Vices East & West: Apples and Oranges

Submitted by Merry Whitney (United States), Oct 13, 2005 at 17:03

Several comments have attempted to draw parallels between sex slavery and prostitution, with one entry stating "Dubai is (like) Las Vegas." Two factors which should not have to be pointed out are volition and recourse, both inherent in Western society and absent from Islam under Sharia.

Yes, there is prostitution in US cities (and suburbs, for that matter). One of our favorite bits of mischief, when I was a teen and nearly every gas station had an unguarded, free-standing "We Give S&H Green Stamps" sign, was to steal a few of the signs and place them prominently on front porches in the city's reputed red light district. But prostitution isn't legal in most of our cities, and coerced prostitution isn't legal in any of them.

While some, perhaps many, American prostitutes have very sad stories and underprivileged backgrounds, they were not legally forced into that vocation, and the law is on their side if they are determined to avoid or get out of it.

And, yes, we've had a horrible problem with pedophiles, with some of those monsters committing their crimes even while posing as honorable members of the clergy. But let's not forget that here, they ARE crimes, not sanctioned amusements for dirty old men.

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