Modern Day Slavery

One of the criticisms of the Quran is, “Why doesn’t the Quran ban slavery outright?” The response to this criticism is that the Quran provides the framework for a society to eliminate slavery without victimizing the very people one is trying to assist. There is no question that according to the Quran, slavery is a gross evil, but the truth of the matter is in much of the world when the Quran was revealed, slavery was an institutional practice that was so ingrained into society that if it was to be eliminated overnight, the entire society would be severely devastated, most notably the ones who were the slaves themselves.

Consider the suffering of black Americans that transpired for generations after the passing of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 6, 1865, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. While the 13th Amendment marked a significant step towards ending racial segregation and discrimination in the United States, many former slaves and their descendants continued facing significant challenges and discrimination in the decades following its adoption. After the Civil War and the end of slavery, many former slaves were left without land, homes, or economic resources, and they faced significant barriers to education and political participation. Laws were passed that limited their freedom of movement, their ability to enter into contracts, and their right to bear arms. Many states also passed “Jim Crow” laws that imposed racial segregation and discrimination, particularly in the South. Almost 100 years later, the United States passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in an attempt to offset the discrimination that prevailed after the abolishment of slavery.

One of the popular mantras by libertarians is that government cannot legislate morality. This statement often gets misportrayed as meaning that legislation should not be based on morality, but this is an inaccurate representation. More appropriately, what is meant by this message is that unless legislation is aligned with the morality of the people, it will fail even if it is passed. Or put another way that just because something is a law does not mean society will adopt it. Therefore, the correct approach is to first change the people’s minds and then pass the legislation. People who think that they will change the morality of the people by forcing legislation before convincing the opposition of its merit are reversing the logical order that is required for long-term sustainable progress. When the will of the legislated is aligned with the legislation, the people will not actively attempt to undermine the law.