Ep. 78: Slavery and Islam Part 1: The Question of Slavery - Jonathan Brown

ImanWire Podcast

Slavery might be considered a thing of the past, but the position of slavery in Islam continues to be an issue that many Muslims grapple with today. In this special four-part series of the ImanWire podcast, we approach this complex topic from several perspectives, beginning with a discussion with Dr. Jonathan Brown on the moral question of slavery, its place in Islamic law, and the diverse practices of it in Muslim history. Dr. Jonathan Brown is the Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and author of several books, including "Slavery and Islam". CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction 4:51 - Why Discuss Slavery Now? 14:35 - Challenges in Defining Slavery 18:06 - The Problem of Talking About Slavery in World History 21:59 - Projecting Assumptions On Others 27:53 - The Ubiquity of Slavery in the Pre-Modern World 31:32 - Slavery in 7th Century Arabia 34:40 - Closing the Doors to Enslavement 37:31 - The Emphasis on Emancipation 40:50 - Female Slaves and Legitimacy of Children 44:11 - Ethical Treatment of Slaves 46:53 - The Zeal to Emancipate 47:42 - Slaves of God, Slaves of Men? 49:58 - The Legal Handicap of Slavery 52:35 - Slavery is Harm 56:16 - An Obsession to Free Slaves 1:00:10 - Slavery in Muslim Civilization 1:05:28 - Racialization and Slavery in Muslim History 1:07:59 - Important Distinctions in Slave Populations Between the United States and the Muslim World 1:14:26 - The Slavery Conundrum and the Moral Wrongness of Slavery 1:27:14 - Horrors of Trans-Atlantic American Slavery 1:33:07 - History of Abolitionism 1:41:57 - Abolition in the Muslim World 1:44:08 - Muslim Arguments Against Slavery 1:53:40 - The Abolition of Slavery 1:55:59 - Reconciling Tradition and Abolition