- Regarding Chronos' charge of Imperial America as an 'Evil' Empire...
You think this is America as an evil empire? If some ASB came and actually turned America evil (because quite frankly, there are a lot of tradition and social checks that prevent us from going that way, not that we can't have our wrong moments like any other nation), the world would be a LOT worse off than it is. If we were evil, do you really think we'd be futzing around trying to rebuild a civilian government in Iraq? That place would be under a Military government and the Oil would be flowing...and there would be a lot, lot less people in Iraq. And that would just be the beginning...
Fortunately, the USA is not an evil empire. Do we have flaws? Everyone does. But evil? Nope.
- Regarding the question of slavery in Islam.
Just like Judaism and Chrisitianity, Islam came to the world at a time when slavery was taken for granted as a part of life. But the Prophet Mohammed conveyed as one of the main pillars of Islam the freeing of slaves (on an individual basis as an act of charity, granted, not the removal of the entire institution). This was at the time, I think, the most anti-slavery position taken by any religion of the time (maybe Buddhism was better, but I don't recall it being ever specifically addressed, and it wasn't up there as a major tenet).
If you go with a literal following of the Prophet's teachings, then over time the Islamic view on slavery becomes dated and regressive. However, if it is taken in the spirit of the times in which it was promulgated, then it really indicates that the freeing of slaves is an important aspect of Islam, and one would assume that the ultimate fruition of that would be the freeing of all slaves...ie abolition.
Slavery is not an aspect of Islam. On the contrary, freedom is. One could argue that the true follower of Islam should believe that all people should be free of any servitude, except to God, which should be an absolute surrender (thus the name, Islam). Which, BTW, is not all that different from 'Giving one's self to Christ' in spirit, if you think about it.
Of course, just as in Christianity, many things have been and are done in the name of Islam that have very little to do with it....