The New World Order of Islam — Page 58
New World Order 58 abolition. On the contrary, the institution was recognised in all other religions. In Judaism and Hinduism, slavery is a religious institution and cannot be abolished. Christianity is only a branch of Judaism, and slavery continued to be recognized among Christian nations for many centuries. When it was abolished, the abolition was brought about not by anything in the teachings of Christianity but by the progress which had been by then made in ethical standards. The history of the Church shows that efforts were made on many occasions to put an end to slavery but on each occasion the fiercest opposition was offered by the Church. In Hinduism, the caste system has established slavery so firmly and on so vast a scale that slavery in the ordinary sense becomes but a small evil by comparison. Islam abolished slavery altogether. There is, however, one institution recognised by Islam which has been described as slavery and that is the taking of prisoners of war. But if this is an evil, it is a necessary consequence of war. When two nations are fighting each other, it cannot be expected that prisoners taken during the day would be set at liberty at night, so that they could return to their people and join the battle again on their own side the following morning. Even in certain games in which we are caught by the opposite side we have to be counted out for the rest of the game and are no longer at liberty to