Islam and Slavery

Submitted by Martial (United States), Jan 1, 2005 at 19:05

Like the bible, the Qu'ran was written over 1,000 years ago and must be viewed within the context of the time in which it was written. Modern Islam does not sanction slavery any more than modern Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, or Buddhism. Like the Qu'ran, the Old and the New Testaments support slavery, being written in part as guides for the organization of societies in which slavery was a component.

There is no more viciousness to Islamic slavery than there is to Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, or Buddhist slavery. Although racist slavery did begin in Islam, this simply had to do with the proximity of Arab lands to Africa. In the Iberian peninsula, racist slavery was eagerly adopted by Catholicism when contact with Islam occurred.

There no doubt are Muslims who favor race slavery, just as white racists, such as David Duke, ultimately favor racist slavery. Muslims in Sudan and Mauritania practice slavery, but Christians in Africa also engage in slavery, particularly in Benin. Needless to say, the genocide that occurred in Rwanda is not a blot upon Christianity .

The key is not to condemn a particular religion as being an exponent of the ownership of human beings, but to extirpate slavery wherever it exists. This task is now easier than ever because slavery is intellectually dead in all advanced nations. I recommend joining a group such as www.iabolish.com.

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