Preview #16, An Afro-Arab Dialogue on Arab Slavery

Preview #16, Journal of Pan African Studies, Poetry Issue
Guest Editor, Marvin X

A Dialogue Between Poets Rudolph Lewis, Sam Hamud and Kola Boof

This dialogue follows the apology for Arab Slavery by Col. Qaddafi of Libya, North Africa (see Preview #15). It is good that we can reason together, especially in light of so much ignorance on the planet, along with propaganda and revisionist history. We think our Sudanese sister writer, Kola Boof, makes the most persuasive argument in defense of Black Africa. Elijah tried to warn us about the Arabs, but we want to be so right that we are wrong, as Sun Ra taught me. How much progress have we made when we give up the white man for the Arab?

We oppose oppression everywhere, especially in Africa, the Middle East and most especially in America, whether by the white man or the Arab man in the hood who sexually exploits our women and short changes our children.

Arab slavery in Africa and the Middle East is going on as we write, just as the sex trade is flourishing on the streets on America, so we must not be starry eyed about Muslims or Christians, both peoples have the propensity to do good and evil. Ancestor Betty Shabazz said find the good and praise it!
--Marvin X
Guest Editor, Journal of Pan African Studies, Poetry Issue

Rudy

Qaddafi's apology follows on the heels of that by the United States for its plague visited upon the Guatemalians. By that of the Congress of the United States for its exploitation of the African Americans who built the Capitol at slave wages.

Qaddafi's statement is indeed more remarkable than the latter two apologies. The United States of America has yet to apologize to its kidnapping and enslavement of the sons and daughters of Africa.

Nor has it apologized to Mexico for its theft of much of what we call the Southwest, including California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Nor has it thanked the Haitian people for its aid in acquiring the Louisiana Territory, which makes up much of what is the Midwest and the Northwest sections of the present-day United States.

For those with an interest, you may like to read Chinweizu's take on Arab slave trade:

http://www.nathanielturner.com/blackenslavementarabeuropean.htm

I challenge Saudi Arabia and Iraq to make similar apologies. Of course apologies without payment is little or no apology at all.

Loving Africa and Africans madly, Rudy

Sam to Rudy

hello rudy,
we are on the same page about qaddafi's apology; he has always been forthright and from meeting him back in the 80s when reagan was lying about "libyan hit squads," to today,he is a true muslim, not one who pretends or stands on ritual.

but as to some of the materials you quoted from bernard lewis, i would not take him as anhonest scholar, because he was an economist and knew little of Islam, and made up a lot of things and exaggerated others;no true scholars of islam or arab history trust his work because of his use as a zionist propagandist against islam and the arabs. i knew bernie lewis before i went to teach at princeton,and often argued with him while here in princeton; true arab and muslim historians, many of them jews, abhored his bad scholarship on arabs and islam,and often slanted and biased writings against islam and the arabs.

do not get me wrong, thereis, and has been, a lot wrong in the ara ban dmuslim worlds, but the prophert muhammad tried to help correct that. but, as with all religions, not all of it takes.
for instance, in one of the earliest of arab classical poems, there is "Antar," that deals with a black member of the tribe who desires the hand of teh chief's daughter, the chief andhis family ar white. the chief says, "no." but later, when antar proves himself in battle, the chief says, "yes, to the marriage" and antar becomes the leader of the tribe in t ime. this showed racial discrimination at that time, but certainly not slavery as we had it in the west.

but let us go on to other matters that i hope will clarifiy matters a bit more. i know this is a touchy subject and some would not dare touch it, but ishmael and marvin both know that i am willing to go where others fear to tread. but this also to let you know that i agree with qaddafi, and an apology is owed,as, it must be in from america and from other arab and muslim countries, and they must also apologize to Allah for their misdeeds,then and today, if necessary.

but also, malik al shabazz, malcom x, was not fool. he saw some things tha the'd never seen, but he saw the real islam, not that which was culture bound in the arab or islamic world where p eo ple do ritual instead of the real practice of the faith.

1. there was, and still is, discrimination in the arab and muslim worlds; but, you must understand, the Qur'an is against it.
2. slaves in the muslim world, were like indentured servants in the west, but bernard lewis, one of my former colleagues at princeton, was a notorious creater of materials, especially against the arabs and islam. he was one of those whose task was to split islam and the african americans in america and the world with his books. he also had dual citizenship with israel and america, so u can see where his sympathies lay.
3. slavery in america was always brutal, with no sense of human relationships or human respect; in the muslim world, from what i have read from other scholars in history, was, as i said, more like indentured servants, and families were not split up as happened in america and europe. slaves were often prisoners taken in warfare. until the europeans came, we hve no record of them being "sold" as chattel, which was, and is inhuman, but after the europeans came, there is no doubt that many went for the money or whatever. this was against qur'anic law, to "sell" another human being. if u have that person as a, as in western term, "slave" you must treat him or her with respect, feed , house, and clothe them and let them do their prayers, etc, and they do the work you assign them. after a certain amount of time, they may leave if they wish; they are not bound for life. this is not to justify this matter, but to make clear that the term "slavery" doesn't have the same meaning in arabic as it does in english, and islamic and arab types of slavery, though not good, were not at all like slavery in europe and the americas.
BUT BERNARD LEWIS AND HIS FRIENDS NEVER EXPLAINED THIS DIFFERENCE BECAUSE THEY HAD THERI OWN AGENDA.
4. qaddafi always comes out with the truth, as he did in other matters in the past. i didn't see this quote, but he has always been forthright on behalf of africans, african americans and native americans (what he termed, "the red indians", so as ot distinguish and make clear that they were not indians at all, for to be an indian, u had to have been from india!)

