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

Islamic JihadSLAVERY IN THE ANCIENT WORLDSlavery was not an Islamic invention, nor did Islam have a monopoly in it. Likely originated in the age ofsavagery, slavery had been a prominent feature of all major civilizations throughout recorded history. Slaveryexisted in Babylonia and Mesopotamia, and was prevalent in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome before theadvent of Christianity. Slavery is approved in Christian scriptures and was practiced in the medievalChristendom.Ancient Egypt. In ancient Egypt, slaves provided the labor-force in the construction of Pyramids.According to famous Greek traveler Herodotus (484–425 BCE), some 100,000 slaves worked for twentyyears in the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, built byCheops, a Pharaoh of Egypt’s Old Kingdom (r. 2589–2566 BCE). 677 Recorded from legendary accounts, thisfigure was obviously an exaggeration. It, nonetheless, informs us that slaves were used in large numbers insuch ventures in those times. Pharaohs in Egypt used to capture slaves in wars or purchase them from foreignlands. They were the property of the state, not of private citizens, but were often presented as gifts to generalsand priests.Ancient Greece. In the ancient city states of Greece, namely Athens and Sparta, slavery wasintegrated into the socio-economic and political system. Alongside the free citizens and foreigners, there werethe helots: the slave class, working as serfs in agricultural and other menial activities. This, assume manyscholars, allowed the elites and free citizens to engage themselves in intellectual pursuits among otheractivities, likely contributing to the stunning intellectual, political, scientific and literary achievements ofclassical Greece. The bulk of the Greek peasants did not own lands and had to give away a large proportion oftheir crop to landlords. As a result, they fell into debt and ultimately offered themselves as slaves, forming thehelot class. At one point, Athens is said to have had a staggering 460,000 slaves against only 2,100 freecitizens. Slaves were treated mildly in Athens compared to those in Sparta. Later, the constitution of Draco(621 BCE) and the laws of Solon (638–558 BCE) made them property of the state, which improved theircondition. The decree of Solon also banned enslavement because of debts. The slaves now possessed somebasic rights and could not be put to death except by the state.Roman Empire. In the ancient Roman Republic and early Roman Empire, about 15–20 percent of thepopulation were slaves. 678 During Emperor Augustus Caesar (r. 63 BCE–14 CE), one master, it is said, leftbehind 4,000 slaves. 679 Until the second century BCE, masters could legally kill a slave although occurredrarely. The Cornelian Law (82 BCE) forbade masters from killing a slave. The Petronian Law (32 BCE)forbade masters from forcing slaves into warfare. Under Emperor Claudius (r. 41–54 CE), if a masterneglected the health of his slaves resulting in death, he was guilty of murder. Dio Chrysostom—a famousorator, writer, philosopher, and historian—had devoted two Discourses (14 and 15) delivered at the Forumcondemning slavery during Emperor Trajan (r. 98–117 CE). De Clementia (1:18), authored by Seneca theElder (c. 54 BCE–39 CE), records that masters—cruel to slaves—were publicly insulted. Later on, EmperorHadrian (r. 117–138 CE) renewed the Cornelian and Petronian laws. Ulpian, a Stoic lawyer under EmperorCaracalla (r. 211–217 CE), made it illegal for parents to sell their children into slavery. Diocletian (r. 284–305CE), the last notable Pagan Emperor of Rome, made it illegal for a creditor to enslave a debtor and for a manto sell himself into slavery for paying up a debt. Constantine the Great (r. 306–337 CE) prohibited theseparation of family members during the distribution of slaves. Evidently, the condition of slaves was slowlyimproving in the pre-Christian Roman Empire.677. Ibid, p2678. Slavery, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery679. Lal (1994), p. 3207