Rape in Islamic Law: Difference between revisions

Rejected the last 16 text changes (by Raman) and restored revision 125967 by Raman: Pak law has changed in 2006. Rape now under penal law, not huddod. Comment in intro is not in cited source but could go elsewhere.
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(Rejected the last 16 text changes (by Raman) and restored revision 125967 by Raman: Pak law has changed in 2006. Rape now under penal law, not huddod. Comment in intro is not in cited source but could go elsewhere.)
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{{cite web quotebox|url= http://islamqa.info/en/10382|title= Ruling on having intercourse with a slave woman when one has a wife|publisher= Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 10382|author= |date= November  24, 2005|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/10382&date=2012-01-17|deadurl=no}}|2=Islam allows a man to have intercourse with his slave woman, whether he has a wife or wives or he is not married...Whoever regards that as haraam is a sinner who is going against the consensus of the scholars. }}
{{cite web quotebox|url= http://islamqa.info/en/10382|title= Ruling on having intercourse with a slave woman when one has a wife|publisher= Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 10382|author= |date= November  24, 2005|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/10382&date=2012-01-17|deadurl=no}}|2=Islam allows a man to have intercourse with his slave woman, whether he has a wife or wives or he is not married...Whoever regards that as haraam is a sinner who is going against the consensus of the scholars. }}


Rape, known in Islam as ''zina bi al-ikrah'', is generally defined by Muslim jurists as forced intercourse by a man with a woman who is not his wife and without her consent. It is a crime punishable against the rapist with a [[w:hudud|hadd penalty]] - stoning (if he is a married person) or lashings (if he is unmarried) - just as he would receive for ordinary zina (unlawful intercourse). There is no punishment for the rape victim but since it is difficult to prove that she was raped as it needs four male witnesses, she is accused of [[Zina]] and prosecuted for it. Jurists disagree on whether the rapist must also pay a dowry as compensation to the victim. A controversial position of some modern jurists is that the hadd penalty for outlaws should apply to rapists (hadd [[w:Hirabah|Hirabah]]), described in {{Quran|5|33}}. Others say that rape can be treated by the judge as an offence that receives [[w:Tazir|Tazir]] (discretionary) punishment (as in Pakistan, for example). These approaches avoid the impractical four witnesses requirement for applying a zina hadd penalty when there is no confession.<ref>Dr Azman Mohd Noor, [http://irep.iium.edu.my/16877/1/PUNISHMENT_FOR_RAPE_IN_ISLAMIC_LAW.pdf Punishment for rape in Islamic Law], Malayan Law Journal Articles [2009] 5 MLJ cxiv</ref>
Rape, known in Islam as zina bi al-ikrah, is generally defined by Muslim jurists as forced intercourse by a man with a woman who is not his wife and without her consent. It is a crime punishable against the rapist with a [[w:hudud|hadd penalty]] - stoning (if he is a married person) or lashings (if he is unmarried) - just as he would receive for ordinary zina (unlawful intercourse). There is no punishment for the rape victim. Jurists disagree on whether the rapist must also pay a dowry as compensation to the victim. A controversial position of some modern jurists is that the hadd penalty for outlaws should apply to rapists (hadd [[w:Hirabah|Hirabah]]), described in {{Quran|5|33}}. Others say that rape can be treated by the judge as an offence that receives [[w:Tazir|Tazir]] (discretionary) punishment (as in Pakistan, for example). These approaches avoid the impractical four witnesses requirement for applying a zina hadd penalty when there is no confession.<ref>Dr Azman Mohd Noor, [http://irep.iium.edu.my/16877/1/PUNISHMENT_FOR_RAPE_IN_ISLAMIC_LAW.pdf Punishment for rape in Islamic Law], Malayan Law Journal Articles [2009] 5 MLJ cxiv</ref>


A small number of hadiths are cited to support the Islamic punishments for rape, discussed below. These narrations relate to the rape of free women and of female slaves who are not owned by the perpetrator. However, we will see that the Qur'an permits Muslim men to have sexual relations with their own female slaves. Kecia Ali, Associate professor of religion, Boston University says regarding sex with slaves:
A small number of hadiths are cited to support the Islamic punishments for rape, discussed below. These narrations relate to the rape of free women and of female slaves who are not owned by the perpetrator. However, we will see that the Qur'an permits Muslim men to have sexual relations with their own female slaves. Kecia Ali, Associate professor of religion, Boston University says regarding sex with slaves:
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===Rape of Slaves Owned by Another Person===
===Rape of Slaves (Owned by Another Person)===
The following hadiths concern slaves owned by someone other than the rapist, and reparations are due to the owner in the form of a replacement slave or the amount by which the slave's value has been depreciated. However, raping one's own slave is permitted. The authenticity of hadiths concerning this incident are graded da'if (weak) by al-Albani, while Dar-us-Salam grade them hasan (good).
The following hadiths concern slaves owned by someone other than the rapist, and reparations are due to the owner in the form of a replacement slave or the amount by which the slave's value has been depreciated. The authenticity of hadiths concerning this incident are graded da'if (weak) by al-Albani, while Dar-us-Salam grade them hasan (good).