i'd say more, but i hope this helps clarify some matters. this is not that i disagree with you, but that there are matters here that i felt needed clarification.
unfortunately, bad discrimination exists and has existed for too long in the world; rememeber spike lee's, School Daze--it showed among african amerians discrimination based on light,tan,brown, black and blue blacks at an african american college; i taught at howard univ, and it was evident there while i was teaching there from 1988-95.
we hve to do away with all discrimination of that sort; the qur'an speaks against discrimination, but what alleged "muslims" do may be the opposite, but that is not the fault of Islam,nor good muslims,no matter what their color.
peace, salaam,


Sam to Rudy


rudy,
i'd also like to add something important that i wrote ishmael about, and will send it as an added essay for marvin's blackbird jrnl; the americans and europeans fed the muslim "slaves" pork intestines, who were among the earliest "slaves" brought to E and Am, from Sierra Leone and Mali. yes, the only meat they would give them, or only food they would give them was pork, and the intestines, full of shit, as their food.

this was to help break them from islam, and to insult them and their religion, in order to help break their spirits.
that's why, as i told ishmael, it's ironic that chittlins is a big food among african americans, when it was the food the white men used to break the spirit of those from africa. bernard lewis and others never mention this; but this comes from some of my own research and reasoning, knowing the history of the early people who were brought from africa (as i said, most were muslim).

the next step was the get them to become christians; they would often reward those people with better food, etc. those who did not give up islam were more brutalized by the europeans and americans (that is if can measure degrees of brutality, when all brutality is wrong!)

again, this is not an apologia for arabs or muslims in the middle east, but rather, an atte mpt to clarify matters so that though there were many, too many, w rongs, some of the matters needed to be clarified. i also agree, more than just words should be given. as a muslim, born and raised in america, from lebanese parents, i know there was, and is, still discrimination among arabs and muslims, and among xian arabs toward others,black, tan and white, but if they followed Islam and a proper Christianity, they would not have discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, or whatever.
peace, salaam,

Kola to Sam

Excuse me,

But this APOLOGY is meaningless considering the fact that
SLAVERY has not ended in Sudan, Mauritania or any of the
Arab nations that import them. Even in Libya, Khadafi's own
country, Black slaves can be found toiling on Arab farms and
homes.

Arab enslavement of Blacks, not mention genocide, is nowhere
near over.

And what the hell is an apology worth?? What does it do really?

Is that what you want for everything your ancestors suffered
500 years in America----Words?

And as an African mother from Sudan...I completely rebuke
this drivel written by SAM at Princeton. The irony of hatred
in the Afro-Arab world is much more diverse & much more
dimensional than what you have boiled it down to.

I relinquished my Muslim faith years ago; I try to speak Arabic
as little as possible. I do not feel in any way...sympathetic to
Khadafi's words (especially since I was once employed by the
man at White Bride, Tripoli) or to yours.

Kola Boof
Sam to Kola

hello kola, i hear what you are saying. the imam at your mosque was obviously a lying fool, who knew nothing about islam; thus, u can't condemn the religion for his abuse of u and others or the lies he spread.
as to the history u speak of, these are matters you know more of, beng on the ground, than i. as to palestinians sterilizing women to keep them as slaves, etc. this is something i know nothing about so cannot say if it is true or propaganda against islam.
as witih all peoples, there are some good ones and bad ones, not just among the arabs, but among all people. but, as with stereotyping of all sorts, it may apply to some, but not to all.
may Allah/God bless you, and help you find peace,
sincerely,
dr.hamod

Kola Boof to Sam Hamud

I'm not condemning the religion Sam Hamond.

I'm saying....why should we give a damn about the
Arab Muslim populations period???

The people being Genocided in Darfur....ARE MUSLIMS.

Many of these victims are MUSLIMS...but their skin is Charcoal
Black. THAT is the issue; not religion.

Your conversation is irrelevant. We should be concerned
about OUR AFRICAN SLAVES...and what OUR ancestors
would want us to do.

Not about the "feelings" of the Arab Muslims or Muslims
in America.

