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www.faithfreedom.org...
In his fact-filled work on the history of the Muslim Arab slave trade in Africa, Murray Gordon notes that this trade pre-dated the European Christian African slave trade by a thousand years and continued for more than a century after the Europeans had abolished the practice. Gordon estimates the number of slaves "harvested" from Black Africa over the period of the Muslim Arab slave trade at 11 million - roughly equal to the number taken by European Christians for their colonies in the New World.
africanhistory.about.com...
"Under the Sonike it became a major power From the eleventh century the Almoravids (Muslim Berbers) attempted to conquer the region, and although the kingdom was never converted to Islam, it went into a decline."
www.learner.org...
It was the largest and most powerful kingdom in medieval West Africa. The riches of the gold and salt mines drew invaders, though, and in the late sixteenth century a Moroccan army attacked the capital. The Songhai empire, already weakened by internal political struggles, went into decline.
www.learner.org...
When Mali declined, Timbuktu was taken over by the Songhai. After the decline of the Songhai empire, Timbuktu was briefly occupied by Moroccan forces, then taken over by the Fulani people and later by the French. Timbuktu's history mirrors the rise and decline of civilizations in the area.
Originally posted by zapatista
Oh, and one final thing, Robert Mugabe is a practicing Christian.
Originally posted by zapatistaAlso, property and plants are regarded as untouchable in othordox Islamic persuations, particularly in the conduct of warfare.
Originally posted by zapatistaIn fact, the general consensus amongst south african acedemics at a collegiate level is that Christianity and Capitalism were the two major players in Africa's problems.
Originally posted by zapatista
on what do you base south africa is heading down the same path as zimabwe. it's laughable how little you know.
south africa has a growing free-market economy where small business is encouraged. south africa has a constitution that protects every citizen equally. south africa has a democratically elected government.
do a simple google search...south africa, cape town, south african economy...
where do you see the similarity between south africa and zimbabwe?
www.cfr.org...
There is support for Mugabe from African countries, especially neighboring South Africa. President Thabo Mbeki is one of Mugabe's most vocal supporters.
www.publiuspundit.com...
The government in South Africa has always been making attempts at "racial justice," but it has been generally by market means. They want to have at least 30% of the land tranferred to black farmers by 2014, though only an estimated 5% has switched hands fairly. So what happens when the market just doesn't work out the way you want it to? You use the government, of course! And with only ten years to meet that socialist quota, drastic measures must of course be taken.
[...]
For forced land redistribution:
"We want this process to begin immediately," said Mangaliso Kubheka, national organisor for the Landless People's Movement. "We're waiting to see if the pledge will be implemented. The people have spoken. We need to see if the government will listen."
Against forced land redistribution:
"These people who claim the land, do they use it or do they just leave it lying there?" said Chris Jordaan, property rights manager for the Transvaal Agricultural Union South Africa (TAU SA).
"Are these guys commercial farmers? The big worry is food security. Almost every other country in Africa needs food aid."
"We don't say there must be no black commercial farmers," said Jordaan. "But this land reform is a form of socialistic economic policy. It has not fed people elsewhere in Africa and it has not sustained commercial agriculture."
www.pbs.org...
But the divisive land seizures in neighboring Zimbabwe have increased pressure on South African leaders to make visible progress in their own land redistribution program. Political leaders have been hesitant to directly condemn the actions of Zimbabwe's President Mugabe, who many in the public view as a radical trailblazer for the rights of the black and landless.
"There is a kind of emotional, gut-level reaction among South Africans that Mugabe is doing the right thing," Ben Cousins, a professor at the University of the Western Cape in Bellville, told The New York Times in January.
www.thezimbabwean.co.uk...
Most SA analysts took the view that Mbeki wanted the elections to take place at all costs, so that even if they were rigged, the SA government could indicate that the results were "the will of the Zimbabwean people" - which is exactly what Mbeki said afterwards.
www.hsf.org.za...
Both domestic and international observers waited for Mbeki to react: how could he continue to preach the African Renaissance if he did not take a stand in favour of the rule of law, against the straightforward suppression of both civil and property rights and the open resort to violence?
[...]
The business community was stupefied. The markets were thoroughly alarmed by Zimbabwe's policy of expropriation without compensation and the spectacle of a ruling African nationalist party making it clear that it would use all manner of violence rather than allow a democratic alternation in power. [underline]If Mbeki failed to take a strong and public stand against this, the conclusion could only be that, faced with a major electoral challenge, South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) might behave in the same way.[/underline]
www.zmag.org...
With Mbeki sounding more and more like a belligerent Robert Mugabe, whose tirades against supposed enemies of the State, like the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDM), white commercial farmers, and outside interference in the coming elections in March, has become legend, what does the future hold for South Africa?
[...]
That was also the fateful year GEAR (the 'Growth, Employment and Redistribution Strategy'), was unleashed onto an unsuspecting South African public by the new Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel.
The results? There is increased social dislocation, continuing violence and gangsterism, due to increased poverty levels inside the country caused by GEAR, South Africa's own home-grown neo-liberal strategy for growth and employment. Petrol (fuel) prices, transport costs and food prices are set to rise, giving rise to speculation of Argentina-style food-riots and its resultant political turmoil!
[...]
Clothes, household products and books have all increased in recent weeks. Coupled with the collapse of the currency, the Rand, it spells disaster for poor households, who consume most of their disponibel income, almost two-thirds, on basic household necessities.
