Page 147 - Islam and Far Eastern Religions

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“marriages” as “temple prostitution” under the guise of service to the su-
60
perstitious Hindu religion. This practice was introduced by Brahmans
for the purpose of drawing people to their temples in order to collect

money. The Brahmans encouraged the public to participate in this
scheme under the slogan “Looking after a prostitute can cleanse your
sins” 61 Even though this practice was prohibited by a series of laws
passed by the British colonial administration, it is still a common practice.
Sex in temples is considered a sacred ritual by some Hindus. Girls
handed over to the temples, known as joginis are married to their imag-
inary deities as far as devout Hindus are concerned, which is why fam-
ilies have no qualms in offering their girls to the service of temples.
When these girls reach the age of 13, they are first married to the
Subramania deity, symbolized by stone idols or pictures and the priests
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are the first ones to have sex with them. The following day, they are
sold to the highest bidder for a length of time of his choice at a price of
between 4000 and 10000 Rupees (94-234 USD). This dirty money is con-
sidered the rightful income of the temple.

Research conducted by the Illinois University concluded that India
is the most exploitative country in terms of child prostitution.
Approximately 300,000 children are used in this immoral fashion with
an average age of 13. A report commissioned by the human rights orga-
nization Jubilee Action entitled “Child Prostitution in India”, reveals
that this figure is increasing at a yearly rate of 8 to 10%. It is estimated
that in the Belgum district alone there are 3300 devadasi, in other words,
temples of prostitution. Widespread prostitution has had an escalating
effect on the number of HIV/AIDS cases in India. Official figures pub-
lished in India put the number of HIV/AIDS patients at 3.5 million. 63
The great majority of girls used in prostitution under the guise of
jogini come from rural areas. A report by Illinois University states that

Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar)