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

Islamic JihadOttoman Sultan had a British captive in his harem. She was rescued and brought to Britain after the sultan’souster from Turkey. The psychological impact of this sustained and brutal subjection of Europeans toenslavement and sale for so many centuries can not be underestimated. It must have convinced them thatslavery, which had become a brutal part and parcel of their life, was something not quite abnormal. TheEuropeans, having suffered violent subjection to Islamic slavery and slave-trade for nine centuries, finallyembarked on the trade themselves.Concerning the "direct" role of Islam in the trans-Atlantic slave-trade, it was mostly the Muslimraiders and traders, who did the inhuman part of capturing the slaves in Africa. European traders boughtslaves mainly from these Muslim slave-catchers and transported to the New World. When the Europeansembarked on the slave-trade, Muslims were the masters of large parts of Africa with centuries of experiencein the art of slave-hunting. They became the ready supplier of slaves for European traders. The Europeanmerchants were stationed in trading centers along the African coast. Muslim slave hunters and traders broughtblack captives from inland locations to these coastal centers and sold to Europeans.The European traders obtained some slaves, as high as 20 percent, directly forgoing the hands ofMuslim traders. This direct procurement took place, not through violent raids and abductions, but throughwilling sale by non-Muslim owners, or possibly by some parents and relatives. (Some of them might havebeen supplied by non-Muslim slave-hunters, who following Muslims, had taken to the profession.) The Sahelregion of West Africa, just south of Sahara and the regions of Angola were notorious for the lack of rainfall,occasionally for two to three years in succession. When that happened causing devastating drought andfamines, people—faced with starvation and death—fled and ‘sold themselves or family members in order tosurvive at all.’ Senegal experienced a series of drought and poor harvest between 1746 and 1754, whichdramatically increased the volume of slave-trade. ‘French exports from Senegal in 1754 were the highestever,’ writes Curtin. 884The European traders acquired greater than 80 percent of slaves in Africa from Muslim slave-huntersand traders. Muslim warriors had turned Africa into a slave-catching and -breeding ground to meet thedemand of slaves in the Muslim world, which later on also became a supply-house for European merchants.Sayyid Sa’id, a prince of Oman, moved to East Africa with the pirates of the port of Masqat, who had beenput out of business by the British. Having established himself in Zanzibar (1806), his Arab raiders from theEast Coast penetrated deep inland, reaching as far as Uganda and Congo for capturing slave. 885 This way hefounded his famed slave-empire in East Africa. In Africa, writes Curtin, there were slave-raiding chiefs organgs of forty to fifty men. They went out in groups to nearby villages ‘stealing cattle and kidnapping people,trying to pick individuals or small groups, like women on the way to the village well or others unlikely to beable to defend themselves.’ Although these gangs could fight if needed, ‘they depended on stealth and speedto make their capture and sell them at a distance...’ 886 The opening of new markets in the New World provedvery lucrative for the Muslim slave hunters and traders of Africa.DENIALS OF ISLAMIC SLAVERYTo most Muslims, the only slave-trade that existed in the world was the trans-Atlantic one, which they arevery forthcoming to condemn. To them, the more extensive and barbarous practice of slavery of the Muslim884. Curtin, p. 172–73885. Gavin, R J (1972) In MA Klein & GW Johnson eds., p. 178886. Curtin, p. 177–79249