Afro-Saudis

Last updated
Afro-Saudis
Total population
about 1,880,000; or about 5% of Saudi Arabia’s total population
Regions with significant populations
Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Mecca
Languages
Arabic
Religion
Islam (mostly Sunni)
Related ethnic groups
Afro-Arabs, Afro-Jordanians, Afro-Palestinians, Afro-Syrians, Afro-Iraqis, Afro-Omanis

Afro-Saudis, also known as African Saudis and Black Saudis, are Saudi citizens of partial or full black African heritage. They are spread all around the country, but they are mostly found in the major cities of Saudi Arabia. [1] Afro-Saudis speak Arabic and adhere to Islam. [2] While some black Saudis descend from slaves brought through the Arab slave trade, [3] the majority descend from Muslim pilgrims, primarily from West Africa, who settled in the cities of Mecca and Jeddah. [4]

Contents

The term "takarnah", meaning people of takrur, is sometimes used to refer to Hejazis of West African descent, [5] though their origins are diverse. This is evident in family names such as Hawsawi, Fallatah, and Bernawi. [4]

History

Bilal ibn Rabah, an Abyssinian who was enslaved by Pre-Islamic Arabs was Islam's first Muezzin Bilal.jpg
Bilal ibn Rabah, an Abyssinian who was enslaved by Pre-Islamic Arabs was Islam’s first Muezzin

Arabia and Africa have been in contact starting with the obsidian exchange networks of the 7th millennium BC. These networks were strengthened by the rise of Egyptian dynasties of the 4th millennium BC. Anthropologists have indicated the likely existence of settlements in Arabia, from the people of the Horn of Africa, as early as the 3rd and 2nd millenniums BC. [6]

Many Afro-Saudis are descendants of slaves, trafficked mainly via the Ancient Red Sea slave trade. Historically, the institution of slavery in the region of the later Saudi Arabia was reflected in the institution of slavery in the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661) slavery in the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), slavery in the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258), slavery in the Mamluk Sultanate (1258–1517) and finally slavery in the Ottoman Empire (1517–1918). Slavery in Saudi Arabia was not abolished until 1962.

Population

In 2021, their population was 1,880,000, or around 5% of Saudi Arabia’s 35,950,000 population. [3] [7]

Social condition

Slaves in the Middle East were allowed to own land. Children of two slaves where born into slavery, however the child of a free man and his concubine (sex slave) where not born a slave if the father awknowledged fatherhood. Islamic Law allowed for Muslims to enslave non-Muslims, unless they were zimmis (protected minorities who had accepted Muslim rule), and slaves were therefore non-Muslims imported from non-Muslim lands outside of the Empire. [8] However, the conversion of a non-Muslim slave to Islam after their enslavement did not require the enslaver to manumit his slave. [9]

Skin color played a distinctive role even amongst slaves. [10] Many activists amongst Afro-Saudis complain that they are not given media representation and are unable to find opportunities to improve their social condition. [11]

Notable Afro-Saudis

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Saudi Arabia</span>

The history of Saudi Arabia as a nation state began with the emergence of the Al Saud dynasty in central Arabia in 1727 and the subsequent establishment of the Emirate of Diriyah. Pre-Islamic Arabia, the territory that constitutes modern Saudi Arabia, was the site of several ancient cultures and civilizations; the prehistory of Saudi Arabia shows some of the earliest traces of human activity in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultan bin Abdulaziz</span> Saudi royal and politician (c. 1928–2011)

Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, called Sultan the Good in Saudi Arabia, was the Saudi defense minister from 1963 to 2011 and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 2005 until his death in October 2011.

The Wahhabi war, also known as the Ottoman-Saudi War, (1811–1818) was fought from early 1811 to 1818, between the Ottoman Empire, their vassal and ally the Eyalet of Egypt, and the Emirate of Diriyah, the First Saudi State, resulting in the destruction of the latter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashidi dynasty</span> Arabian Muslim dynasty (1836–1921)

The Rashidi dynasty, also called Al Rashid or the House of Rashid, was a historic Arabian House or dynasty that existed in the Arabian Peninsula between 1836 and 1921. Its members were rulers of the Emirate of Ha'il and the most formidable enemies of the House of Saud, rulers of the Emirate of Nejd. They were centered in Ha'il, a city in northern Najd that derived its wealth from being on the route of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, and was also a commercial center. The rulers of Ha'il were the sons of Abdullah bin Rashid, founder of the dynasty.

Abd al-Aziz, frequently also transliterated Abdul-Aziz, is a male Arabic Muslim given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the words ʽAbd, the Arabic definite article and ʽAzīz "Almighty". The name is commonly abbreviated as "ʽAzīz". The name means "servant of the Almighty", al-ʽAzīz being one of the names of God in Islam, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afro-Arabs</span> Ethnic group in the Arab World with African ancestry

Afro-Arabs, African Arabs, or Black Arabs are Arabs who have predominantly or total Sub-Saharan African ancestry. These include primarily minority groups in the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. The term may also refer to various Arab groups in certain African regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavery in the Ottoman Empire</span> Human enslavement in the Ottoman economy and society

Slavery in the Ottoman Empire was a major institution and a significant part of the Ottoman Empire's economy and traditional society. The main sources of slaves were wars and politically organized enslavement expeditions in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Central Europe, Southeast Europe, the Western Mediterranean and Africa. It has been reported that the selling price of slaves decreased after large military operations. In Constantinople, the administrative and political center of the Ottoman Empire, about a fifth of the 16th- and 17th-century population consisted of slaves. Statistics of these centuries suggest that Istanbul's additional slave imports from the Black Sea slave trade have totaled around 2.5 million from 1453 to 1700.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turks in Saudi Arabia</span> Ethnic group

