Is there an Islamic anti-slavery movement?

This year is the 200th anniversary of the abolishment of slavery bythe British. Before it was abolished, white Christians from Britain used to go to Africa and take slaves to work plantations in the Caribbean. The Church of England even had a seminary in Jamaica supported by slave labour. However, Christians have since come to the view that slavery and racism are wrong and sinful.



On the other hand, Arab Muslims in North Africa are still enslaving black Africans, in places like Sudan and Mauritania, and there seem to be Muslims arguing that it is right to enslave "kaffirs". The South Arican word "kaffer", used as a term for blacks, came from the Arabic. Is there any Muslim anti-slavery movement to oppose this? What is the islamic teaching about slavery and how to treat kaffirs?Is there an Islamic anti-slavery movement?
While slavery is not directly prohibited in the Quran, it is shown that slaves must be freed. Thus, this means that there are not supposed to be any slaves.



This was promoted by the following ways:



1.(1) Encouraging the masters and the Muslim societies at large to help in freeing the slaves. The act of freeing the slave is considered a noble one which is highly valued by God. The slaves themselves entered into an agreement with the master to buy their independence by paying certain amounts of money. The society was encouraged to help in providing the freedom money.



(2) Making the act of freeing the slave a part of punishment for any criminal act as well as for non-conformity of the Islamic rituals. There are several verses in the Holy Quran which specifically mentioned the requirement of freeing the slave as a way of meeting the punishment for wrongdoing. See 4:92, 5:89 and 58:3



(3) Using Charity money as a financial source to free the slave.



Now let us look at verses in the Quran that deals with slavery:



[9:60] Charities shall go to the poor, the needy, the workers who collect them, the new converts, to free the slaves, to those burdened by sudden expenses, in the cause of GOD, and to the traveling alien. Such is GOD's commandment. GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise.



[90:10-13] Did we not show him the two paths? He should choose the difficult path. Which one is the difficult path? The freeing of slaves.



http://www.submission.org/islam/slavery.鈥?/a>



For your quesition about kaffirs. I found a good article that every Muslim should read. It deals briefly with the term "kaffir"



"This issue of 鈥榢affir鈥?is controversial and needs to be clarified. Kaffir comes from the root word kufr, which means to cover up. Therefore, a kaffir can be best translated as a truth-concealer. However, in legal terms, a kaffir is indeed someone who does not believe in both parts of the Shahadah, so even while all non-Muslims are legally kaffirs, does that warrant the use of the word in such a harsh, condescending tone. Is this how our prophet and his companions used the word kaffir? Aren鈥檛 these 鈥榢affirs鈥?also human beings? Didn鈥檛 the prophet stand up out of respect to a passing funeral procession of a Jewish man."

http://www.naseeb.com/naseebvibes/prose-鈥?/a>



Now for the slavery groups, I really don't know if there are any. However, you might be interested in this link:

http://www.aicongress.org/speakers-sudan鈥?/a>



An excerpt:

Nasser Weddady serves as the North America coordinator for SOS Slaves, a group dedicated to ending modern-day slavery in Mauritania.



Here are some groups that deal with this issue of slavery everywhere in the world:

http://www.antislavery.org/

http://www.iabolish.com/

http://freetheslaves.net/slavery/timelin鈥?/a>
What is Islam

The word "Islam" is an Arabic word which means "submission to the will of God "Allah - SWT". This word comes from the same root as the Arabic word "salam", which means "peace". As such, the religion of Islam teaches that in order to achieve true peace of mind and surety of heart, one must submit to Allah (SWT) and live according to His Divinely revealed Law. The most important truth that Allah (SWT) revealed to mankind is that there is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty Allah (SWT), thus all human beings should submit to Him. The word "Muslim" means one who submits to the will of Allah (SWT), regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic background.

