I believe that the Atlantic World worked towards less religious freedom. There are several examples of this goal. Sultana Afroz’s article speaks of the intolerance of the Muslim faith and also argues against a greater role for religious freedom in Atlantic World. Islam was not on the radar for most of the Christian population in Jamaica. Afroz’s argument that a significant proportion of African Christians were actually Muslims seems logical, and the reactions of the Christian population in the islands do show that Islam was not a tolerated religious faith in the Christian dominated portions of the 18th century Atlantic World. [1] The Port Jews mentioned in Klooster’s article experienced both acceptance and discrimination throughout their history in the Atlantic World. [2] Pre-1630, Sephardim Jews in port cities were not able to practice their faith freely. It was not until after the recognition of the Sephardim’s contributions to the Dutch colonies that they were awarded special privileges. The practices of Ferdinand and Isabela also show a significant amount of religious intolerance. The forced conversions of certain faiths allowed them to obtain permission to move to the New World. These individuals, conversos, eventually began to be persecuted as well. Also, forced baptism upon arrival in the Atlantic world also show that many were also converted by force and not a desire to practice the Christian faith. Thronton does argue that many African were exposed to some form of Christianity before leaving Africa. This experience allowed for the development of a New World religion that was a combination of African and Christian religions. Established Christian communities existed throughout European settlements in Africa. When individuals arrived in the Atlantic communities, they were told how to best blend their own traditions with those of being a good Christian. [3] While the clergy did try and stop several practices of African tradition, those same traditions can be seen as components of Voodoo today.
[1] Sultana Afroz, "The Jihad of 1831-1832: The Misunderstood Baptist Rebellion in Jamaica," Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs (2001) 21, no 2: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=03f99dbe-1e3a-49ca-9f8b-66d03ee1eeec%40sessionmgr12&vid=2&hid=10 (accessed June 19, 2012).
[2] Wim Klooster, "Communities of port Jews and their contacts in the Dutch Atlantic World," Jewish History (2006) 20: http://www.springerlink.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/content/?k=doi:("10.1007/s10835-005-9001-0")&MUD=MP (accessed June 19, 2012).
[3] John K. Thornton, "On the Trail of Voodoo: African Christianity in Africa and the Americas," The Americas (Jan., 1988) 44, no 3, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1006906 (accessed June 19, 2012).
THough I would agree with you in most of your post, I believe the Jews actually experienced more religious freedom. Though discriminated against in the New World, they were much more so in the Old World, where Jews were not allowed to reach social status. In the New World, though not right away, the Jews were able to prove themselves invaluable to the corporate powers of the region, and thus were allotted much more personal and religious freedoms, and more importantly, social status. The Jews were integral in their role in many of the port cities of the western Atlantic World.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I agree that the Atlantic World did set certain restrictions in regards to faith - which was that Christianity was only allowed for the most part. However, I believe that the New World was much more tolerant in comparison to the Old World. African Christianity was far from orthodox with its relation of African gods to Christian saints. As noted by Thornton, African Christianity was accepted in the New World, in Africa, and most importantly by the Church. It is true that Christianity was forced upon the African slaves, but it also, "allowed the Africans to retain their old cosmology, their old understanding of the structure of the universe and the place of the gods and other divine beings in it” (Thornton, 278). In comparison, African Christianity would not have been accepted in Europe because of the power of state churches and its orthodoxy. In the New World, state churches had less of an influence which allowed different forms of Christianity - such as African Christianity to exist.
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