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SLAUGHTER AND SLAVERY
SLAUGHTER AND SLAVERY
Slavery is permitted in Islam. Slaves captured in war
become the property of the victor. Just like any property,
they could be sold or transferred. The owner has every right
over the body and soul of his slave men and women. In Islamic
countries slavery was practiced as late as only a few years
ago. It was a flourishing trade. Christian and Jewish women
were prized items. African slaves were good for labor. Many
were castrated (although castration of Moslems is banned in
Islam) and employed as eunuchs in the harems. The slave
market of Mecca, located very near the shrine of Kaaba, was
closed down very recently due to the pressure of public opinion
abroad.
Then there were the janissaries. These were the Chris-
tian youths captured by the Turks and forced to become
Moslems and join the ranks of the Islamic army, after circum-
cision. Usually, as can be easily imagined, the slaves had a
very rough time. Slavery went hand in hand with slaughter as
one could have the slaves only by killing the husbands or
fathers and brothers of the prospective slave men and women.
The Armenians had been massacred many times by the
Turks in unspeakable butcheries. The survivors were taken as
prisoners and sold in the slave markets of Aleppo. These
captives were stripped naked, both men and women, lashed
with whips and forced to run before the horses. Those who fell
behind were stabbed to death on the way and the roads were
Covered with Armenian dead bodies.
Female slaves or concubines were kept in the 'harems'
for sexual gratification. The codes of conduct of a Moslem
Vis-a-vis women that we often hear about, are really meant
for Moslem women and have nothing to do with a Moslem's
behavior with a kafir's wife or mother. Infidel women are
beyond the limits set by the holy book. In Islamic societies
even a wedded wife is treated as personal property comparable
to gold, silver and land. They are veiled and hidden from
public view if they happen to be wives. jut the concubines are
circulated as gifts among the friends.
The afternoon siestas of the Sheikhs of Arab countries
and their sexual escapades with slave women or concubines,
are common knowledge. If the master, for whatever reason
takes the life of a slave or maims him or her for life, there is
no one to question him for the laws of Islam, the 'Sharia' have
given the believers unlimited right over the person of the
slave.
(c) A. Ghosh
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