Slavery. Pure and simple shorn of all mityigating factors 9if such were possible to so ghastly a crime against humanity).

Can we hear the bleeding heart left on this one at least? Can we have this issue putup for discussion on kos or talkleft or one of those liberalistic fora where at least for a while, the right and the left may close ranks?

or is that too much to ask for?

Posted by: voletti at February 13, 2005 10:13 AM

Another interesting article from a South African Paper

SLAVERY LIVES ON
02/09/2004 14:11 - (SA)

By Journalist Souleymane Cisse,

Everyone knows it exists, but nobody talks about it.

Except journalist Souleymane Cisse, who spends his time and energy in the struggle against slavery in his home country, Niger.

In this complicated society, where social relationships date back to antiquity and some nomadic Tuareg groups still look down upon black Africans in the south, slavery is still practiced on several levels.

Before and even long after the colonial area, no legislation existed that prohibited slavery.

"The colonial rulers preferred to ignore it because they wanted to co-operate with the aristocracy who kept these slaves," Cisse explains.

He comes from the northern city of Agadez and did his master's degree on slavery in Niger.

In his thesis, he described in detail the places and tribal groups where slavery is still practiced.

Last year, the Niger government eventually passed a law banning slavery outright. Under this law, a slavery conviction caries a ten-year prison term or a 1m CFA franc (about R10 000) fine.

But tremendous poverty, illiteracy and desperate circumstances in which many people live make it virtually impossible to eradicate slavery.

Cisse refers to three categories of slaves:

Those who live with their masters, do heavy work, are often abused and receive no wage.

In one case he encountered, a woman was only five years old when the family of her owner's wife gave her away as wedding gift.

In another case, a slave was castrated because his owner's son wanted the slave's wife.

"These people are exposed to terrible suffering," Cisse says.

Secondly, young girls are still sold in Niger as dowry.

Under Muslim tradition, a man may have four wives, but he may take a fifth wife if she is a slave.

Cisse says there is a "slavery triangle" that stretches from the southern town of Maradi in Niger to Kano in Nigeria. Girls from poor family in Niger are sent away to become the wives of rich sultans in the northern states of Nigeria where shariah laws prevail.

"The girls are sold on markets for between R4 000 and R5 000."

The last category is former slaves who have won their freedom but are still seen as slaves by the community. Cisse works with the organisation Timidria ("brotherhood") that was formed in 1991 to fight slavery.

The organisation is part of an international network that campaigns against slavery and child labour.

Because the issue is still largely taboo in Niger, it remains very difficult to change the situation, Cisse says.

Posted by: Mackie at February 13, 2005 10:25 AM

Muslim economies were heavily based on tribute. The tribute came from the non-Muslim populations within those lands. And those non-Muslims were further replenished by the relentless slaving expeditions, both south, into black Africa, and into Europe, up and down the coasts. In black Africa, the trade began almost a thousand years before the Atlantic slave trade became important, and continued long after slavery had been abolished in the Western world. In Europe, Muslim raiders went up and down the coasts, in one case getting as far as Iceland and kidnappng an entire village. Loot, women, and men brought back as slaves helped the economies. In the Ottoman Empire, constant replenishment of Ottoman forces through the devishirme system, by which Christian (and in some cases Jewish) children were forcibly taken from their families by the Ottoman authorities, for service in the Ottoman (Muslim) state, remained important right up through the nineteenth century, when the European powers finally managed, after repeated efforts (and repeated promises by the Ottomans to comply) to stamp it out.

There never was a Muslim Wilberforce. Far from it. Slavery is sanctioned in Qur'an, Hadith,and Sira. Muhammad himself, uswa hasana, the role-model for all time, owned slaves. And that is why Saudi clerics even within the year have delivered sermons on why slavery, in Islam, cannot be abolished. And guess who those slaves turn out to be? Mali, Mauritania, Sudan, and deep within Saudi Arabia itself (so it is rumored, and there is evidence of advertisements in the Saudi press offering trade of "Indian girls" for "late-model American cars") chattel slavery exists.

