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The Islamic and American Dimensions and Attitudes Towards Slavery: a Comparative Study

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The Islamic and American Dimensions and Attitudes Towards Slavery: a Comparative Study People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Larbi Ben M’hidi University-Oum El Bouaghi Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of English The Islamic and American Dimensions and Attitudes towards Slavery: A Comparative Study A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Anglo-American Studies By: GUERARA Nour El-Houda Supervisor: Mrs. GHENNAM Fatima Examiner: Mr. FILALI Billel 2015-2016 Abstract This dissertation is a comparative study that discusses the issue of slavery as an old phenomenon in both Islamic and American societies. More specifically, it examines the main similarities as well as differences between both the Islamic and American attitudes towards slavery before and after abolitionism. This research shows that slavery and its practice in both communities share some aspects, but they largely differ in many others. This research demonstrates that the main reasons behind servitude in the Islamic World are different and little known if compared to that in in the United States. The stated aims of enslavement in the Islamic society surround on the idea of expanding Islam extensively and establishing a unified Islamic state. Hence, enslavement under the Islamic Law was restricted to only the captives who were captured through a legitimate war against unbelievers. Those captured slaves were in fact treated well and they were employed as domestic servants for their owners. Therefore, this research indicates that Islam through many Islamic injunctions and teachings can be considered as a major source of inspiration that paved the way for many Muslim slaves to get freed and to become active participants in the spread of Islam and the making of the Islamic nation. However, the main reasons behind enslavement in the U.S are the British control over the American economy and the shortage of labor force. Accordingly, African-Americans were enslaved particularly for profit since they contributed in the making of the American economy. They were legally mistreated and exposed to very hard and humiliating conditions. Moreover, this research reveals that segregation and racism in the U.S remain deeply rooted attitudes towards African-Americans even after abolitionism. Key words: Slavery, enslavement, Islamic World, Muslims’ slaves, African Americans, Islam, Islamic teachings, racism, segregation. Résumé Ce mémoire représente une étude comparative qui conteste le sujet de l’esclavage comme un phénomène ancien dans les deux sociétés Islamiques et Américaines. Et plus précisément, elle traite les points de ressemblance et de différence entre les deux attitudes Islamiques et Américaines vers l’esclavage avant et après l’abolitionnisme. Cette recherche montre que la pratique de l’esclavage dans les deux pays participe à certains aspects mais ils diffèrent largement dans beaucoup d’autres. Cette étude montre que les raisons principaux qui ont été conduit à l’esclavage dont les motifs inconnus du monde Islamique par rapport à son application aux Etats-Unis. Les objectifs déclarés de l’esclavage dans la société Islamique baser sur l’idée d’étaler l’islam d’une manière globale et construire un état Islamique unifie. Par conséquent, la réduction en esclavage par la loi Islamique a été limitée aux seuls prisonniers qui ont été capturés par une guerre légitime contre les infidèles. Ces esclaves capturés étaient en fait bien traités et ils étaient employés comme domestiques pour leurs propriétaires. Donc, cette recherche exprime que l’islam à travers plusieurs lois musulmanes c’est une source majeur de l’inspiration grâce à lui ont été libérés beaucoup d’esclaves qui devient des participants actifs dans la propagation de l'Islam et le développement de la nation Islamique. Par contre, les principales raisons de l’esclavage aux Etats-Unis sont contrôlées par le colonialisme Britannique sur l’économie de l’Amérique et le manque des mains d’œuvre. En conséquence, les Afro-Américains ont été réduits en esclavage en particulier pour le profit, car ils ont contribué à la réalisation de l'économie Américaine. Ils étaient légalement maltraités et exposés à des conditions très dures. De plus, cette étude révèle que le racisme envers les esclaves en Amérique continue même après l'abolitionnisme. ملخص هذه المذكرة عبارة عن دراسة مقارنة التي تناقش قضية العبودية كظاهرة قديمة في كل من العالم اﻻسﻻمي و الوﻻيات المتحدة اﻻمريكية. و بشكل اكثر تحديدا, هذه الدراسة تعالج اوجه التشابه و اوجه اﻻختﻻف بين المواقف اﻻسﻻمية و اﻻمريكية اتجاه العبودية قبل و بعد الغائها كليا. يظهر هذا البحث ان ممارسة العبودية في كﻻ الدولتين يشترك في بعض الجوانب و لكن يختلف الى حد كبير في جوانب اخرى. باﻹضافة الى ذلك, توضح هذه الدراسة ان اﻻسباب الرئيسية التي ادت الى ممارسة العبودية في العالم اﻻسﻻمي جد مختلفة وغير معروفة في تاريخ العالم مقارنة بأسباب تطبيقها في الوﻻيات المتحدة اﻻمريكية. اﻻهداف المعلنة لﻻستعباد في المجتمع اﻻسﻻمي تدور حول فكرة نشر اﻻسﻻم بشكل شامل و بناء دولة اسﻻمية موحدة. لذلك كان اﻻستعباد وفقا للقانون اﻻسﻻمي مقتصرا فقط على اﻻسرى الذين اسروا خﻻل حرب مشروعة ضد