The African slave trade was started by....er.....Africans.
And flourished for a 1000 years under Islam.





The sale of African slaves can be traced back to antiquity. It became popular in the seventh century when Islam was gaining strength in North Africa. This was seven centuries before Europeans explored the continent and ten centuries before West Africans were sold across the Atlantic to America.

Zanzinbar's former slave holding center
Zanzibar's Prison Island was the place where slaves were kept before being transported to other destinations

Back then, Arab Muslims in North and East Africa sold captured Africans to the Middle East. There, they worked as field workers, teachers or harem guards, which is why the castration of male slaves was common practice. Muslims, on the other hand, including African Muslims, were not allowed to be enslaved, according to Islamic legal views.

"Initially, the Arab Muslims in Eastern and Central Europe took white slaves to sell them to Arabia," Senegalese author Tidiane N'Diaye told DW in an interview. "But  the growing military power of Europe put an end to Islamic expansion and now that there was a shortage of slaves, Arab Muslims were looking massively to black Africa."

Roots of slavery in Africa

According to N'Diaye, slavery has existed in practically all civilizations. This was also the case in Africa before settlers came.

In central East Africa, ethnic groups such as the Yao, Makua and Marava were fighting against each other and entire peoples within the continent traded with people they had captured through wars. "Thus Arab Muslims encountered already existing structures, which facilitated the purchase of slaves for their purposes."

https://www.dw.com/en/east-africas-forgotten-slave-trade/a-50126759

African Merchant Selling Slaves to a European:

http://slaveryimages.org/s/slaveryimages/item/1982/mirador

Slave Auction at Richmond:



An advertisement of a slave auction:



Without a market there would have been no slave trade.  Tsk, tsk.   

issuevoter wrote on Feb 21^st, 2021 at 4:20pm:


Where have I defended Islam's involvement in this appalling trade?

That reveals a great deal more about your views than mine.  However, slavery would not have existed without a market to sustain it.  Something you are trying to deflect attention from with your condemnation continuously of Islam and Muslims.  It seems, according to your posts, that Europeans and Americans in particular, are blameless in this whole matter.  They weren't.  Particularly here, in Australia where there were no Arabs, no Muslims and only Europeans and Blacks.  Tsk, tsk.   

Frank wrote on Feb 21^st, 2021 at 5:38pm:


No, I make a valid point to demonstrate that your persecution of ordinary Muslims is unfounded, Soren.  Which of course you take umbrage at and resort to argument ad hominem rather than create a counter-argument that has any value to it.  Tsk, tsk.   

Quote:




Quote:


In your imagination perhaps, Soren.  Never in reality.  Tsk, tsk.   

Brian Ross wrote on Feb 21^st, 2021 at 5:47pm:

Sooooo what DO you have to say about 1300 years of Islamic slave trade - other than mentioning it is persecuting Muslims and that anyone who mentions it is an islamophobe, tut tut eyeroll, grin, yawn, bedwet, shitpants?

Anything ELSE? Do you have anything else?
No.  And so you are piss-soaked. You declare idiocies, you are challenged, you yawn, you are pissed on, you scream phobia.

Repeat for another 20 years.i

Setanta wrote on Feb 21^st, 2021 at 5:59pm:


Nothing about Soren's constant resorting to argument ad hominem, Set?  Oh, dearie, dearie, me, Tsk, tsk.  Appears you are rather one sided in your criticism.  Why?  Is it because my yawns annoy you while Soren's antics don't? 

Brian Ross wrote on Feb 21^st, 2021 at 7:48pm:

Caught you again, nailed you again, gelded you again. You are a lying idiot of minimal to no comprehension, unlettered, ignorant - yet loud and demanding attention.  Your dad must have bollocked you more than the nuns, Bbwian. He saw the sad disappointment that you were to him. He most likely wasnt any better than you, in the end.  You seem to be struggling with what kind of arsehole you should be - the one your dad expected you to be or an arsehole, in defiance, of your own devising, yet still a reaction to your dad.

You self reveal at every turn, Bbwian.