Posted by: Hugh at February 13, 2005 10:54 AM

Read much more about Islamic slavery here:

http://www.faithfreedom.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=216

Posted by: Ali Dashti at February 13, 2005 11:31 AM

Why does the African-American community not say anything about slavery in Niger? If they have, I would like to know.

Posted by: Christian at February 13, 2005 12:54 PM

The quotes from Moslems regarding black Africans from the faithfreedom link given by Ali Dashti in his foregoing post should find their way into American (and UK?) prisons where African-Americans are being recruited by Moslems.

Although, they will most likely think as does one black Africa in the cited quotations that the derogatory, racist remarks by he Arab slave hunters and holders apply only to black "kufars" and not to them.

Posted by: unicorns62000 at February 13, 2005 12:55 PM

Here is another story from the BBC on the maltreatment of migrant workers in Dubai; familiar story, passports taken, treated 'like slaves'. And again, the BBC does not discuss whether or not these workers are nonMuslim, which they appear to be, and broader issue of the role of Islam in this rampant phenomenon of slave labor, or 'slave-like labor' in Muslim countries, i.e. treating nonMuslim workers like slaves to the extent that one can get away with it.

I was rather surprised to see the BBC story on the reassertion of the fatwa against Salman Rushie featured below, a story that should cause an international outrage, a story that tells of a fascist ideology with murderous reach in the heart of Western culture and intellectual freedom:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4260599.stm

But, the BBC did not completely betray it commitments to defending or hiding the brutality of Islam: as of today the Rushie story is gone from the Middle East page in BBC Online, but the lovely propaganda piece that extols the beauty of artifacts of the Islamic revolution in Iran, remains, and has remained now for several days.

Posted by: JTF at February 13, 2005 12:57 PM

You know, when I was re-spiritualized or "born again" I was eager to learn of the various religions... I read up on many, but islam was interesting; in my young mind, I thought mohammed was the Jesus of the Arabs.. that perhaps mohammed and Jesus might be the same person... I was cautioned gently about this cult called islam. I never thought twice about 'islam' until 9/11. Now, I am well studied on this demonic cult insha-allah.

One day, there were a group of black males standing on a corner selling newspapers from the Nation of islam. All were well dressed in suit and ties; sweating in the heat of summer. I admired their sense of duty. I bought one for one dollar. I read it. It was THE MOST hate filled piece of trash I've ever seen. If we think we have a problem with Arab muslims, just wait until we have to confront the Black Nation of Islam inside America. If the black members of the Nation of islam only knew what they'd be treated like if they resided in the Sudan, or ANY Arab country practicing islam; they'd surely turn away from this brutal, discriminatory, disgusting hate filled filthy death cult called islam. Geeze, the blacks in the USA were liberated only 30 years ago... why would they want to "revert" back to slavery. Blacks are abhorred in the muslim "faith". Don't they realize this fact?

I've read many articles on the situation in Sudan. One that really freaked me out was how the arab-muslim WOMEN dance around the poor black Africans yelling "lee lee lee lee lee lee lee you are a disgusting black slave... lee lee lee lee lee lee lee.... you will be killed. lee lee lee lee lee lee leee while the arab-muslim males rape young girls. allahinshalallahandallthatbullshit.

Amazing how this "religion" of peace works. I was warned years ago about mohammed and his ilk... and to this day, I Thank The Good Lord (and my Christian mentor) that I was warned! Insha allah......... Matthew 24

Posted by: Just_Linda at February 13, 2005 6:35 PM

JTF, I watched the BBC piece about the Iranian propaganda artist and could not believe my eyes. Not only because the imbecile claiming to be a reporter took the man's claims so much at face value ("he could have won international arts prizes, but he believes that art should belong to the masses" - this as he paints propaganda for a mullahocracy that the Iranian "masses" have clearly rejected) but because the art in question was so outrageously bad. There was some competence in anatomy, which he learned from Western artists, but the colours were crass, the composition brutally piled-up, the concept equal to the worst of Socialist Realism - it was propaganda of the lowest, most obvious, most mindless character. Yet the BBC moron treated it as artistically significant. God help us.

Posted by: Paolo at February 14, 2005 11:36 AM