by Moses Oludele Idowu
People get passionate when it comes to religious issues. Even scholars are.not different. Rarely do you find real scholars who could discuss issues pertaining to evils and atrocities committed in the history of their religous faiths and traditions without barricades or censors.
The truth must be told nevertheless.
Slavery is an ancient institution and have been practiced from time immemorial. In every culture, clime and jurisdiction. They were captured in wars, sold, used as collateral for.trades, purchased by money bags …
However, within these we still see the behaviour and practices of certain cultures. In view of some hasty generalisations that have been done by various commentators above I want to say some things. I will narrow my discussion just to Slavery and treatment of slaves among Europeans and Arabs.
Yes, it is true Europeans also enslaved Africans. Both Greek and Roman societies were slave societies which is why the idea of democracy originating from these jurisdiction is so funny. But let the truth be told Slavery under the Europeans was legal and judicially regulated. There were things you could not do to slaves under the Law. Societies still frowned and disallowed these.
I have heard some ignorant statements about Christianity supporting Slavery and all that nonsense. Some denominations did support and even clergymen because the law allowed it then. Even then there were others who opposed and preached against it. The Quakers, Mennonites, the Early Methodists in the day of Wesley among several others even opposed Slavery of another human by man. It is surprising that the Abolition Movement arose from among these groups. William Wilberforce was the son of a friend of John Wesley who heard him preach as a child. The last letter Wesley wrote on his deathbed was to Wilberforce encouraging him to go ahead with the bill and praying the help of God.
Let us now consider the institution of Slavery among the Arabs and Muslims. To be honest to the fact, Arab Slavery was worse than even European form. This is because the Koran allows and even sanctions Slavery of non- Muslims and the prophet of Islam actually led bloody campaigns and raids to capture slaves to sell to raise money for jihads. The history of Islam is darkened by many things but the worst is Slavery.
Arabs are racists, worst racists. They hate blacks and enslaved blacks under worse conditions than even Europeans. Even after the Abolition, Slavery still continued by the Arab Muslims. They did not abolish Slavery till the latter part of the 19th and early 20th century.
Have you read the story of Morocco, Senegal, Sudan, etc? Have you read how they treated the Berbers, and those other tribes?
We still have the survivors of European slavery, where are the survivors of Arab slavery? They castrated black young men and used them as consort for their women and rape black women exactly the kind of thing Fulani Nationalist Movement is threatening to do in Yorubaland beginning from today 28th March 2026.
There is no need for any false equivalence about this barbaric thing. It is abhorrent. It is evil.
One of my strong objections to Islam is that it still sanctions Slavery of others. And terrorists cite this as justifications. This is why wars – means to capture slaves are never ending in Islamic territories. Libya was reported not long ago enslaving black population. The black in Darfur have faced genocide and Slavery even though they are Muslims but because they are blacks. Even in the modern day.
The kidnapping and hostage for ransom now been perfected by Fulani bandits is also a form of Slavery. They see and find justifications in Islamic history and even holy book.
And it is possible this is the main reason why this problem won’t end on time.
Moshe
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