The world is changing, but there is still a lot of hate going on. Pray for Christ’s church to continue to succeed in its mission.

19:1 Better a poor person whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips [and actions] are perverse.

Yesterday, we covered the forced African diaspora of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade of the 1500s-1800s. Today we will look at the lesser-known second major diaspora.

The second major forced African diaspora was the Islamic slave trade. This lesser-known slave trade differed from the Trans-Atlantic on nearly every point–except in sheer numbers. In total, around 11.5 million Africans were taken from their homes and shipped to far-away Muslim lands over the duration of this foul practice. The Islamic slave trade lasted much longer than the Trans-Atlantic. It didn’t begin in the A.D. 1500s. Instead, it commenced in the A.D. 600s and lasted into the 1800s. Also, because Middle Eastern Muslim lands lay east and north of Africa, slaves were drawn primarily from the east coast, not the west coast, of Africa. In addition, Muslims were interested in slave girls for their households; hence, the majority of the slaves in the Islamic trade were women, not men.*

The dissemination of the African people groups had a notable effect on the world. The only “good” thing to come out of the slave trade was the blending of the human race. I call it “the human race” because at the beginning of mankind was one man and one woman. We are all one race.

Paul said in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Let’s look at each other as Jesus looks at all of us, which is as His brothers and sisters, as God’s children. Let’s love as He loves.

Abba, it’s hard to imagine that people could treat people so wrong. At the same time, I know that it’s because of their broken view of You, themselves, and others that led (and leads) them to act so inhumanely. Help us, Lord, as Your ambassadors, to spread Your truth to everyone. Amen.

*”Traced” Hyman DNA’s Big Surprise by Nathaniel T. Jeanson, pg. 38-39