“Is the history of slavery by the Arabs against the indigenous African peoples of the entire central and southeastern coastline of Africa (which the Arabs and Persians renamed “ZENJABAR” – during their invasions and colonization of the area) to be ignored? Truly, all of this took place before the arrival of the first Europeans, the Portuguese, in the area of the late half of the 15th century C.E. in search of food and trade. But the period of this part of the Arab history of atrocity against the Africans cannot be overlooked.” Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan
The first time that I was told that Muslim Arabs attacked Mother Africa and forcibly removed millions of our ancestors from homes and villages to render service in Arab households, armies, and harems over 700 years before the Europeans heightened their war through the Atlantic Slave Trade…I simply did not believe it!
The beautiful and positive brothers and sisters that were attached to peaceful Islam did not equate with the type of behavior that I began to read about. It was the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that helped to lay the foundation for my evolution.
The great and extremely powerful Noble Drew Ali, Minster Louis Farrakhan, Mansa Musa, El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, Ava Muhammad, Shaharazhad Ali, Clarence 13X, Muhammad Ali, Askia Muhammad, General Khalid Abdul Muhammad, Naim Akbar, and countless other righteous Muslims made it difficult for me to grasp.
But as I began to dive deeper into the history and read books from great Black authors and historians such as John G. Jackson, John H. Clarke, Cheikh Anta Diop, J.A. Rogers, Ivan Van Sertima, Rosalind Jeffries, Leonard Jefferies, Chancellor Williams, Drusilla Dungee Houston, Anthony T. Browder, Asa Hilliard, Booker T. Coleman, Edward Blyden, Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan, and Maulana Karenga, I found the Arab invasions of Black lands to be a part of history.
I then realized that thousands of enemies of Africans have used or hid behind certain religions to commence evil. The fact that Europeans who initiated the Atlantic-Slave trade considered themselves of the Christian faith, the Catholic Pope sanctioned slavery, and the white Jews who put enormous financial backing in support of the slave trade practiced their rendition of Judaism is evidence that religion has been used to kill, exploit, torture, enslave, imprison, brutalize and rape Black people throughout the planet.
I am not a religious man–nor do I write this column to elaborate on what religion one should follow, practice, or believe in. I am a highly spiritual Black man. I am a firm believer in the practice of Black Theology. Black Theology, through the religion you choose–to practice and believe in, seeks to relate the present-day Black man and woman to the CREATOR within the given context of our suffering and our attempt to get out of it. Black Theology helps to restore meaning and direction in our understanding of the CREATOR.
Our Brilliant historian, anthropologist, and archeologist Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop teaches us in his book ‘The African Origin of Civilization and Pre-colonial Black Africa’ that when the Holy Prophet Muhammad was born, Arabia was a Black African Colony with Mecca as its capital. He goes on to inform us that “Arabia was originally settled by (2) distinct races. The first and earliest race to settle were the Cushite Ethiopians, who were a strong, flourishing Black people. The second race was called the Semites (a pale people) white.” The Black Cushites were the only inhabitants of Arabia before the 18th Century B.C.
During the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s reign, the land of Arabia flourished in peace, harmony, balance, and righteousness. Historians write that–it was not until (6) years after the Holy Prophet’s death that a policy of conquest and war manifested. After the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s death, Asia Minor and Mesopotamia were captured by Arab armies. The Fall of Persia and India soon followed. A century later, Arab dominions stretched through North Africa, across Asia to China.
In 632 A.D., Arabs conquered Jerusalem, Palmyra, Antioch, and Damascus. The first Arab invasion of Africa occurred in 640 A.D. Amru led his army into North Africa, and by 642 A.D., Egypt was another province of the expanding domains. Arab General Hassan Bin Numan captured Carthage in 698 A.D.
Arab armies met strong opposition from millions of Africans who would not surrender in North Africa and throughout the geographical expansions. The African leader of Mauritania, King Kuseila, fought valiantly to keep his land and beautiful, innocent people from falling victim.
King Kuseila’s standing army killed thousands of invading Arabs before being defeated in 682 A.D.
African Queen Dahia Al-Kahina led her military forces and drove the Arabs out of Tunisia. Her standing, courageous army was eventually defeated in 705 A.D. Queen Kahina’s death marked the end of the most fierce, no-surrender, uncompromising, and valiant attempts to keep Africa for Africans.
Shortly after the Arabs conquered and settled, enormous numbers of Black people were forcibly moved from their homelands and transferred down the Nile River across the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the hot Sahara Desert. Established trade routes from West and Central Africa to countries that Arabs inhabited and controlled would be an intricate part of what would be known as ‘The Indian-Ocean and Trans-Sahara African Slave Trade.’
For over 700 years, Arabs would hunt for our ancestors in the vast geographical spaces of mother Africa to sell to the markets of the Arab world.
The Arabs would make deals to trade Black prisoners of war to the French and Portuguese for their sugar plantations. The cruelties of Arab ownership ranged from a lifetime of indentured servitude to the inhumane procedures of making eunuchs to guard harems. Our ancestors would be used for the drainage of lands, pearl diving in deep waters, removal of salt encrustations, growing and picking cotton, harvesting crops, all household work, sugar plantations, and raising livestock. Unlike Europeans, Arabs were small dealers who would pack no more than (100) Africans in their boats. Some Arabs would transport as little as (20) Africans. From 650 A.D. to the 19th century, over (11) million Africans were taken as prisoners of war. Four million Blacks were forced across the Sahara Desert, (3) million across the Red Sea, and (4) million across the Indian Ocean.
The major difference between Arab aggression and European aggression was the fact that many of our people had certain rights as prisoners. Most Africans were not separated from their children. Africans would be freed when the owner died. Another difference was that thousands of Africans would eventually evolve through the ranks of Islam to become great scholars and leaders.
Khabyr Hadas is a Pan-African educator, Garveyite, and author of several books on Black Nationalism and African Culture. He is a graduate of Cheyney University, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and teaches African History and Culture at Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School, founded by Baba John Skief in 1972. khabyrhadas@gmail.com
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