The price of bread is set to increase by 30 cents a loaf. Interest rates are set to go up, in the usual "monetarist" answer to the deepening economic crisis. Needless to say, wages are not set to go up, as the government is urging the populace to "tighten their belts". On top of all this, another water price hike is expected, a 45 percent increase in the Durban region alone. In July the government introduced its free basic water system, designed to give each family 6 000 litres of free water each month. However, serious outbreaks of cholera and sanitation-related diseases were reported both last year and this year, particularly in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
Also, there has been a huge capital flight through the de-nationalization of big conglomerates such as De Beers/Anglo American, Old Mutual and South African Breweries, who are now listed on the London Stock-Exchange. This means that their profits need not be repatriated back to South Africa. The massive devaluation of the currency, two-thirds over a ten year period, i.e. the cheapening of the currency, the Rand, seems to only favour the export-industry and the rampant tourist industry.
[...]
Also, the Mbeki family has emerged as a key player in the nepotistic allocation of contracts and through illegal procurements procedures, in the now notorious Rands 60 billion arms deal. Some family members, like younger brother Moeletsi, have allegedly gained economic advantage from this "deal of the century".
His father Govan, Nelson Mandela's firm comrade and a staunch and sincere communist till his recent death, would turn in his grave had he knowledge of these goings on. The ANC is today displaying all the negative traits that one has seen before in Zaire under Mobuto and Zimbabwe under Mugabe and many other 3rd Word dictatorships.
www.christianaction.org.za...
Every year over 20 000 people are murdered in South Africa and our justice system is failing to protect the citizens of this land. Most of the murderers who terrorise our people escape being bought to justice. In fact our laws now seem to favour the rights of the criminals, and all too often criminalise the victims.
[...]
Our cities have become breeding grounds for criminals and our homes have been changed into locked fortresses. The freedom of movement of most citizens has been curtailed by the ever present threat of vicious and senseless attack. Instead of decisive action against the criminals, the government seems more concerned to remove security barriers set up to protect crime ridden suburbs, and to deny licences for firearm applications, for self defence purposes, for the long suffering population of this country.
Anyone who advocates socialism, or any of the other humanist policies, as the answer for South Africa, should seriously consider the disastrous consequences of socialism and humanism for the Soviet Union, Red China, East Germany, North Korea, Cambodia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. In each of these countries, and in every other secular state, socialism failed to build the just, prosperous and free society that the humanist leaders had so confidently promised.
Originally posted by enslaved83
We in the west flooded the whole place with guns and supported some very nasty people (Just look at the ammount of AK's in Africa). We also gave African
--snip-
Bottom line. The West is mainly blame for Africa's current problems. Not the Muslims, though I will not deny they certainly played their part.
Africa's insurgencies: Training on demand from Libya
The Mathaba Guerilla Training camp in Libya, North Africa remains active even today churning out classes of trained insurgents who have made a long-term lucrative profession of fueling Africa’s civil wars.
It is a sad commentary that conflict-ridden Africa has these insurgents to thank for unleashing untold catastrophic humanitarian toll and wanton violations of international laws in the name of revolution. The Libyan government, by extension continues to support and train these insurgents at Mathaba.
BBC
Sankoh trained in the guerrilla camps of Muammar Gaddafi's Libya where his companions included Charles Taylor, now the embattled president of neighbouring Liberia.
After training in Libya, Sankoh returned with his comrades to Liberia where he took part in the early stages of the rebellion in 1990 that was to bring Mr Taylor to power.
Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
Why is it that this particular thread appears to be a RESPONSE to another thread?
This is becoming a disturbing trend, I think, as I have seen it occur more than just a couple times in the last week or so.
Stop it. Reply to threads within the threads.
Stop it. Stop it, or there will be no love or candy thrown your way.
Also, think of what happens to the cute little kittens of the world every time something like this happens.
External Source
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council – France, Russia, China, the UK, and the USA – together account for 88 per cent of the world’s conventional arms exports; and these exports contribute regularly to gross abuses of human rights.
Originally posted by enslaved83
The last thing Africa needs is more weapons
Originally posted by enslaved83
The last thing Africa needs is more weapons
Soj: Cry Havoc And Let Slip the Dogs of War!
02.02.06
From the Moscow Times:
Russia is set to sell 4 billion dollars worth of arms to Algeria, in what would be its largest post-Soviet defense export deal
[---more---]
Algeria also has a few bones to pick with its neighbor Morocco, in their long-running dispute over Western Sahara.
[---more---]
And as we all know, an arms race in Africa is just what everyone needs and wants.
Originally posted by Paul of Nisbis
Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
Why is it that this particular thread appears to be a RESPONSE to another thread?
This is becoming a disturbing trend, I think, as I have seen it occur more than just a couple times in the last week or so.
Stop it. Reply to threads within the threads.
Stop it. Stop it, or there will be no love or candy thrown your way.
Also, think of what happens to the cute little kittens of the world every time something like this happens.
It wasn't a mere response, it was a entire thesis that can stand on its own.
[edit on 4-2-2006 by Paul of Nisbis]
[edit on 4-2-2006 by Thomas Crowne]
Originally posted by enslaved83
The bit I found most interesting:
External Source
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council – France, Russia, China, the UK, and the USA – together account for 88 per cent of the world’s conventional arms exports; and these exports contribute regularly to gross abuses of human rights.
The last thing Africa needs is more weapons
[edit on 4-2-2006 by enslaved83]