Islam and Slavery: A Comprehensive Analysis of Historical and Modern Forms
This twenty-page undergraduate paper examines slavery in the Islamic world and its oppression of women. The author notes that history offers indisputable proof that Islam institutionalized slavery and still supports it covertly, and treats women as little more than slaves. The Prophet Muhammad began to take slaves after he moved to Medina, and in later years, slaves were usually taken in raids on nearby Arab tribes, or through war, either through offensive or defensive actions. Islam allows and even recommends the taking of slaves as booty and as a reward for fighting, and oppresses women through religious edicts and legal restrictions.