All this whining & "poor baby" Head-Patting that the Muslims
are receiving is a disgrace when we're doing NOTHING AT ALL
to save, defend or highlight the suffering the Black Slaves
and the Genocide targeted tribes in Africa!!

The whole conversation about "Islam" should be totally irrelevant!!
Would we care that the German Nazis were Christians or Catholics?
NO.

What we should care about are Black Africans.

Kola Boof
Rudy to Sam

Sam, I have a sliding scale of concern and concerns. First and foremost are the people of my birth, that is, African Americans. They are my family and I will defend them to the death.

Second, some of my like minded Americans (of all colors). Third, the African Diaspora and black Africans of like minds. And then others slide down my ladder of concern and concerns.

I have a concern for Islam as well in that some of my ancestors who came to America were Muslim and many of my friends are Muslim and have taught me much about Islam so that I have prayed with my palms and my forehead to the ground turned toward the rising sun. My interest is thus attached to its Spirituality rather than its rituals and theological concerns.

I have a keen interest and concern for the sufferings of all people, whether Jew or Palestinian. I have never been a fan and upholder of callousness toward the sufferings of others.

I do appreciate and respect the remarks and views of both Sam Hamod and Kola Boof. I am not an authority on the Quran or an historian of Islam and the Middle East. But they are among my intellectual interests.

As one involved in the struggles of my people since a teenager, I indeed find this new Arab development of noteworthy interest so much so that I have published the news on ChickenBones.

My concerns about Darfur and Sudan are such that I have corresponded with Bankie Bankie and have web pages dedicated to the happenings in South Sudan:

I favor a separation of South Sudan and await anxiously the vote. As far as Gaddafi I trust him as far as I could throw hi. He is too self serving for my comfort.

Loving yall madly, Rudy

Kola Boof

FACTS & HISTORY:

East & North Africa have been enslaved by Arab Muslim
Invaders (now Arab Imperialists) for 1,000 years.

Today, 2010, in Sudan...

Today in Sudan...we have slavery & genocide and it is
based on "Skin Complexion"...Colorism....the "Blackest/Purest"
must be wiped out and obliterated to break down Black blood
(authentic Africans) and MASS PRODUCE the Arab Rape Baby
who then in turn embraces more &more Arabization and
mixing until the White Arabs have conquered Sudan the same
way they conquered the rest of North Africa.

This is how they destroyed EGYPT and gradually "whitened"
and "whitened" it.....Queen Cleopatra's Intermarriage Law
(making it ILLEGAL for an Egyptian to marry an Egyptian)
being the 1st salvo in Cesar's quest to conquer the Blood,
not just the land.

When I was a child in Omdurman, Sudan...THE MOSQUE taught
us that the "Blacker you were"..the less loved by Allah you were.
That blackness was Allah's curse & that we should feel nothing
about slaughtering & pillaging the "Charcoal" original people.

In Mauritania, the Arabs "raise/breed" a Slave Class of Africans
from birth. These particular slaves believe they were born to
be nothing more than slaves & love their Arab master fiercely.

There are no PLANTATIONS in Sudan.

Dinka girls sell for $14. They are taken at ages
6, 9, 12 and kept in the homes as "bed slaves" and
maids.

Black Boys are chained to the back of Arab homes
& fed from doggy bowls. When it's time to do labor,
they unleash and work the Boy slave, beating him
if need be.

Even Palestinians have Dinka girl slaves. They sterilize these girls
so they can rape them w/o producing more Black males.

Jordan...Syria...Lebanon...Saudi Arabia...Iraq....Palestine
....Egypt...

In each of these nations you will find TODAY (RIGHT NOW)
Black women working in the kitchens with their tongues cut
out of their heads---you will find Black Sex Slaves, MALE &
female; you will find Blind African Men in the streets living
on 3 cents a week for "slave" work.

I am not surprised that MANY Colorstruck Black Americans don't
immediately notice this "trick" or that they identify with their
"Brown Brothers" (light skin, slick hair, brownish)....totally
preferring to look like these Bastardized Arabs and disassociate
with the Authentic Cushitic Peoples; the real true Black Africans.

I am not surprised that Black Americans "Make Excuses" for why
we should identify with KHADAFI and sell out the never ending
suffering of our own ancestors---whether they be West African
Slave Trade or the East/North African Slave Trade.

THE WHITE DEVIL in America....don't have shit on the Arab
Islamic MONSTER still pillaging & destroying true African culture.

Swahili is not an indigenous "African" language...but an Arab
Slave language combining African Bantu with dominant Arab
language and then FORCED on Eastern Africa nearly 1,000 years
ago through INVASION.

_______________

THESE are Facts & History of the Afro-Arab world
...and these abuses & horrors are CURRENT.

This is what needs to be discussed if it's truly KNOWLEDGE
you're claiming to seek.

Kola Boof