AbuMubarak
26-11-02, 10:01 AM
i was reading thru Alex Haley's book, Roots and came across this passage about slavery
for those who generally equate slavery with the barbarism that America practiced with the blacks, I would like to share the following:
Chapter 16
"Then Kunta asked (his father) What are slaves?
Omoro (his father) said, slaves arent always easy to tell from those who arent slaves....But one should never speak of slaves in the presence of slaves.
Kunta- Why are some people slaves and others not?
Omoro said, that people became slaves in different ways. Some were born of slave mothers.... Some of them were the parents of some of his own kafo mates. Others had once faced starvation during their home villages hungry season, and they had come to town and begged to become the slaves of someone who agreed to feed and provide for them. Still others had once been enemies and been captured as prisoners. They become slaves,being not brave enough to die rather than be taken
Their (the slaves) rights are guaranteed by the laws of our forefathers.....all masters had to provide their slaves with food, clothing, a house, a farm plot to work on half shares and also a wife or a husband.
Only those who permit themselves are to be despised. those who had been made slaves because they were convicted murderers, convicts, thieves or other criminals. Those were the only slaves whom a master could beat or otherwise punish as he felt they deserved.
Kunta asked, Do slaves have to remain slaves always?
His father answered, No, many slaves buy their freedom with what they earned from work.
There were many in their village who had bought their freedom, and they always referred to their ancestrial hero, Sundiata who was a general who led armies who had been a slave."
Thus, slavery as practiced by muslims and many others was not the barbaric treatment and not anywhere equivalent to the slavery that the europeans practiced upon blacks/africans.
for those who generally equate slavery with the barbarism that America practiced with the blacks, I would like to share the following:
Chapter 16
"Then Kunta asked (his father) What are slaves?
Omoro (his father) said, slaves arent always easy to tell from those who arent slaves....But one should never speak of slaves in the presence of slaves.
Kunta- Why are some people slaves and others not?
Omoro said, that people became slaves in different ways. Some were born of slave mothers.... Some of them were the parents of some of his own kafo mates. Others had once faced starvation during their home villages hungry season, and they had come to town and begged to become the slaves of someone who agreed to feed and provide for them. Still others had once been enemies and been captured as prisoners. They become slaves,being not brave enough to die rather than be taken
Their (the slaves) rights are guaranteed by the laws of our forefathers.....all masters had to provide their slaves with food, clothing, a house, a farm plot to work on half shares and also a wife or a husband.
Only those who permit themselves are to be despised. those who had been made slaves because they were convicted murderers, convicts, thieves or other criminals. Those were the only slaves whom a master could beat or otherwise punish as he felt they deserved.
Kunta asked, Do slaves have to remain slaves always?
His father answered, No, many slaves buy their freedom with what they earned from work.
There were many in their village who had bought their freedom, and they always referred to their ancestrial hero, Sundiata who was a general who led armies who had been a slave."
Thus, slavery as practiced by muslims and many others was not the barbaric treatment and not anywhere equivalent to the slavery that the europeans practiced upon blacks/africans.