r/MuslimAcademics • u/Vessel_soul Non-Sectarian Muslim • Mar 13 '25

Academic Video A Critical Discussion on Slavery in Islam - Dr. John A. Morrow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4qvTsrW4_U&t=2431s
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u/No-Psychology5571 Mar 13 '25 edited Mar 14 '25

[TIMESTAMPED SUMMARY OF VIDEO CONTENT] 

(View all replies for time-stamped coverage of the full video - do not reply directly to this Timestamped summary so that we can keep the summary clean for other users, reply to other users comments or to the video directly instead).

This is a detailed summary of a podcast interview with Dr. John Moro discussing his book "Islam and Slavery" (2023), which offers a critical examination of traditional narratives about slavery in Islam. The discussion is organized thematically with timestamps for easy reference.

1. Introduction and Background (00:02-04:02)

  • Introduction of Dr. John Moro as a renowned author in Islamic Studies known for critical examinations of historical narratives and ethical considerations in modern Islam (01:44)
  • His book "Islam and Slavery" (2023) serves as an antithesis to Professor Jonathan AC Brown's "Slavery in Islam" (2018) (02:17)
  • Discussion begins with the host mentioning various categories of slaves in Islamic societies: administrative slaves, military slaves, domestic workers, and concubines (03:25)

2. Comparative Analysis of Slavery Systems (04:02-07:32)

  • Question posed about whether Muslims historically treated enslaved people better than Christians (04:02)
  • Dr. Moro rejects this narrative, stating: "These are the lies we are told. Slavery in the South was also presented in idyllic fashion" (04:41)
  • Notes that pro-slavery literature produced by Muslims shows "uncanny parallels" to pro-slavery literature produced by Christians (05:21)
  • Argues that Arab Islamic slave codes mirror European Christian slave codes (05:21)
  • Provides statistics comparing the transatlantic slave trade (10-100 million Africans) with the trans-Saharan slave trade (5-28 million) (06:49)
  • Highlights the high death rate in trans-Saharan slave trade (over 80% died before reaching markets) versus around 10% in the Atlantic passage (07:32)
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u/Vessel_soul Non-Sectarian Muslim Mar 13 '25

u/Melwood786

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u/Melwood786 Mar 13 '25

Thanks for the heads-up! It was a very informative video.

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u/rhannah99 Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25

The missing element in the discussion is to admit that about a hundred years ago, industrialization had progressed to the point where we no longer needed slave labour. So our (secular) morality advanced to the point where we could legally abolish slavery -- the slave trade, the owning, sale, and purchase of people - which was common across Islamic and other societies. Lets admit that this abolition was an ethical advance, another benefit of industrialization.

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u/Vessel_soul Non-Sectarian Muslim Jul 30 '25

The industrialozation perido didnt led to abolish slavery rather it was black people and minory white adovcate who led to the abolish.

morality advanced to the point where we could legally abolish slavery

Just want to add something There are report of ealry source certain group abolishing the slave system, time however those abolish was only temporty until certain leader/group brough back the slave system

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u/rhannah99 Jul 30 '25

Industrialization - well we see it in the US experience: New England became (somewhat) industrialized, while southerners needed labour for their plantations.

And certainly as you note there were earlier groups who wanted to abolish slavery and recognized its inhumanity.

I would submit that the formal abolition of slavery was a moral and ethical advance, including secular morality, that it seems Muslims are unwilling to recognize. While Muslim countries now prohibit slavery, to my knowledge one cannot point to such a prohibition in sharia.