition of equity, but when the Prophet failed to do so, Allah did not tell him to keep one wife only; instead He gave him dispensation from the fundamental law of polygamy: ''You can suspend any of your wives at will, and receive any one of them as you will: and whomsoever you desire of those whom you have set aside, it is no sin for you  (The Confederates, 33: 50). If this is not enough, look at the following verses:  "..... and any woman believer, if she give herself to the Prophet and if the Prophet desires to take her in marriage, for thee exclusively, apart from the believers."      (The Confederates, 45 ). Fancy Allah making exclusive law of sexual enjoyment for the Prophet to the total exclusion of the believers. It is this exclusivity which negates the Prophet's claim as the Behavioral Model for his followers. Humans can follow in the footprints of a human but cannot measure up to the conduct of someone who occasionally gives the impression of being a man but usually claims the privileges of God. In view of these facts, one wonders if it is not befitting to regard Islam as Mohammedanism! The faithfuls, who are usually brainwashed, lose the ability to be rational. Despite what I have said above, the followers of Islam set up huge harems to honor the Prophet as the Behavioral Model. I shall explain this point in the next chapter with reference to India.

Islamic Harems in India

 To encounter effects of Feminine Charm, Islam has exploited man's dominance urge, which demands sexual gratification by command (instead of solicitation or submission), and thus stimulated the masculine behavior, leading to harem-building. Of course, human history is full of predators known as conquerors, who carried out murder, persecution and abduction of women to satisfy their lust for power, plunder and prestige. They knew that their misdeeds were sheer acts of barbarity dictated by personal ambitions but Jehad, the behest of Allah to destroy non-Muslims, not only sanctified these atrocities, but also raised them to the apex of piety, purity and probity. It is an unusual phenomenon, to say the least.

 Since sex is man's greatest delight, Jehad, which provides unlimited opportunities for quenching carnal thirst, acts as the foundation-stone for building grand harems embellished with great, gorgeous and glowing beauties. A harem was a vast enclosure containing a complex of sumptuous buildings to house women. Historians have remarked that Akbar, the Great, had 5,000 women in his harem, and Jehangir, his son, had 6,000. The much-taunted harem of Solomon, the Wise, was comparatively a pigmy for having only 1,000 females. No doubt, this huge collection of beauties was meant for the enjoyment of one man, the King, but all the ladies of the harem did not consist of queens and concubines. A large number of these women belonged to the administrative staff of this jovial establishment, which was both an amusement park and place of high security where everybody was yoked by a stringent discipline to display deference to the "divine" dignity of the ruler, imbued with lewdness, libido and lechery. Take for example, Sultan Ghias-Ud-Din of Malwa (1469-1500). His harem consisted of 15,000 females and was organized as if it were a small political administrative unit. Its guards consisted of two corps of women, each having 500 slave-girls of African and Turkish origins - to balance any possible threat of one corp with the retaliatory might of the other. Though these guardians of the harems looked dainty, delicate and debonair, their appearance was as deceptive as the mirage experienced by a thirsty wayfarer in a desert.

In fact, these female guards of the harems were Amazons, the legendary women warriors of Greek mythology. Hercules, the Greek hero, undertook an expedition to get the girdle of Hippolyte, the Amazons' queen. In the Greek works of art, Amazons were depicted as having, bow, spear, axe, and half shield. In later art, they were likened with Artemis (goddess of wild animals and chastity). During the 16th century, the Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana claimed that he had to combat with the fighting women in South America on the Maranon River, which was renamed after them as the Amazon or River of the Amazons. These legendary Amazons have been associated with Athena and Artemis, the two Greek goddesses considered as the patrons of chastity, among other virtues. The harem--Amazons were employed to guard chastity of royal women -both queens and concubines. King's jealousy knew no bounds on this count; even carrots, radishes and cucumbers were not allowed in the harems, in case, these women, who were actually prisoners of royal gaiety, might use them as dildoes for carnal satisfaction. This danger was real because one man (king) could not satisfy, say, one hundred women. To check lesbianism, beauties of the harem were required to practice total seclusion. Their doors were fastened from outside and they had to observe purdah even within their allotted quarters. Slightest indiscretion was punished severely and lesbianism called for execution.

