The Slave Girl Gives Birth to Her Master: Female Slavery from the Mamlūk Era (1250-1517) to the Islamic State (2014- )
“[The Messenger of God] mentioned that one of the signs of the Hour was that ‘the slave girl gives birth to her master.’”—ISIS author (2014, 15) This paper analyzes how the Islamic State (IS or ISIS) appropriates Islamic tradition to justify sexual slavery, most notably the eschatological prophetic...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2017]
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| In: |
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Year: 2017, Volume: 85, Issue: 3, Pages: 577-599 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Mameluke Empire
/ Islam
/ Slavery
/ Slave woman
/ Islamischer Staat
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| IxTheo Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy BJ Islam |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | “[The Messenger of God] mentioned that one of the signs of the Hour was that ‘the slave girl gives birth to her master.’”—ISIS author (2014, 15) This paper analyzes how the Islamic State (IS or ISIS) appropriates Islamic tradition to justify sexual slavery, most notably the eschatological prophetic report “the slave girl will give birth to her master.” Contrary to the public discourse that constantly emphasizes the “medieval” nature of ISIS, I demonstrate that the movement has developed a modern interpretation of the tradition. The medieval Muslim scholars that the ISIS author quotes argue that the report should be read broadly and not be used in legal discussions or to expand slavery. In contrast, the ISIS author contends that the saying should be interpreted to mean the revival of slavery and justifies taking Yazidi women as sex slaves. The ISIS author thus presents a new understanding of the report, one that is unique within the history of Islam. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4585 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American Academy of Religion, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfx001 |