Letter: Islam absolutely forbids slavery in its modern sense

As an African American, a descendant of slaves and a Muslim woman, I felt compelled to respond to the Sept. 25 article "Qur'anic questions" by Dr. Bala Ambati, who criticized the Qur'an for not abolishing slavery. Let me make it very clear: Islam absolutely forbids the form of slavery that took place in the United States, one of the most inhumane forms of oppression in world history.

When we hear the word slavery, we immediately think about slavery as it occurred in the United States. However, slavery occurred in a variety of forms across multiple societies, and it was not always oppressive. In its most common form, slavery resulted from war as victorious armies captured prisoners of war. This form of slavery was common in the 7th century Arabia when the Qur'an originated.

Although the Qur'an did not totally abolish slavery, it repeatedly encouraged the emancipation of slaves and emphasized new rights for slaves. Although slavery continued to exist, the Qur'an influenced subsequent generations. There were large-scale emancipations in Muslim lands. Where slavery persisted, Islamic law set limits.

Fortunately, civilization, which includes the world's 1.5 billion Muslims, has arrived at the point where slavery is no longer an option. The Geneva Convention established that prisoners of war will receive humane treatment. No other scripture directly supports these advancement as does the Qur'an. The Qur'an recognized the possession of captives as a consequence of war and enforced humane treatment, but it envisioned their liberation as the final outcome. The Qur'anic revelation recognized slavery as a temporary condition and encouraged humanity to reach the state where slavery becomes obsolete.