ISIS Issues Sex-Slave Rules

An ISIS-attributed Q&A pamphlet about the treatment of slaves has surfaced in Mosul, spelling out a disturbing set of rules for the treatment of captive women and girls. According to the pamphlet, it is permissible to take women as slaves if they are “nonbelievers.” “Female slaves are the women that Muslims took from their enemies,” it says. The pamphlet also goes in-depth on ISIS’s policy on having sex with the slaves, something the group uses the Quran to justify. “If she was a virgin, he [the owner] can have intercourse with her immediately after the ownership is fulfilled,” it explains. “If she was not a virgin, her uterus must be purified.” The pamphlet also addresses the issue of young girls: “It is permissible to have intercourse with the female slave who hasn’t reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse. However, if she is not fit for intercourse, he [the owner] can only enjoy her without intercourse.”