good post.
I wonder why even before Islam these African lands were subject to rule and culture change long before Islam existed. Why any Christian, jewish, mediterranian, whatever else group could just sweep in and round up disconnected scattered tribes. Even in Kingdoms Tribes did not fukk w one another. Or you under the belief that there were all these unified Kingdoms practicing ancient African religions and then Arabs simply came through and crushed the buildings? We may be giving Islam and Arab a little too much credit for shyt that started happening pre 700ad.
Have you ever wondered why the morrish, berbers and other groups were so well equipped and advanced even before their Islamic conversations? You blame these groups for the " molestation" and "occupation" of West Africa........ did you ever think that these Africans might have took over other lands regardless of being whatever religion??? There is only 2 answers: 1) either acknowledge Islam as a powerful uniting force for Africans and a way towards advancement or 2) Make the claim that without Islam these lands would have lived peacefully in harmony, Islam invented slavery, and these people would have had no interest in occupation if they never read the Quran.
Were you ever taught about the slave routes that pre-existed Islam in Africa.... or do you believe that Arabs carved them out of nowhere like they were some Great invincible force n shyt, lol? Did you know that the slaves were already captured and that the human capital was part of the over all trade that occurred between African and Asia since the beginning of time? Is it possible that its a fact that 100% of African slaves died in captivity..... UNLESS they were traded to a Muslim.... in that case they had a few ways to either buy freedom, be given freedom, or to at least not have their children become slaves??
I'm just asking if any of that is a possibility, in your opinon.
And naw, I don't think the Ghanian empire is as weak as you painted it. I think the Africans were stronger and smarter than we give them credit for with our modern revisionist history.
Thank you.
I still think you're missing the point though. The question isn't "Has Africa been united" its "Would Islam help to unite Africa"? to which as we can see would not be the case on the whole. Why didn't Christian Nubians, Egyptians, and Ethiopians not go on a rampage spreading the word of Christ? Their conversions were before Islam as we know, and yet nothing of the type happened? Arabs had a real need to expand and their nomadic lifestyle made it all the more easier not to mention Islam's portability in comparison to other religions, if those other groups you mentioned were too small or had adequate resources no reason to travel to other parts of the continent "to spread the word".
I'm also not under the belief that African kingdoms were united before Arabs, I'm of the belief that African kingdoms of those times practiced religions and cultures that were subsequently lost by the destructive force of Islam. You call it crushed the buildings, but it honestly was the systematic destruction of a way of life going back to their very beginnings. Not to say African tribes didn't war with each other or enslave each other, however in spite of different tribal customs these were still the original ways of African people not yet influenced by people or ideas outside of the continent. If anything, Islam hardly gets enough credit in the destruction of Africa but that's because it's involvement was more subtle and for a longer period of time.
Again, you're missing the point breh. It's not about whether or not Africans were conquering each other we know they did and still do that's why OP asked such a trollish question. In all of those instances, everything was carried out in an African way. Conquest, enslavement, societal norms, everything about those people's existence was African. However, if you put those Africans vs those Muslims that were highly motivated to get the legendary gold of the Western Sudan(Mali/Songhai) and these Muslims
repeatedly wage jihad against these Africans they'll eventually conquer them which they did or they may coerce them into adopting their religion and customs in order to place the group under their rule. Not ALL customs were lost but many of them were and hence those old societies which were wholly African are now no longer so.
Slavery has been a part of Africa since the beginning, duly noted, however we can't sit here and say African slavery was at all the same as Arab slavery. Plus lets be reality, the trans saharan trade didn't boon until the Arabs involvement beginning in the 7th century. If anything, the few bits of benevolence displayed in the Arab model can be linked directly to the old African type. And buying your freedom was under certain circumstances and for the majority this did not happen, for every Malik Anbar there were millions of dikkless men and female sex slaves who wouldn't be buying their way outta shyt, oh and you do know many of these benevolent Muslim slave masters would stomp out the babies they created with those slave concubines as soon as they were born this is why there are scant traces of Africans remaining from that time period.
You don't have to believe me about Ghana, I'd deny it too if I were a black man defending Islam.
