islamic-jihad-legacy-of-forced-conversion-imperialism-slavery

Islamic Slaverybeings as a commodity like any other commercial transaction. Slavery, in essence, is the exploitation of theweak by the strong and has a very long history.One major criticism of the West by all, and particularly by Muslims, pertains to the trans-Atlanticslave-trade by European powers and their mindless exploitation and degrading treatment of slaves in theAmericas and West Indies. Muslims are often quick to point fingers at the European slave-trade; they oftenclaim that the exploitation of slaves enabled countries like the United States to amass the huge wealth theyenjoy today. One young Muslim, born in America, wrote: ‘Do you know how the American slave-hunterswent to Africa, seized the black people and brought them to America as slaves? America’s economic powerowes a great deal to the labor of those slaves’ (personal communication). Terming the 350-year trans-Atlanticslave-trade ‘the worst and most cruel slavery’ in history, the Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan claimsthat some white Americans do not know that ‘they are in the privileged position… today based on whathappened to us (Blacks)’ in the past. 671 An overwhelming majority of Muslims believe that Islamic history isdevoid of the abhorrent practice of slavery. Rocky Davis (aka Shahid Malik), an Australian Aboriginalconvert to Islam, told the ABC Radio that ‘Christianity were the founders of slavery. Not Islam.’ 672 WhenMuslims in India talk about the practice of slavery in the subcontinent—they talk about the harrowing tales ofhow the Portuguese transported slaves from coastal areas of Goa, Kerala and Bengal in terrible conditions. Itis already noted that history books in Pakistan teach that before Islam, there was exploitation and slavery,which vanished with the coming of Islam. They will never talk about the slavery that Muslim invaders andrulers practiced on a grand scale in India.This Muslim silence about the widespread practice slavery under Islamic rules, such as in India,likely results from their ignorance of historical facts. In modern history writing in India, there is extensivewhitewashing of the atrocities that took place during the Muslim invasions and the subsequent Islamic rule.Such distortions of the true picture of Islamic history compound Muslims’ ignorance about Islamic atrocitiesin medieval India and create an erroneous perception amongst them about the extensive slavery practised byMuslim rulers. As recounted throughout this book, slavery was regrettably a prominent institution throughoutthe history of Islamic domination everywhere. It also had unique features, namely large-scale concubinage,eunuchs, and ghilman (described below).THE QURANIC SANCTION OF SLAVERYThe institution of slavery in Islam was formalized in the following Quranic verse, in which Allahdistinguishes free human beings or masters, who exercise justice and righteousness, from the dumb, uselessand burdensome ones, the slaves:Allah sets forth (another) Parable of two men: one of them dumb, with no power of any sort; awearisome burden is he to his master; whichever way he directs him, he brings no good: is sucha man equal with one who commands Justice, and is on a Straight Way? [Quran 16:76]Allah warns the believers against taking the slaves as equal partner in status and in sharing their wealth, lestthey have to fear them as anyone else:671. Farrakhan L, What does America and Europe Owe?, Final CalL, 2 June 2008672. ABC Radio, Aboriginal Da’wah - "Call to Islam", 22 March 2006;http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/stories/s1597410.htm204