A eunuch was the head of the King's seraglio. It was customary in Persia, where this evil might have originated, to castrate a few hundred youths for turning them into eunuchs, who formed part of the dowry, when a king gave his daughter in marriage to someone else. These eunuchs, who did not need sexual gratification themselves, were thought harmless. Having nothing better to do, they pandered to the lust of their master with an efficiency excelling religious devotion. They knew the art of erotic display, and taught the harem-ladies hilarious ways of doodling and canoodling, romantic postures, fascinating gait, soft speaking and lavishing manners. As in the Roman harems, they acted as night stewards in the private royal chambers of India. Thus they attended to their master's needs when they were fully naked satisfying their sensuality. The King was usually guided by the Chief Eunuch in the selection of a bed-mate for the night. It was he, who had her embellished for the occasion with various dyes such as henna, and made fragrant with the use of musk. He possessed an exquisite taste in sartorial elegance and use of jewellery, and knew how to turn an ordinary woman into a spectacle of sparkling beauty. Above all, he was the connoisseur of aphrodisiacs, necessary to enrich carnal delights through perverse procedures of prolongation.

The eunuch, who could administer effective stimulants to his master, was admittedly a messenger from heaven. Since he was devoted to enhancing his master's sexual pleasures' he was considered the most useful and trusted member of the establishment. These royal eunuchs of the Muslim harems picked up tips from the Hindu Antah-Puras (inner apartments of the Royal Hindu palaces i.e. harems); they included specially cooked dishes of young pigeons, chickens and sparrows; narcotics also appeared on the list; opium was the favorite, followed by special wines and strong liquors. The Persian Majuns and Kushtas were in great demand owing to their proven effectiveness in the seraglios of that country. It is claimed that Aurangzeb was supplied with aphrodisiac fish known as "instinco of Mecca," usually found in certain streams of Balkh. With the delightful efficiency of a eunuch, went his absolute loyalty for his master, who, in any dispute trusted his word and rejected the evidence of his wife. This is what made the eunuch a fearsome, formidable and frightening character. A harem was a huge complex but Zenana, where a king's or noble's ecstatic frivolities took place, was the nerve-center. It had to be superb enough to rival the luxurious milieu of paradise. Every lady of the harem had been given her own beautiful apartments, which were spacious, splendid and sumptuous, though rank and income of the concubine did reflect itself in the elegance of the setting. Almost every chamber had its reservoir of water and running fountains in addition to finely laid out gardens, grand alleys, shady retreats, silvery streams, grottoes and underground structures of considerable architectural magnificence. Since an average Muslim harem in India accommodated 2,000 women, one can estimate its pomp in terms of taste, delicacy and expenditure. Its extravagance is further heightened by the fact that a harem might contain dainties of a dozen or more nationalities, each having a particular sense of pleasure and satisfaction. As these women provided their master with fun, felicity and frolics, he had the duty to amuse, amaze and arouse them because a neglected woman cannot offer worthwhile pleasure to the man devoted to delights or lewdness. This raised the standard of luxury and expense to mind-boggling altitudes. No wonder that Shah Jehan's harem cost him more than one crore rupee per annum. It was a fantastic sum of money at that time.

 Each zenana (female) apartment was an example of a fairyland; every lady, irrespective of her rank, had to be pretty like a picture; besides the natural charm bestowed on her by proportionality of limbs, intoxication of eyes, beauty of bust, fascination of gait, sweetness of speech and enchantment of stature, she had to look a doll of light, color and fragrance. Thus, women of the harems were adept in the use of rose-water, sandalwood, scented oils, flowers, rouge, powder, henna, kajal and various dyes. The most expensive jewellery, (snatched from the Indian rulers) crowned the beauty already made superb by the cosmetic magic. India, the home of the most splendid diamonds and rubies, looked at its best in these chambers of dazzling luxury. The goldsmiths of Delhi and Agra became the privileged exploiters of ladies' desire to adorn themselves with the sorcery of the yellow metal. Their skills in making alluring ornaments coupled with selling plausibility, robbed the royal treasury, but with a tone much humbler than the plundering slogans of their imperial masters.

