Muslims: explain the whole slave thing?

[Joaquim Zorro]

Slavery in Islam was never that slavery we know here in the West, if you impoverished and black, you are a slave. Even in today's modern terms, that happens to blacks generally.

In Islam slaves could buy away their slavery and become free, and Abu Bakr was the laughing stock of the Arabs when he went out and bought slaves and freed them if he heard that they accepted Islam, and one of the illustrious companions, Salman Al Farsi (you should read up his history it's fascinating) was one of them too. During Islam you were not born into slavery, if you could not pay your way, you had to slave your way out of that debt. It had no gender, colour or ethnic barriers; whether you Arab, Yemeni, Indian or European, if you could not pay your debts, jails were for murderers and such, you work your debts away and carry on working until you've enough money to move on.

One such slave that Abu Bakr bought and then freed, was a European woman called Ghoula and Abu Bakr's father called him one side and told him:"My son you making a laughing stock of our family, for once buy a slave that will be an asset for you and whom you can make money on"

It's just a pity that these historical facts by Ibn Kathir are written in Arabic only and many of the learned people are too busy "defending Islam" with the red herrings that are thrown out there by every Tom. Dick and Obama.