17 Feb 17

Many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.- William James

I . . . hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of the land. . . . I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels. . . .I am filled with unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show, together with the horrible inconsistencies, which every where surround me
We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members.
The man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus. . . .
The slave auctioneer’s bell and the church-going bell chime in with each other, and the bitter cries of the heart-broken slave are drowned in the religious shouts of his pious master.
Revivals of religion and revivals in the slave-trade go hand in hand together. The slave prison and the church stand near each other. The clanking of fetters and the rattling of chains in the prison, and the pious psalm and solemn prayer in the church, may be heard at the same time. The dealers in the bodies of men erect their stand in the presence of the pulpit, and they mutually help each other. The dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support the pulpit, and the pulpit, in return, covers his infernal business with the garb of Christianity.
Here we have religion and robbery the allies of each other—devils dressed in angels’ robes, and hell presenting the semblance of paradise. - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, written in 1845, sixteen years before the Civil War began.

7 Feb 17

So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interests of the south. So fully am I satisfied of this, as regards Virginia especially, that I would cheerfully have lost all I have lost by the war, and have suffered all I have suffered, to have this object attained.
- Robert E. Lee, 1807 - 1870

Slavery is a legal or economic system in which principles of property law are applied to humans allowing them to be classified as property,[to be owned, bought and sold accordingly, and they cannot withdraw unilaterally from the arrangement. While a person is a slave, the owner is entitled to the productivity of the slave's labour, without any remuneration. The rights and protection of the slave may be regulated by laws and customs in a particular time and place, and a person may become a slave from the time of their capture, purchase or birth.- Unknown origin

I regret the behavior of the Arabs… They brought African children to North Africa, they made them slaves, they sold them like animals, and they took them as slaves and traded them in a shameful way. I regret and I am ashamed when we remember these practices. I apologize for this ...Today we are embarrassed and shocked by these outrageous practices of rich Arabs who had treated their fellow Africans with contempt and condescension.- Moammar Gaddafi, second Afro-Arab summit, Libya 9 Oct 2010

After 9/11 I found it impossible to ignore his (Osama Bin Ladan's) claims that the murderous destrucion of innocent (if infidel) lives is consistent with the Quraan. I looked at the Quran and found it to be so. To me this meant I could no longer be a Muslim. - Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nomad: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations

The veil deliberately marks women as private and restricted property, nonpersons. The veil sets women apart from men and apart from the world; it restrains them, confines them, grooms them for docility. A mind can be cramped just as a body may be, and a Muslim veil blinkers both your vision and your destiny. It is the mark of a kind of Apartheid, not the domination of a race, but of a sex. - Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nomad: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations   

All human beings are equal, but all cultures and religions are not. ... It is part of Muslim culture to oppress women. ... The culture of the Western Enlightenment is better.- Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nomad: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations

The England admired throughout the world is the England that keeps open house.- J B Priestley quoted in We Are a Muslim, Please by Zaiba Malik

History shows us that the countries that have opened their doors have gained. - J B Priestley quoted in We Are a Muslim, Please by Zaiba Malik