Tunisia Females Engage in Sexual Jihad with Syrian Rebels

Females from Tunisia travel to Syria to have sex with the rebels in a “sexual jihad.” Many of them are returning pregnant with their children. Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddo addressed this issue with Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly.

Women and teenage girls “are swapped between 20, 30 and 100 rebels and they come back bearing the fruit of sexual contacts in the name of sexual jihad, and we are silent doing nothing and standing idle,” the minister told members of parliament on Thursday.

Some Sunni Muslim Salafists consider the jihad al-nikah, allowing premarital sex with many partners, as a legitimate form of holy war. According to the Daily Mail, there were many fatwas on the internet that called on these women, as young as 14-years-old, to help those fighting the war with sex. But the minister wants better border control to stop the woman and young girls as more reports come to light.

Tunisian newspapers reported that a young Tunisian man divorced his wife, and that they both headed to Syria almost a month ago to ‘allow her to engage in sexual jihad with the mujahideen’ there.

This report followed earlier ones of a video widely circulated on the internet and social websites in Tunisia shows the parents of a veiled girl called Rahmah, 17.

They said Rahmahat disappeared from home one morning and they ‘later learned that she had headed to Syria to carry out sexual jihad.’

The young girl has since returned to her family, who have kept her out of sight, and said that their daughter is not a religious fanatic ‘but was influenced by her fellow students who are known for their affiliation with the jihadist Salafist.’

Her parents said these fellow students may have brainwashed her and convinced her to travel to Syria ‘to support the mujahideen there.’

Many attributed this fatwa to Sheikh Mohamed al-Arifi, but he denies it.  Other scholars insist this is not endorsed by scholars and not normal. Al-Hadi Yahmad, a researcher on the affairs of Islamic groups, said if it was issued it would also allow the girls in Syria to marry these men for a few hours. Men can marry and consummate the marriage and divorce her the next day without any punishment.

Officials on both sides in Tunisia agree this must stop. Noor Eddin al-Khadimi said Tunisians should not listen to the fatwa. Salma al-Raqiq, an opposition figure, said the sexual jihad is dangerous and a disgrace.