Hi!

I see a huge time discrepancy in the lady's attempt to pass the buck as far as Arab responsibility for slavery is concerned.

Arab occupation of the Iberian Peninsula began in the early 8th. century and though slavery existed there to a limited extend, it was not confined to only Blacks. There were both Black and White slaves as slavery was the comtemparary mode of relations of production before the serfdom, so colour was not a factor at the time in determining an enslaved group. The essence here is racist slavery.

Arabs are known to hold slaves to this very day in Africa.

Besides, even before the advent of Islam, Arabs were slave holders and on the birth of Islam, the religion sought to co-existed with slavery. The number of slaves that were freed because of the advent of Islam is almost negligible because slavery had become an intrinsic part of Arab culture.

Due to the harsh conditions of the desert all well-to-do Arab families kept slaves in order to ease their day to day existence under such conditions. Even the Prophet's family was holding a slave girl at his birth.

I think what the author of the article is trying to portray is the existence of slavery as an intrinsic part of a culture that became implanted in Spain and Portugal under Arab occupation. Western involvement in permanent slave holding came hundrends of years later in the 15th century.

Like the author, I have lived among Arabs and know first-hand how racism has pervaded those societies. One may argue that Islam is against slavery but history tells us that much was not done in the name of Islam to free slaves and besides, Islam is what Muslims make it.

I see no rationale in always trying to argue that Islam prohibits this and that when Muslims don't give a hoot about it.

What the lady goes on to cite about Latino magazines and the racism they portrat just goes further in confirming Moore's arguement.

Regards,

Kabir.


Ginny Quick <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello, all, below is a reply from a lady I know, who I think, can speak better about this issue, especially since hse is Latina and Muslim. Findher comments below:

Wa alaikum salaam. Thanks for sharing this. I have to say
though that this man is really offensive and some things are rather
simplistic explanations. I don't deny that there is racism in Arab
cultures too, nor am I saying that this didn't play a part in how
things are in Latin America, but he is placing too much blame in one
place.

For one, you have to understand that the Arabs who controlled Spain
were African Arabs. Many of them were dark skinned. There really
wasn't the same degree of racism involved in that Muslim culture. And
despite the Arab involvement in the slave trade, the Muslims in Spain
did not have slaves. However, the Spanish did already have African
slaves at that time, though not in great numbers. One of the big
reasons that the Spanish ousted the Arabs was not only Christianity
vs. Islam, but was also a racial issue of the European Spanish not
liking that they were being ruled by blacks.

Also, you have to remember that Christian Spain was a big slave
culture. Alot of why there is darker and African blood in Latin
America is because of CHRISTIAN slavery. Including that the Spanish
Conquistadors brought their slaves with them to the New World and
continued to treat them in a totally inferior way.

Next, and probably the biggest factor, is the inherent racism of
colonial rule in general. When the Spanish came over, they made it
clear that as "white" men (and they were white, not Arab, as they had
killed, enslaved or expelled most Arabs, Africans and Muslims from
Spain by that time) and Christians, they were superior to the
Indigenous Native American tribes already there. This is why one big
problem in Latin America is how people look down still on the Indios
and don't want to admit that they all are products of mixing with the
Indios.

Later, other European cultures became popular in Latin America.
Italian background is a big part of Argentinian blood lines, French
culture was very cool in Mexico, Jews escaping Nazi Germany settled
in many Latin American countries, Germans and Irish also have
pockets. And of course, there is heavy Spanish and Portuguese
settlement in the area. These European cultures in general
perpetuated that Anglo thinking, culture and bloodlines were the
best, the dominant, the superior. This unfortunately has been passed
down in generations.

Unfortunately, the truth is that in many cultures, paler skin and
more European features are considered more beautiful. This is true
in India, China, Latin America, parts of Africa, so many places.
Darker skin has become synonymous with the "workers" under the sun,
the peasants and common people. White skin is a sign of refinement
and not having to engage in back-breaking labor. Arab cultures may
have had their share in this myth, but they are hardly the
originators or sole perpetrators of it.

On a more personal commentary, I would like to add that this author
is right that there are serious race issues in Latin America. I used
to subscribe (for a few years) to one of the most respected American
magazines for Hispanic women, Latina. Basically, what finally
totally turned me off on it was that although they talked alot about
how Latinas come in all colors and sizes, they didn't walk the walk.
They only used pale skinned and size 6 models. Even when they
specified the different countries that women in the magazine came
from, they still were all of basically one form. There were no
really short Indio women, no larger women (which most of the Latinas
I know tend towards), no dark Indio or African skin, no kinky hair.
Even the truly white latinas (yes, there are blonde haired, blue eyed
latinas) were not featured. Every month they did makeovers on four
Latinas of different backgrounds. All of them would be asking for
a "sexy" way to dress to hide "flaws" like wide hips or short legs or
whatever. But even these real women didn't look like real Latinas I
know - none of my family or friends! And their so-called flaws were
offensive. If having a size 5 body constitutes wide hips, what does
that say for the rest of us who are all at least size 14? My husband
saw the magazine and found it offensive because of the lack of
different colors, sizes and culturs within it. Besides this, the
magazine also perpetuated the "Latina as sex object" that I hate.
They talked alot about Latina women having the power and rights, and
being equal to men, but it seemed to be still pretty much "you have
the right to go around half naked and be proud of your body, you have
power because of your sex appeal" kind of thinking. OTOH, they did
have a really nice article a while ago on Latina converts to Islam.

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