 Clothing of the harem-ladies was less sensible and more sensual because these dainties existed for one purpose only - the carnal gratification of their masters with refreshing, ravishing and resplendent pleasures irrespective of their perversity. It was not enough for them to have natural beauty; they must embellish themselves to look erotic, arousing and attractive. The decorated and musky bodies of these women radiated an intense sex appeal when covered with transparent clothes of exquisite texture and design. Their art of remaining nude despite being dressed, was perfected by the weavers of Bengal, whose skill of manufacturing diaphanous muslin was the greatest sartorial luxury both in the East and West. It is said that when Aurangzeb remonstrated with his daughter, Zeb-Un-Nisa, for having hardly any clothes on, she claimed that she was wearing seven layers of muslin! Is it an exaggeration? Probably not; the garments of these ladies were essentially gossamer: they weighed about an ounce, and thus, could easily pass through a ring. Calicos were yet another rage of the palaces. Their colorful designs and ravishing impressions, gave their wearer the appearance of a moving rose-bush. While the richest and powerful ladies of Europe yearned for them, the ladies of the Indian harems enjoyed them abundantly. The taste of the harem-dainties for silk was ecstatic, erotic and extravagant. No matter how hard-hearted a lady might be, she wanted to look soft for alluring her master into a creamy net of gratification to keep him away from her competitors. After all, these women of the harems were used to spending a whole day in embellishing themselves to appear as a twinkling star in the darkness of night. The silken garments were embroidered with gold and silver and their borders stitched with colorful laces having pearls and rubies. These perfumed dolls though fully dressed in heavenly costumes, looked naked, and proved the existence of paradise packed with virgins of ravishing beauty, eager to gratify their lovers. It was customary for the Muslim rulers to indulge in debauchery all night and express devotion to high morality by praying to Allah in the morning! Silk was manufactured in India, and its various types such as Satin, Keemkhwab, Katan, etc., were imported from other countries to cater for the needs and tastes of the "harem-houris." So precious was silk in those days that Tamburlaine felt tempted to rob his victims of their silken wear, which were usually studded with pearls and diamonds. This type of clothing had become a custom of the Muslim harems in India. Not only did costumes of these ladies glitter with costly pearls and diamonds but their shoes also sparkled with precious stones. Even more tantalizing were their coiffeurs (head-dresses) having an aigrette with ostrich feathers and ruby plumes.  

A pronounced feature of the harems was fragrance and colorfulness induced by scents, oils, henna, dyes, flowers, incense and sandalwood. Wine and music are considered Satanic affairs in Islam, yet these were the favorite pastimes of the Muslim rulers of India. They drank expensive wines from the most precious cups. Many a prince, especially Akbar's two sons, died from excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. Serving wines ranked as an art in its own right and was appreciated by the Muslim rulers. Jehangir, expressed his "drinking dignity" by giving his empire to Nur Jehan for a "glass of wine." Drinking was a part of seduction but, when the royal hearts could not indulge in this paradisiac hobby owing to excessive gratification, singing and dancing took over the role of amusement. Not only did the professional dancing women called "Kanchanis" entertain the rulers but also their concubines, who eagerly learnt this art for gaining an easy access to their master's will, also exhibited their skills of providing enjoyment. As their fun-loving tendencies reached the apex of exhilaration, the ruler and royal ladies showered trays of gold and silver coins on the performers.

 These Kanchanis were essentially cultivated prostitutes, who could sing and dance; they possessed polished manners, which had the magic of suppressing their vileness, and projecting their vivacity. Having lost their sense of propriety through excessive lechery, the royal males succumbed to the variety of pleasures that these whores supplied. As dealing in hearts was their trade, they extorted maximum price for what they offered. History has recorded that a strumpet called Lal Kunwar, a favorite of the court at Delhi during the short reign of Jehandar Shah, was able to secure high ranks for her brothers, as well  as presents of jewels and elephants for herself. These large harems had several purposes: Firstly, the Muslim rulers sincerely held that faith in Islam meant the guarantee of houris, the most beautiful virgins that one can imagine. Paradise is the abode of polygamy where men have all the rights to sexual indulgence and women are loaded with the obligations to please them. Thus, the Muslim rulers and nobles of India treated sexuality as a form of worship without having any moral qualm at all. Even Aurangzeb, portrayed as the austere monarch, had several concubines. His excessive attachment to Zainabadi Mahal is well-known to history. She was a Hindu girl; her real name was Hira Bai, a concubine of Saif Khan, the governor of Burhan Pur.  Saif Khan, a blood-thirsty man, was married to Aurangzeb's maternal aunt. When he (Aurangzeb) was appointed the Governor of the Deccan, he broke journey at Burhanpur to pay respect to his aunt. As he saw the stunning beauty of Hira Bai, he felt enchanted and remained in this state for several hours. Eventually, when he recovered, he confidentially told his aunt about his emotional upset, and the nagging desire for the girl. Knowing the ferocious nature of her husband, she felt a tremor of consternation piercing through her body, but agreed to talk to him about bestowing Hira Bai on him (Aurangzeb). Realizing that Aurangzeb was a rising star in Indian politics, he thought it fit to oblige the prince but conditionally. He was willing to part with Hira Bai provided he could have Chattar Bai, the Hindu concubine of Aurangzeb! We ought to realize that Aurangzeb, the Emperor, is considered a mighty but austere saint of Islam. One can see his moral conduct when it comes to concubinage. Yet we should not place an undue emphasis on his character with reference to this event. After all, this is an established Islamic practice.

