Sex Trafficking in Islam

Oppression and Exploitation: Sex Trafficking in Islam

It may seem as though Islamic cultures oppress their women because of the high regard for the hymen as a sense of honor, yet sex trafficking flourishes not only in the richer Gulf States but also in Islamic countries worldwide. Because “Islamic fundamentalism is a political movement with an ideology that considers women inherently inferior in intellectual and moral capacity,” sex trafficking is not seen as against the tenants of the religion but rather as acceptable because of the low status of women (Hughes). This paper will uncover some of the veiled secrets of the Islamic world and its darker side of sex work and trafficking. The common belief, especially in the Western world, is that terrorism is the main problem in regards to Muslim Fundamentalists, while some Western feminist groups have drawn attention to the plight of Islamic women; it is often ignored until the main stream media picks it up such as in the case of the Afghani women. The media mainly focuses on terror, marking its threats through a color coded system, yet totally disregards the red danger level that Islamic women face on a day to day basis.

The religion of Islam has gotten much media attention in recent years due to terrorist attacks executed by Islamic fundamentalists. It is important to note, however, that the media is failing to report about Muslim people as a whole. In fact, the fundamentalists are a minority of religious extremists, and to ignore the rest of Islamic people would be to leave out a huge part of the picture. Islam is the world’s youngest and fastest growing religion worldwide. Like Judaism and Christianity, it is monotheistic and even recognizes Jesus Christ as a prophet. The I...

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