{{Quote|{{Al Nasai|26|4|26|3365}}|It was narrated that Salamah bin Al-Muhabbaq said: "The Prophet passed judgment concerning a man who had intercourse with his wife's slave woman: 'If he forced her, then she is free, and he has to give her mistress a similar slave as a replacement; if she obeyed him in that, then she belongs to him, and he has to give her mistress a similar slave as a replacement.'"}}
{{Quote|{{Al Nasai|26|4|26|3365}}|It was narrated that Salamah bin Al-Muhabbaq said: "The Prophet passed judgment concerning a man who had intercourse with his wife's slave woman: 'If he forced her, then she is free, and he has to give her mistress a similar slave as a replacement; if she obeyed him in that, then she belongs to him, and he has to give her mistress a similar slave as a replacement.'"}}
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The second sentence speaks about slaves who ask for a way to pay for their freedom (like indentured servants) as long as the master knows of "any good in them". It would be interesting to discover how female slaves could earn any money at all if kidnapped from their families and forced into slavery while not having money-making skills. And if a female slave was to earn her freedom, where then could she go if her family had been massacred? How could she support herself and keep herself safe? Practicalities aside, this verse only tells Muslims to let their slaves purchase their freedom (with the requirement of "if ye know any good in them").
The second sentence speaks about slaves who ask for a way to pay for their freedom (like indentured servants) as long as the master knows of "any good in them". It would be interesting to discover how female slaves could earn any money at all if kidnapped from their families and forced into slavery while not having money-making skills. And if a female slave was to earn her freedom, where then could she go if her family had been massacred? How could she support herself and keep herself safe? Practicalities aside, this verse only tells Muslims to let their slaves purchase their freedom (with the requirement of "if ye know any good in them").


The third sentence is what pertains to the Muslim claim that rape of slaves is forbidden. However, the word used is not simply sexual intercourse but is more specifically "prostitution" or "whoredom". Prostitution is not simply about sex, but sex for a price. This is why it is often referred to as one of the oldest professions. What this verse speaks of is a master forcing his maid to be a prostitute thereby making money by allowing other men to have sex with her. This verse says nothing about a master forcing himself upon his slave-girl who is considered "halal" for him according to [[Islamic law]]. The fourth sentence says that if a girl is indeed forced into prostitution, then Allah will forgive her for committing [[zina]]. What this verse does not say is what the punishment should be for a man who forces his maid into prostitution. All it says is that he should not do it, and it certainly does not say that a Muslim man cannot force himself on his own slave-girl.
The third sentence is what pertains to the Muslim claim that rape of slaves is forbidden. However, the word used is not simply sexual intercourse but is more specifically "prostitution" or "whoredom". Prostitution is not simply about sex, but sex for a price. This is why it is often referred to as one of the oldest professions. What this verse speaks of is a master forcing his maid to be a prostitute thereby making money by allowing other men to have sex with her. This verse says nothing about a master forcing himself upon his slave-girl who is considered "halal" for him according to [[Islamic law]]. The fourth sentence says that if a girl is indeed forced into prostitution, then Allah will forgive her for committing [[zina]]. What this verse does not say is what the punishment should be for a man who forces his maid into prostitution. All it says is that he should not do it, and it certainly does not say is that a Muslim man cannot force himself on his own slave-girl.
 
==Modern implementation ==
===Saudi Arabia===
A report by [[Human Rights Watch]] has concluded that a rape victim may be punished when they speak out against it in [[Saudi Arabia]]. In one case, the sentence of a victim was doubled for speaking out; and the court harassed the lawyer of the victim also, going so far as to cancel his professional licence.<ref>{{cite web |year=2007 |title=Saudi Arabia: Rape Victim Punished for Speaking Out |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2007/11/15/saudi-arabia-rape-victim-punished-speaking-out/|publisher=HRW}}</ref>
 
===Pakistan===
The continued enforcement of the discriminatory [[Zina]] Ordinance - by which the prohibited sexual activities, including rape (''zina bil jabr''), became religious offenses, subject to different standards of evidence and punishment and the appellate jurisdiction of Islamic higher courts but inconsistent rulings by the courts, and gender bias in the criminal justice system makes it extraordinarily difficult for rape victims to get justice and continues to leave them vulnerable to wrongful prosecution for adultery or fornication.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|first=Elyse|last=Semerdjian|title=Zinah|encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|editor=John L. Esposito|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2009|url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195305135.001.0001/acref-9780195305135-e-0984|url-access=subscription|doi=10.1093/acref/9780195305135.001.0001|isbn=9780195305135}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|year=1999|title=The State response to violence against Women|https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/pakistan/Pakhtml-06.htm|publisher=HRW}}</ref><ref>A. Quraishi (1999), Her honour: an Islamic critique of the rape provisions in Pakistan's ordinance on zina, ''Islamic studies'', Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 403–431</ref>


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