In Islam there is a religious permission to lie, “Taqiyya,” which allows Muslims to lie to non-believers to advance the cause of Islam. There is also a religious justification of human trafficking in Islam, a system known as Kafala. Kafala, originally referring to the Islamic “adoption” of children, is an exploitive “sponsorship” system that results in the organized crime of human trafficking in Gulf Cooperation Council countries Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and some neighboring states. The two Islamic religious practices of taqiyya and Kafala combine to justify participation in a worldwide network of human trafficking for sex, labor, and harvesting of human organs.

Each year the US State Department releases a report on human trafficking. The 2017 and 2018 reports mention the Kafala system in association with Arab countries and recommend replacing them. Specifically, the 2018 report singles out Saudi Arabia, “Due to Saudi Arabia’s requirement under its de facto sponsorship—kafala—system that foreign workers obtain permission from their employers for an exit visa to be able to legally depart the country, some are forced to work well beyond their contract term because their employers do not grant such permission.” In other words, once a victim has arrived in Saudi Arabia, they cannot legally leave under the Kafala system, “rendering them vulnerable to forced labor and debt bondage.”

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The report also singles out a couple of countries as examples in explaining human trafficking: “in Nigeria, traffickers use fraud to recruit women and girls for jobs in Europe and force them into commercial sex when they get there. Many traffickers force victims to take a juju oath to ensure compliance and threaten death resulting from the juju curse if they break their oath, disobey their traffickers, and try to leave their exploitative situations.” The report says, “traffickers… lure potential victims with false promises of money, misleading job offers, or other fraudulent opportunities. Traffickers typically, but not exclusively, target women as potential victims, often from impoverished backgrounds, with minimal education, or originating from vulnerable populations or destitute communities…” The State Department says these schemes are carried out by organized crime syndicates.

This is what we are fighting in Ghana. One such example is told by our ministry partner Pastor William Agbeti, who says these Muslims dress up on Sundays and loiter around churches trying to lure Christian girls into human trafficking. He reports: Their modus operandi is to tell sweet lies and give superfluous promises to unsuspecting, vulnerable young girls desirous of escaping hard financial and economic situations. The whole engagement process is steeped in secrecy. On arrival at their destinations, the girls are forcefully made to surrender their passports in full view of state officials.” Exodus 21:16 says, ”And he that steals a man, and sells him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.” In sharing the gospel AND educating against this evil system, we may save many souls from both spiritual and physical destruction.

The US State Department’s yearly report on human trafficking identifies the problems and even has some stories to put a human face on this horror of horrors. But like so many things, the State Department really doesn’t call it like it is. There is a massive organized crime network trafficking in human beings and if Islam is not at the core of it, it is a major player. In my opinion, this crime against humanity is not exposed and eradicated because so many powerful people, politicians and business leaders are totally immersed in human trafficking. And it boils down to little villages around the world like the one’s in Ghana, where the impact and the journey of horror for so many begins. Pastor William Agbeti describes it.

“The entire Islamic Kafala system is made possible by networks of well-organized agents, organizations, companies and criminal gangs with deep pockets and long arms with universal reach. The suppliers of girls for the Kafala system are ruthless and operate everywhere, even on university campuses, especially in Nigeria. In exception of a few countries that had some activists campaigning against the system, the larger Arab-sphere has in-country political systems that actually turn blind eyes to the atrocities committed by the proponents of Kafala.  Not a single Government in those countries would seriously prosecute perpetrators of Kafala who enslave, kill, maim and exploit poor female migrants. This is because it is entrenched in their social fabric and has become a largely accepted Islamic practice and system.

“Hundreds of Ghanaian girls, and others from neighboring countries, as well as places like the Philippines are spirited away regularly to feed Kafala. These end up in homes and workplaces where they are totally dehumanized, prevented from going anywhere, and virtually become slaves owned by wealthy individuals. In many cases, the girls are imprisoned in homes behind lock and key and raped repeatedly by the children and visitors of their “owners”!  At the time of writing this Daily Jot, a leading social media news outlet has reported two missing girls from a Ghanaian neighborhood. The outlet has published photos of the girls (very beautiful, slim and young). We know some parents are weeping right now.

“We also know the Government of Ghana, like many other Governments in both the under-developed and developed worlds, are not taking up any arms against the practice. Already, as a country, tens and maybe hundreds of girls have gone missing and still go missing on weekly basis from many homes. Meanwhile, some wealthy Arab maniacs (or possibly European or American rich-men) somewhere are eagerly waiting for the recently missing two girls from Ghana to surface in their homes.” These Islamist agents of human traffickers are scouting Christian churches in Ghana to find their prey, especially in rural areas. This is what we are up against. Psalm 127:3 says that “Children are a heritage of the Lord.” You see what God’s enemies have in store for the Lord’s heritage. Please consider them in your heart, prayers and support.

(Used with permission. By Bill Wilson, The Daily Jot. Article was originally published  in two parts as “The Heart of Human Trafficking, Parts I and II.” )

Human trafficking is a problem for all of us–we are commanded to do something when we know about harm to another. Consider Proverbs 24: 11-12: Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death. Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.

You can find out what you can do on the State Department website; read the article “20 Ways You Can Help Stop Human Trafficking” and also check out the U.S. Department of Labor list of goods produced with forced or child labor.