Being a Muslim entails willful submission and active obedience to Allah (SWT), and living in accordance with His message. Some people mistakenly believe that Islam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the truth. Not only are there converts to Islam in every corner of the world, especially in England and America, but by taking a look at the Muslim World from Bosnia to Nigeria, and from Indonesia to Morocco, one can clearly see that Muslims come from many various races, ethnic groups and nationalities. It is also interesting to note that in actuality, more than 80% of all Muslims are not Arabs - there are more Muslims in Indonesia than in the whole Arab World! So though even though it is true that most Arabs are Muslims, the large majority of Muslims are not Arabs. However, anyone who submits completely to Allah (SWT) and worships Him alone is a Muslim.Is there an Islamic anti-slavery movement?
proof
I have a domestic helper at home, are they considered slave?!



It's year 2007, slave latest designation is called servant, domestic helps, butler, cooks, chauffer, gardener, bodyguards etc etc.......and practically busy people like me do need one at some point of life.



I do not know about all these South African slave but if they are just like the above well I guest nothing wrong with that unless they are tortured than I am against 100%.
What a load of rubbish !!!!!



Kaffir simply means non believer it is not a derogatory term. There are millions of black Muslim brothers and sisters out there they are my family and racism is most definitely NOT part of the Islamic faith. We are of all colours, all nationalities, all races. Nice try but, seriously come on! Try writing something that is factual why dont you........



P.S. North African Muslims are not Arabs.







There are many black Muslims not only in Africa but all over the world. My husband is North African, Algerian in fact and there is no such thing as slavery in North Africa. Come on. My husband has never seen a "slave" in his life. I have been to Tunisia (north Africa also) and guess what no slaves there either.





Just because others misinterpret a word "kaffir" does not mean that "there" definition is a true one. My mother and father are both white and blue eyed and are both Kaffir's because it simply means NON BELIEVER! There is no shame in being a kaffir it is a fact not a derogatory term, once and for all let that penetrate your brain.
Well Punter spewed his Muslim propaganda and STILL didn't answer your question. Are you surprised? I'm not.



I would like to know the answer to this question too. From what little I know about the Qu'ran it says to treat your slaves kindly so, that tells me that NO, there isn't an anti-slavery movement with in the Muslim world.



Maybe an honest Muslim will address the question at hand without spewing to much of their Islamic dogma. One can only hope!
i never heard of these claims. any evidence to support your claim?
Ive checked your links and I must say that the biggest reason why slaves are taken by muslim in africa isnt because theyre not muslim.



Its because theyre at a war with each other.



As it is, the two sides who are at war, either militia, or the government, will always justify their actions and say things like: were better than you are because so and so.



Slavery is not a common thing in Islamic countries and thus there are no anti-slavery movements.



The ones in Africa are a bit different tho. These are cultural differences.



Everyone knows that the slaves who were sold to Europeans were sold by the parents or the family of the slaves themselves for money.



For a people to do this, their culture must permit it to some extent.



Ive never seen anyone selling their kids for slavery for a while now.



* * *

Ive also lived in Saudi Arabia for a good 20 years. And I can say that Ive seen a lot of African people who come there and work in harsh conditions. They chose to do that for the money. They dont mind if they sell themselves to do it. They are apart of the large beggar community and contribute to it by cutting off parts of their limbs so they can get attention and sympathy.
Kaffir means unbeliever, not a black. Where did u learn that. Whoever claims that are tells u that is wrong or lying.



It would be long if I write it down here, so here's the link. U would find ur explanation. This site makes some comparisons with Christianity as well. Scroll down a little, alright.

http://www.answering-christianity.com/ac鈥?/a>
yes
yes its
I live in the middle east, and have not met one single person, or family, that has slaves. Slavery has pretty much (though maybe not completely) been abolished in the Muslim lands due to the 'rewards' of freeing slaves -as mentioned in the Qur'an and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad. So, perhaps these sources serve as the Islamic anti-slavery movement!

I have heard of slavery in Arican countries, but I don't think that this is due to religious reasons. I think it is cultural.

I believe Briar Rose's answer gives a very precise answer.

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