 Secondly, the Muslim rulers of India were determined to impress the Hindus with their power, pomp and prestige. They wanted to appear as extraordinary kings, whose might, magnificence and martial excellence must be acknowledged by their Hindu subjects. After all, running harems of several thousand women bubbling with beauty and zest, is not a child's play. Of course, the Hindu Rajahs also had their seraglios but they ranked as sinful brothels because the Vedas do not stamp lust, lechery and lewdness with piety, purity and probity. However, in Islam, the situation is totally different; it is morally and legally right to murder non-Muslims for abducting their women with a view to turning them into concubines; having sexual intercourse with them is no sin; even flogging and selling them at will is permissible.

 Thirdly, building large harems by the Muslim rulers had a sinister political purpose: Islam does allow sexual intercourse with a non-Muslim woman but forbids marriage with her. Thus, the marriages of Akbar and his sons and grandsons with the Hindu princesses cannot be taken seriously, and must be treated as a mystifying political ruse to appease and please the subject Hindu rulers. In fact, the Hindu princesses were very useful hostages of the foreign rulers. The subjugated royal fathers and brothers of these girls felt attached to the Muslim monarchs as a matter of pride. Despite being children of the Hindu princesses from their Muslim husbands, they thought of themselves as Turks and Mughals; the part--Hindu blood in their veins and Indian birth made no difference to them. Even the subject Hindu rulers looked upon these children as part of their dynastic honor and supported them with their wealth and blood to perpetuate their own national slavery!

 There was yet another aspect of these "marriages" which was even more atrocious: the Hindu custom has laid it down that the bride's father must give maximum dowry to his daughter. The Hindu brides brought, not only huge numbers of female servants with them (as a part of dowry) to swell the size of the royal harems but magnificent treasures also accompanied them in the form of jewellery, gold, diamonds, money, elephants, horses and land estates. For example, when Rajah Bhagwan Das arranged the marriage of his daughter, Man Bai with Prince Salim, he bestowed on her a cash dowry of two Crore Tankahs, an absolutely fabulous sum during that time; in addition, he gave her one hundred elephants, several hundred horses of high pedigree, golden vessels encrusted with diamonds and family jewellery accumulated over a period of centuries. Nobody has been able to compute the value of this merchandise. Rajah Alit Singh gave two crore (20 million) rupees as a dowry settlement of his daughter to Farrukh Siyar, in addition to the most expensive paraphernalia of the type already mentioned. It happened during the time when Charles I of England could not raise one million pounds to fight his parliamentary rebels! Obviously, harem-building of the Muslim rulers was a form of political piracy to keep the Hindus under subjugation through marital ligatures.

 There are many instances to show that most of the Muslim rulers of India wanted a fresh virgin every night. Mirza Ghazi Beg, the governor of Sindh, during Akbar's reign, is a frequently cited case. However, lechery of the Muslim rulers and nobles in India is not confined to women; it also extends to homosexuality; after all, young boys are a part of the Islamic paradise .There were plenty of nobles. who hankered after the boys. Islam maximizes the sexual scope not only in this world but also declares carnal enjoyment as the goal of life--after-death, which can be achieved by gaining entry into paradise through the agency of the Prophet Mohammed only. This philosophy has devastated the Muslim mind all over the world: it is like opium which keeps believers in a state of insensibility; they forget all about realities of  life and moral obligation to enjoy the delightful vagaries of make-believe saturated with sexual sweetness. Therefore, it is interesting to know: 

1. What, paradise is, and

2. What kind of sexual pleasures it offers.

 In a nutshell, paradise is the most luxurious place for Sex-after-Death. As such a great issue cannot be tackled briefly, especially, when sex is considered to be of several types, I may devote the next chapter to explain it.  

Sex After Death

 Realizing man's weakness for sex, Islam has presented an unusual theory of carnal gratification, which is most beguiling, blissful and buffeting. It holds that  sexual urge does not perish with death because the man is Muslim, he will be resurrected and given a place in paradise where he will enjoy the choicest sex day and night. Again, sensual pleasures are reserved for man only, and houris i.e. the most beautiful virgins, who inhabit paradise, are totally submissive to their male master. This view represents the Islamic sexual psychology for being consistent with the Prophetic stand point of "Dominance-urge versus Feminine Charm" because here woman surrenders herself completely to man along with her physical, emotional and artful beguilements. Thus, pleasing man, becomes her only pleasure. If the reader can remember that Adam (the Biblical genitor of humankind) defied God to gain the favor of his woman (Eve), it is not difficult to understand that a virile man shall live and die for Islam, which promises the choicest sex-after-death in the form of paradise, dwelt in by the most beautiful damsels and the prettiest boys. Here is a short description of paradise, which Islam presents proudly and solemnly: this is the similitude of Paradise, which the Godfearing have been promised: "Therein are rivers of water unstaling, rivers of milk unchanging in flavor, and rivers of wine - a delight to the drinkers, rivers too, of honey purified; and therein for them is every fruit  " (Mohammed XLVII: 15)

 Here the "similitude"