THE TELEGRAPH: An online sex shop for Muslims has been launched in the Netherlands to tap into a demand for erotica that does not offend Sharia law.
"We had about 70,000 hits in the first four days," Abdelaziz Aouragh, the founder of El Asira, said. The site went online last week and claims to be the world's first erotic webshop for Muslims.
The 29-year-old Dutch national said it targets married Muslim couples as an alternative to sites "that focus on pornography and the extravagant side of erotica" - things forbidden in Islam.
The home page of El Asira, which means "Society" in Arabic, is a sober black and grey street with a line down the centre, inviting women to enter on the left and men on the right.
Once inside, clients can browse in Dutch, Arabic or English through more than a dozen products, mainly massage oils, lubricants and tablets that claim to act as aphrodisiacs.
All ingredients are halal, or "permissible under Islam", said Mr Aouragh, and conspicuously absent is any type of pornography. >>> | Wednesday, March 31, 2010
AFRIK.COM: Abdelaziz Aouragh, a 29-year old Dutch-Moroccan and a practicing Muslim, has launched El Asira, a rather unlikely, if not daring, enterprise in the Netherlands. It is the first halal "sex shop". The question is whether the concept, which is raising many eye brows, will be accepted by an increasing skeptical niche market.
Sensual stimulants, organic lubricating gels, pure power capsules for men or women ... El Asira, the first halal sex shop made in the Netherlands has opened its doors. Solely available on the Internet, the shop was inaugurated March 24 by Abdelaziz Aouragh, a 29-year old Dutch-Moroccan Muslim.
Halal? Really? Yes, says the young entrepreneur. "There is even a fatwa (religious decree, editor’s note) on the subject," he says. The fatwa was given after he contacted a local imam who in turn consulted with a Saudi Sheikh who gave his blessing, provided that the products are used, strictly, within the context of marriage.
The product range is diverse, from "Lovpil" capsules, to fight against everyday stress that "may affect sexual energy and pleasure", to "Gel Max", a lubricating gel that promises greater "sexual performance". Jewelry and lingerie will soon be added to their range of products. >>> Shahinez Benabed | Tuesday, March 30, 2010
abcNEWS/INTERNATIONAL: The mere mention of sex in Egypt's relatively conservative society is forbidden or ''haram,'' the word used when something is deemed un-Islamic, or considered to be unholy. Even trying to conduct a search online with the word ''sex'' in the title leads you to a dead end stating, ''This URL or Page has been blocked.''
So how would Egyptians react to a new website selling erotic aids aimed at Muslims? Set up in the Netherlands the site has become an worldwide hit with 70,000 visits and counting in its first week of going live.
The website, ''El Asira,'' which means ''society'' in Arabic, was launched by Abdelaziz Aouragh, a Moroccan Muslim living in Amsterdam along with his business partner Stefan Delsink. Aouragh told AFP that "everybody is talking about Islam in a negative way," adding that "I am trying to get something positive out of the dark."
The online shop boasts products such as sensual stimulators for him and her and lubricants based on cocoa butter, water or silicon, all of which are ingredients that are ''halal," permissible or lawful in Islam.
"I knew that Muslims do have a need for sex products." Aouragh said. >>> Lama Hasan | Undated
Related:
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: Online Islamic Sex-shop Opens for Business >>> Hanina Ajarai and Joke Mat | Friday, March 19, 2010
