Islam the principle slaver in Africa - over 20 million enslaved

Submitted by Democracyistheanswer (Canada), Oct 27, 2009 at 02:06

Deidre wrote: Did Muslims enslave Africans and make them become muslims? If so, when did this happen?

Very good question, Deirdre! The short answer is that slavery is inseparable from Islam and was institutionalized by Mohammed himself and slaves were given incentives to convert. 'Islam' means 'submission' and no one is as submitted as a slave. Mohammed owned dozens of slaves whom he traded, bought, sold, rented out or used for sex. He is the 'perfect example' for all Muslims. Only a non-Muslim may be enslaved. The act of releasing slaves was said by Mohammed to give religious merit to the slave-owner, but in practice, Muslim slave-owners often manumitted slaves when they were too old to work, thus saving the owners the expense of a 'useless' mouth to feed and gaining merit at the same time!

The matter of releasing slaves after they had become Muslims was not inevitable, but more likely. Also, if a woman gave birth to the offspring of the owner, she could be released as well and the child as well as long as they were Muslims. Infidels were not usually released but might have been purchased out of slavery.

Over 14 centuries, at least 20 million black slaves were taken to Arabia, Turkey and other Muslim countries. Black Muslims were the enslavers. Later, the same enslavers sold slaves to the Europeans that were destined for the New World. More black slaves went to Muslim countries than to the New World. As black Muslim enslavers emptied a region of Africa of inhabitants, black Muslim families moved in and took the homes and lands of the 'ethnically cleansed'. The process of enslaving those on the borders of Islam (in Africa) continued well into the 20th century. Many such black slaves ended up in Saudi Arabia well into the 1960s.

In addition, more than 1 million white slaves abducted from the coasts of Europe as far north as Ireland and Island, ended their lives in Muslim lands. White women fetched much higher prices than black women, the Muslim slavers could not get as many due to having no agents 'on the ground' in Europe.

There are a number of excellent books that detail the Muslim slave trade. Today, some 6 million Africans are leaving Islam every year according to a Saudi Arabian mullah.

The Islamic slave trade in Africa probably caused at least 120 million deaths due to collateral damage to human life caused by attacks and abandonment of those left behind, as well as death due to forced marches, abuse, hunger and illness. Most of the captives did not make it to the slave market.

The 14 century Islamic black slave trade is a taboo subject in Islamic countries.

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