الكفار. هؤﻻء اﻻسرى حقيقة حضوا بمعاملة حسنة و كانوا يعملون كخدم على مماليكهم. بناء على هذا, هذه الدراسة تبين ان اﻻسﻻم من خﻻل عدة تشريعات اسﻻمية يعتبر مصدرا رئيسيا لﻹلهام والذي بفضله تم تحرير العديد من العبيد الذين ساهموا في نشر اﻻسﻻم و بناء اﻻمة اﻻسﻻمية اما اﻻسباب الرئيسية وراء اﻻستعباد في الوﻻيات المتحدة اﻻمريكية هي سيطرة اﻻستعمار البريطاني على اقتصاد امريكا و نقص اليد العاملة. وفقا لذلك, استعباد اﻻفارقة في الوﻻيات المتحدة اﻻمريكية كان سببه جني اﻻرباح و يكمن هذا في مساهمتهم الكبيرة في نمو و تطور اﻻقتصاد اﻻمريكي . هؤﻻء العبيد كانوا عرضة لﻹهانة و الذل نظرا للقوانين الصادرة ضدهم . عﻻوة على ذلك, يكشف هذا البحث ان التمييز العنصري اتجاه العبيد في امريكا ﻻ يزال مستمرا بالرغم من الغاء العبودية رسميا. ii Dedication I dedicate this dissertation first, to my lovely parents who have supported and encouraged me; to my grandmother; to my brothers Zinou and Mustapha. To my dear husband Saber who has always supported and encouraged me with patience and used to wish me always a good luck and best things. To my dear and crazy friends Amel, Linda, Mouna, Rasha, Sihem, and Yassmine. iii Acknowledgements All praise is to Allah who helped me accomplish this dissertation since without his assistance I would not have succeeded. I would like to express my grateful thanks to my supervisor Mrs. Fatima Ghennam for her advice, feedback, and kindness I would like to thank my whole family for their help, support, and encouragement in writing this work. Also, I would like to thank all the teachers who have taught me during my five years. iv List of Acronyms A.A.S.S. American Anti-Slavery Society I.L. Islamic Law I.W. Islamic World P.A.S. Pennsylvania Abolition Society P.I.E. Pre Islamic Era R.S.F Religious Society of Friends v List of Tables Page Table 01: A Comparative Table of Slavery in the Islamic World and in the 48 United States. vi Table of Contents Abstract Résumé ملخص Dedication……………………………………………………………………………...ii Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………...iii List of Acronyms……………………………………………………………………..iv List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………..v Table of Contents………………………………………………………………….vi-vii General Introduction…………………………………………………………………1-4 Chapter One: Slavery in the Islamic and American Societies Before Abolitionism Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….5 I. Historical Background…………………………………………………………5 1. Slavery in the Pre-Islamic Era…………………………………………………5 a. Ancient Mesopotamia……………………………………………………...7 b. Ancient Egypt……………………………………………………………...8 c. Ancient Greece and Rome…………………………………………………8 2. Slavery during the Colonial Era………………………………………………10 vii II. Muslims Slave Trade Vs American Slave Trade…………………………….14 III. Analyzing the Issue of Slavery: The Islamic Law Vs The American Law…..17 1. The Treatment of Slaves under the Islamic Law…………………………….18 2. The Status and Occupation of African-Americans in the New World……….22 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………30 Chapter Two: Slavery in the Islamic and American Societies During and After Abolitionism Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...31 I. Manumission in Islamic Communities Vs Abolitionism in America………….31 1. The Emancipation of Slavery in Islam……………………………………….31 2. The Abolition of Slavery in the U.S………………………………………….34 II. Post-Abolitionism in Islamic Societies Vs Post-Abolitionism in the U.S……..41 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………47 General Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...52 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………..54 1 General Introduction Historically, the issue of slavery is a significant subject and an important phenomenon that existed from ancient times. In fact, all human beings are born free and share the same rights, but through the changing circumstances including colonization, gender, and racism the identity of many people may lost while their freedom is taken forcibly. This research is a comparative study that tends to examine the issue of slavery in two different communities namely the Islamic and the American nations by stressing on their dimensions and attitudes towards this phenomenon throughout history. On one hand, the issue of slavery existed in the Arab world before the coming of Islam which was known as the pre- Islamic era or the age of ignorance and continued during and after the revelation of Quran. During the pre-Islamic era, slavery had already existed due to the complexity of social structure. People were living a nomadic life characterized by differences between the masters and the individuals, and there was no sense of national identity. Slavery at that time was considered as a social norm that was deeply rooted in their beliefs and cultural behaviors. It was an accepted institution in which owning slaves was a kind of prestige and wealth. By the coming of Islam in the seventh century, the Prophet peace be upon him tried to reform these inhuman behaviors and to eliminate slavery on a gradual basis. On the other hand, enslavement in the United States started from the early colonial period in the seventeenth century. Millions of African people were kidnapped, enslaved, and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to America under very hard conditions.
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