Slavery. A despicable practice since ancient times. The Babylonians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans were just a few of the civilizations to engage in slavery. The peculiar institution would flourish during the Middle Ages and during the Age of Exploration. In the West, slavery reached its peak in the 1700s, then began to be phased out by the late 1800s.
Slavery does continue to exist today, whether it be a prostitution ring in a big city, a human smuggling operation, or the BDSM community. The slavery that usually comes to mind still occurs primarily in the Muslim world, especially since the Koran condones the practice.
When one thinks of slavery, the Atlantic slave trade is the first thing that comes to mind. But as far as the African slave trade is concerned, the Atlantic slave trade was just one of four slave routes operating throughout Africa. Here are the other three routes:
The Portuguese slave route, in which slaves were transported from Eastern
Africa to Brazil. Originated during the 1500s and ended in the 1800s.
Indian Ocean slave route, which extended from the coast of Eastern Africa
to the Middle East and India, where slaves would wind up on plantations or
as laborers. It originated during the Middle Ages.
The Trans-Sahara slave route, which extended from Western Africa to Mediterranean. It also originated during the Middle Ages, and most of the slaves were transported to Northern Africa (where they became household servants) but some to taken to Europe (where they worked as laborers).
Those who engaged in the Trans-Sahara slave route (as well as the Indian Ocean slave route) turned out to more brutal toward their slaves than in the West (e.g. the male slaves being castrated, the female slaves being sexually exploited).
But the slave trade from the Middle Ages through the Nineteenth Century was not limited to Africans. Europeans were enslaved by Muslim invaders.
American Indians were enslaved by the Conquistadors. Asians (particularly the Chinese) were enslaved by the Mongols. American sailors were enslaved by the Barbary Pirates. Thus, slavery was a diverse operation.
As I mentioned before, slavery continues to exist to this day, and the Muslim world is where it is most prevalent, whether it be Africans in the Sudan being enslaved by Arabs, non-Muslim women being kidnapped by Muslims (and sometimes forced to convert to Islam and marry Muslim men), or Asians being hired as domestic workers but wind up being forced to work long hours with no pay and endure all sorts of abuse.
And that is just another reason why the West should stand firm against the Muslim world.
