MODERN SLAVERY: A MAQASIDI APPROACH TOWARDS EMANCIPATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol14no1.1163Keywords:
Slavery, modern slavery, maqasid, IslamAbstract
On the issue of slavery, contemporary Islamic scholars tend to be abolitionists, asserting that Islamic law may not have explicitly prohibited enslavement but aspires to gradually emancipate slaves. Meanwhile, the current international law discourse has shifted its focus to ‘modern slavery’. Numerous studies have appeared to very easily presume that modern slavery falls within the Islamic notion of slavery, then, based on that, claiming that the Islamic laws concerning slavery could assist in the emancipation of victims of modern slavery. However, this presumption is often not based on a deep critical examination comparing the different concepts. Therefore, our research first analyzes the presumption that modern slavery falls under the Islamic notion of slavery and concludes that it is incorrect: modern slavery and the Islamic notion of slavery are actually two legal concepts in both legal construct and consequences. The second part of our research finds that, while Islamic laws on slavery do not directly apply to modern slavery, the former may inspire a solution for the latter. For that purpose, we apply a doctrinal legal research method to utilize uṣūl al-fiqh with a maqāṣidī approach to critically examine the details of fiqh rulings on slavery (including the acquisition of slaves, the rights of masters over slaves, legal rights of slaves, mukātabah contracts, and zakat). We find that Islamic laws on slavery can– with necessary adjustments— provide some insights to help construct an Islamic framework for the emancipation of victims of modern slavery. The insights revealed in this research can assist Muslim or even non-Muslim governments, NGOs, and the ‘ulama in making policies to help combatting modern slavery by further protecting, liberating, and safeguarding its victims.
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