Abused and tortured Indian woman, ‘they told me I was a slave they had bought’
Slavery is acceptable in Islam. The Qur’an says that Allah tells Muhammad that he has given him girls as sex slaves: “Prophet, we have made lawful the wives that you have gifted and the slaves that God has given you as spoils.” (Quran 33:50)
Muhammad bought slaves: “Jabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported: A slave came and swore allegiance to Allaah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) on migration; he (the Holy Prophet) did not know that he was a slave. Then his teacher came and demanded that he return, after which Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) said: Sell it to me. And he bought it for two black slaves, and then he took no one’s loyalty until he asked if he was a slave (or a free man). (Muslim 3901)
Muhammad took unfaithful women captive as slaves: “Narrated Anas: The Prophet offered the Fajr prayer near Khaibar while it was still dark and then said: ‘Allahu-Akbar! Khaibar is destroyed, because every time we approach a (hostile) nation (to fight), then evil will be the morning for those who have been warned. ‘ Then the people of Khaibar ran down the roads. The Prophet had his warriors killed, his offspring and the woman taken captive. Safiya was among the captives. It first came in the Dahya Alkali part but later it belonged to the Prophet. The Prophet made his manumission as his ‘Mahr’ ”(Bukhari 5.59.512) Mahr is the bride price: Muhammad released her and married her. But he did not do this to all his slaves:
Muhammad owned slaves: “Narrated Anas bin Malik: Allah’s Apostle was traveling and he had a black slave named Anjasha, and he was driving the camels (very fast, and there were women riding those camels). Allah’s Apostle said: ‘Waihaka (may Allah have mercy on you), oh Anjasha! Drive slowly (the camels) with the glass jars (women)! ‘”(Bukhari 8.73.182) The liberation of Anjasha from Muhammad is not mentioned.
“They Said They Bought Me As A Slave: A Kerala Woman Relates Torture In Qatar” By Ajay Kanth, New Indian Express, July 30, 2021:
KOCHI: For Preethi Selvaraj, 43, the job offer in Doha was irresistible. She lived in a rented house in Njarackkal with her mother, her husband and their three children, and the only income for the family came from her husband, who did not have a steady job. The family stayed afloat on the meager income they earned by doing odd jobs.
In such a situation, Preethi was quick to conclude that babysitting work with an Arab family in Doha, Qatar, at a salary of Rs 23,000 a month, was just what she needed to ease her family’s financial difficulties. However, his dream suffered an untimely death as soon as he arrived in Doha on March 4, 2020, on a visit visa that he had taken advantage of with the help of two local ‘agents’: Saleem and Zakheer.
Soon enough, like many poor women in India who are illegally sent as domestic helpers to the Middle East, Preethi too became the victim of brutal abuse and torture at the hands of an Arab family.
“I am lucky to have managed to return home safe and sound. A person working with a social organization in Qatar intervened in my case, after my husband raised the issue with an activist in Kerala. From my first day in that family’s home, my life was hell. Although I informed my officers of the torture I was suffering in the house after two months, they did not listen to me. I was forced to continue working there for a year and four months, ”said Preethi, who finally returned to Kochi on July 9 this year.
“When I repeatedly asked the family to allow me to return to Kerala, they told me that it was a slave that they had bought by paying lakhs to those agents. They forced me to work continuously without resting, and I was only allowed to eat the food that was thrown away as waste. Two women in the family used to beat me regularly [sic]. They also took custody of my mobile phone to prevent me from calling my family members. He could only rest four hours every day. When I persistently demanded that they allow me to return home, they also stopped paying me my salary. For four months I did not receive money ”, remembers Preethi, who filed an official complaint on July 26….
