Abina’s and Al-Afghani’s Reactions Situation

Abina and Jamal Al-Afghani
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Abina and Jamal Al-Afghani
           The book Abina and the Important Men highlights African-European encounters in West Africa at the start of 19th-century colonialism where there was slavery and tells the story through a slave woman seeking justice. On the other hand, Jamal al-Din Al-Afghani was a political reformer who revived Islamic civilization to counter European imperialism and expansion. Al-Afghani was a reformer and defender of Islam and the place of Muslims in science. West Africans and Muslims were divided amongst themselves, making it more difficult to challenge western imperialism and colonialism. Abina and Al-Afghani sought support from influential men and resisted the British imperial rule that imposed a foreign culture and restricted the local culture, but Abina used the British courts to gain freedom. Al-Afghani mobilized internally and sought outside help to fight for collective and political rights.
Abina’s and Al-Afghani’s reactions situation
Abina was enslaved, and Al-Afghani witnessed the problem of British imperialism in India and was well travelled, but they both wanted freedom. When Abina realized the British had abolished slavery, she ran away from her master Quamina Eddoo and moved to the Gold Coast to seek freedom. Al-Afghani also reacted to British imperialism by seeking justice and freedom for Muslims under British rule, but he did not seek personal freedom as he was not enslaved. Abina was not educated or informed about slavery, abolition and the British colonial courts, and her emancipation would also benefit other women on the gold coast. Al-Afghani’s perspective differed from Abina‘s as he focused more on the Muslims as a collective seeking to use religion to unify Muslims under British imperialism. [Trevor R Getz., and Liz Clarke, Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History. (Oxford University Press, 2016), 5-8]
Abina and Al-Afghani seek an audience with other people to demonstrate that British imperialism required political sovereignty and freedom. Abina is a victim of the system as she is a poor black woman, but she is a dynamic character seeking change to address injustice in society. However, she had to seek the assistance of influential men, including court officials. Unlike Abina, Al-Afghani was learned, and he wrote letters and tried to convince Muslim leaders in different jurisdictions to unite against western imperialism, which was a common enemy. As such, Al-Afghani sought support from influential leaders groups in the Muslim world[Getz and Clarke, 9.]
Abina challenged the status quo and took her master to British colonial court in a Gold Coast court, while Al-Afghani highlighted the negative impact of British imperialism on Muslims. Abina had been silenced as a slave, but she escaped and went to the Cape Coast to seek justice. Abina is not fazed by ‘important men’ seeking to control her, including her master and court officials. To Al-Afghani, British imperialism restricted the rights of Muslims where there were also restrictions on their means of livelihood. Both Abina and Al-Afghani highlighted British imperialism and colonialism had resulted in the oppression of the local people, but Abina fought against the system using the courts. On the other hand, Al-Afghani rejected all European systems and structures, and in his writings, highlighted how British imperialism subjugated Muslims. Afghani’s rejection of the British system influenced his decision to seek external support against the British. He noted that the British had led to the decline of the Muslim kingdom and “found within it fifty million Muslims, each of whom was wounded in heart by the extinction of their great kingdom”.[Nikki R Keddie, "Imperialism, Science and Religion: Two Essays by Jamal al-Din al-Afghani 1883 and 1884”." Modern Middle East Sourcebook Project (2004): 7.] [Keddie, 7.]
Historical accounts on Abina and Al-Afghani showed British Empire exploited and disregarded the treated local people’s rights and ways of life, but Abina and Al-Afghani focused on autonomy and self-determination. While there was slavery in the pre-colonial times, the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism increased demand for slaves and slavery practice became more widespread in West Africa. Abina’s position in the society limited her influence on the society compared to Al-Afghani, who was learned about Islam and had travelled across the Muslim world. When Abina seeks court service, a court official tells her "the British are doing their best to civilize this place with the help of men like me". Those supporting the empire including the court officials highlighted the British was a "civilizing mission”, but there were hidden horrors and the British were intent on exploitation.[Getz and Clarke, 10.]
Aspects of imperial culture
Abina and Al-Afghani acknowledged that the British had managed to integrate English law in local administration allowing them to entrench the imperial culture, but the justice system served British interests. In Abina, the imperial culture includes courts of law, and Abina seeks freedom and justice through the Br...