Turks in Saudi Arabia also referred to as Turkish Arabians, Turkish Saudi Arabians, Saudi Arabian Turks, Arabian Turks or Saudi Turks refers to ethnic Turkish people living in Saudi Arabia. The majority of Arabian Turks descend from Ottoman settlers who arrived in the region during the Ottoman rule of Arabia. Most Ottoman Turkish descendants in Saudi Arabia trace their roots to Anatolia; however, some ethnic Turks also came from the Balkans, Cyprus, the Levant, North Africa and other regions which had significant Turkish communities. In addition to Ottoman settlement policies, Turkish pilgrims to Mecca and Medina often settled down in the area permanently.

Afro-Iraqis are Iraqi people of African Zanj heritage. Historically, their population has concentrated in the southern port city of Basra, as Basra was the capital of the slave trade in Iraq. Afro-Iraqis speak Arabic and mostly adhere to Islam. Some Afro-Iraqis can still speak Swahili along with Arabic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emirate of Jabal Shammar</span> 1836–1921 state in northern Arabia

The Emirate of Jabal Shammar, also known as the Emirate of Haʾil or the Rashidi Emirate, was a state in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula, including Najd, existing from the mid-nineteenth century to 1921. Jabal Shammar in English is translated as the "Mountain of the Shammar". Jabal Shammar's capital was Ha'il. It was led by the monarchy of the Rashidi dynasty. It included parts of modern-day Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Jordan.

Afro-Jordanians are Jordanians of Black African heritage. Afro-Jordanians speak Arabic and mostly adhere to Islam. Most Afro-Jordanians are concentrated in the Southwest parts of Jordan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottoman Arabia</span> Ottoman rule in Arabia (1517–1918)

The Ottoman era in the history of Arabia lasted from 1517 to 1918. The Ottoman degree of control over these lands varied over these four centuries, with the fluctuating strength or weakness of the Empire's central authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of slavery in the Muslim world</span>

The history of slavery in the Muslim world began with institutions inherited from pre-Islamic Arabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Descendants of Ibn Saud</span> Descendants of first Saudi King

Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (1875–1953), the founder and first king of Saudi Arabia, also called Ibn Saud, was very young when he first got married. However, his wife died shortly after their marriage. Ibn Saud remarried at eighteen and his firstborn child was Prince Turki I. He had 45 sons of whom 36 survived to adulthood and had children of their own. He also had many daughters. He is thought to have had 22 wives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavery in Saudi Arabia</span>

Legal Chattel slavery existed in Saudi Arabia until the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Ocean slave trade</span>

The Indian Ocean slave trade, sometimes known as the East African slave trade, was multi-directional slave trade and has changed over time. Captured in raids primarily south of the Sahara, predominately black Africans were traded as slaves to the Middle East, Indian Ocean islands, Indian subcontinent, and Java. Beginning in the 16th century, they were traded to the Americas, including Caribbean colonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavery in Iraq</span>

Slavery existed in the territory of the modern state of Iraq until the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavery in Syria</span>

Slavery existed in the territory of the modern state of Syria until the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavery in the Abbasid Caliphate</span>

Chattel slavery was a major part of society, culture and economy in the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258), which during its history included most of the Middle East. While slavery was an important part also of the preceding practice of the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), it was during the Abbasid Caliphate that the slave trade to the Muslim world reached a more permanent commercial industrial scale, establishing commercial slave trade routes that were to remain for centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavery in the Umayyad Caliphate</span>

Slavery in the Umayyad Caliphate refers to the chattel slavery taking place in the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), which comprised the majority of the Middle East with a center in the capital of Damascus in Syria.

References

  1. "What it means to be a black Saudi". Arab News. March 1, 2018.
  2. "Saudi Arabia - Religion". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  3. 1 2 "Black Saudi Author Focuses on Neglected History of African Migration and Slavery". July 24, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Obaid, Ruba (1 March 2018). "Saudi Arabia's African roots traced to annual Hajj pilgrimage and British colonization". Arab News. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  5. "الأفارقة.. مائدة منوّعة وخصوصية جذابة". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 4 September 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  6. Richards, Martin; Rengo, Chiara; Cruciani, Fulvio; Gratrix, Fiona; Wilson, James F.; Scozzari, Rosaria; Macaulay, Vincent; Torroni, Antonio (April 2003). "Extensive Female-Mediated Gene Flow from Sub-Saharan Africa into Near Eastern Arab Populations". The American Journal of Human Genetics. 72 (4): 1058–1064. doi:10.1086/374384. PMC   1180338 . PMID   12629598.
  7. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/saudi-arabia/
  8. Toledano, E. R. (2014). The Ottoman Slave Trade and Its Suppression: 1840-1890. USA: Princeton University Press. 6-7
  9. Toledano, E. R. (2014). The Ottoman Slave Trade and Its Suppression: 1840-1890. USA: Princeton University Press. 6-7
  10. Koigi, Bob. "Forgotten slavery: The Arab-Muslim slave trade". Fair Planet.
  11. "Saudi Arabia: Treatment of racial minorities, particularly black African Saudi nationals, by society and authorities (2012-2013)". Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada via Refworld.