The European Painters
Imagine living in medieval Europe circa 1700. You have some talents and skills for painting people and scenery. If you can’t make a living painting, you will be working in the fields, mines, or construction sites. Which occupation is preferable?
Well, if you want to eat, you need to sell your paintings. But it is only the rich people who have enough money to pay for your work. So you have to paint things the rich people want. Well, in those times, some rich people had a fascination for the harem culture in the Ottoman Empire and Barbary States. So some painters made scenes of this life: semi-naked women languishing boringly in opulent Oriental surroundings.
Money exchanged hands. The patron got the scenes. The painter didn’t have to work the fields, mines, and construction sites. Some painters even visited the harems to gain a better understanding of the harem culture to make better paintings.
In essence, Francesco Rizzuto uses that time’s popular art as the foundation of his treatise The Sexualization of Islam.
Why would the artists paint harem scenes if the patrons were not interested in this topic?
BTW, this 13-part series is peppered with images of this genre of that time. Harem paintings were not an obscure fad. Rather, this art was a “long-lasting popular fashion.”
Here is the Substack link that starts this series off:
The Real Lesson
European painters selling Oriental harem paintings to rich Europeans sounds innocuous. Rizzuto dives deeper in this social construct.
Most of the women in the harems were slaves.
Sex slaves.
Both the Barbary States and the Ottoman Empire had slavery as part of their society. Through wars and piracy, these nations put their vanquished into slavery. Young white European and American women fetched the highest prices. They were taken to the harems — and lived the rest of their lives in such bondage.
These two harem states were also Muslim states.
Rizzuto then takes his readers in how Islam actually perpetuates slavery and sexual subjugation of women by men. He shows this by history. He shows this by actual quotes from the Koran. He logically puts all the pieces together.
I would like to see Rizzuto in a face-to-face debate with an apologist from Islam trying to defend Islam from Rizzuto’s assertions.
Harems in Europe
We could assume that Rizzuto is one of many critics of Islam. Christian apologists sure like bashing Islam and would take great joy in reading this series. Well, Rizzuto has a surprise for these critics. In this series, he tells how some rich Europeans were so inspired by the harem artwork that they created harems in various cities in Europe.
Well, not exactly harems. Rather, these facilities were more like high-end bordellos. Wealthy men could congregate, have a little sexual fun with young women, then network with each other, making deals and exchanging favors. Common men had little entry into these facilities.
These harems were well known for what they were at the time. Everyone from the prime minister to the street sweeper knew what was happening in these buildings. The men partaking in these activities faced no social sanctions for their involvement. Kind of like the wealthy Muslim men owning harems in a Muslim country. A good arrangement for wealthy men, regardless of religion.
But in both Muslim and Christian cases, young women were victimized and used as tools. The Orientalists used physical slavery to keep their women in line. The westerners used psychological slavery. Even though young women were essentially trafficked, this issue got a low police priority. The men using these women were not held accountable for the trauma they created.
Today’s new headlines are bringing back the name of Epstein again. He was a western harem profiteer. There are likely other harems in the west that have managed to stay underground. The businessmen seem to need these harems to conduct business and politics.
Rabbit Trails
The Sexualization of Islam goes down quite a few rabbit trails of history, current events, geopolitics, religion, sociology, art, and gender inequality. Rizzuto’s readers never know what path Rizzuto’s writing is going to take, but it will be interesting and unconventional. Let’s say an “educational chicken soup” that sometimes turns to meatloaf or casserole.
For some strange reason, I had stereotyped Muslims having conquered their sex drive to some degree. But this series suggests that Muslim men are just as horny and preoccupied with sex as western men.
As for the Muslim women, they put up with their culture — because there is not much other choice. Kind of like a young American woman captured by the Barbary pirates. Kind of like the “good girls and women” of Victorian times. Sex was something to endure. Am I stereotyping again? Methinks not.
I am sure other readers of this series would come to different conclusions than I. Rizzuto leaves many rabbit trails. It would be interesting to have a “book club” discussion of this work.
If the world is to go in the direction it should go, we need to ask more questions. Rizzuto is asking the right kinds of questions. Even if these questions make us feel uncomfortable.
Published on Medium 2025
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