[FACT OR FAKE #56] Is There Such A Thing As Halal Prostitutes?
A news piece written in French and then picked up by other websites who published their own versions of the story in English, claims that there are "halal prostitutes" being served in Amsterdam.
By Sadho Ram — 01 Jun 2014, 10:52 AM — Updated almost 10 years ago
Last week, a news article about how a new bar called "Hot Crescent" in Amsterdam will offer its Muslim clients "halal prostitutes" went viral on social media
The news piece was written in French and then picked up by other websites who published their own versions of the story in English
Egyptian website OnIslam, Moroccan website Yabiladi and Jordanian website Albawaba (the first two have since taken down their stories) published the news piece on their websites. The source of the news appears to be a Belgian "news agency" called Nordpresse. The author of the original article, a certain "Jean Abdelrottenstein".
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The article cited Jonathan Swick, manager of the "Hot Crescent", saying that this bar will offer its customers a world exclusive engaging prostitutes only responding to a very precise specifications
"Like everyone else, there are Muslims who want to go to whores, and they could not do so without violating their religion. Today, thanks to Hot Crescent, all Muslims wishing to indulge can do so without entering the haram," explained Mr. Swick.
nordpresse.beThe piece further cited Jonathan saying that the bar has consulted three moderate, modern Imams to identify requirements to certify "halal prostitutes"
"Our criteria to certify halal prostitutes were developed in partnership with 3 open imams and modernists, by example: Prostitutes have a total ban on drugs or alcohol and are tested every 2 months. They must make their five daily prayers, even if some of them should be performed during a service. Prohibition of swallowing during oral sex."
In return, clients must have sex in a way that does not breach Islamic tradition. This will give Muslims a healthy and guilt-free way to satisfy their needs!
lhrtimes.comThe piece also claimed that Shi'a Islam allows Nikāḥ al-Mut'ah or "marriage for pleasure", a contentious option that permits temporary, contractual marriage
The entire idea of halal prostitutes revolves around Nikah al-Mut’ah, roughly translated as “pleasure marriage.” The client signs a temporary marriage contract with the prostitute, which can last for as little as a couple of nights or a few hours. After the contract expires, the couple is no longer married to one another, and the “husband” must pay-out to the “wife” with a “dowry.” Nikah al-Mut’ah comes from Shi’a Islam. Sunnis in general forbid it and consider the practice blasphemous.
Is this article from the "news agency" called Nordpresse genuine? Do "halal prostitutes", who provide guilt-free satisfaction to Muslim men, really exist? How much of it is FACT or FAKE?
Before we get to analysing, let's get something else cleared: the website "Nordpresse" is actually a satirical website with a journalistic flavour that regularly produces articles with some political analysis, but always in jest
Its name is a play on Sudpresse, an actual Belgian news agency. (The French equivalent Le Gorafi plays the same role, parodying Le Figaro, a legitimate news site.)
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FAKE: There are no "halal prostitutes". It's a hoax.
The whole thing is nothing but an elaborate hoax aimed to inflame the sentiments of Muslims – especially Muslim readers who are not critical or vigilant enough of what the media serves up.
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However, Shia Islam does allow Nikāḥ al-Mut'ah, just that the news piece twisted the facts to suit its fake news
Nikāḥ al-Mutʿah is a type of marriage used in Shia Islam, where the duration of the marriage and the dowry must be specified and agreed upon in advance. It is a private contract made in a verbal or written format. A declaration of the intent to marry and an acceptance of the terms are required (as they are in nikah (marriage in Islam).
The bride to be must not be married. She must be Muslim or belong to ahl-e-kitab (people of the book). She should be chaste and not be addicted to fornication and she should not be a young virgin (especially if her father is absent and cannot give consent). These conditions must be established through due diligence.
At the end of the contract, the marriage ends and the wife must undergo iddah (a period of abstinence from sexual intercourse, usually the length of two menstrual cycles). The iddah is intended to give certain paternity to a child should the wife become pregnant during the contract.
google.co.inGenerally, the Nikah mut'ah has no proscribed minimum or maximum duration. However, one source, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, indicates the minimum duration of the marriage is debatable and durations of at least three days, three months or one year have been suggested.
google.co.inThe whole idea behind "halal prostitution" is like a bad joke that pokes fun at how the Muslim community will believe halal versions of practically anything, especially what has long been considered haram by the orthodoxy
One possible explanation is that these sorts of articles serve as a mirror to Muslims themselves. They highlight the “halal-ification” of consumer goods as a capitalist innovation aimed at capturing the Muslim market. Examples of such products are halal wines and halal beer that claim to contain only a miniscule amount of alcohol, halal bacon made from turkey meat, and halal nail polish that claims to allow water to seep through.
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