"Religion's are notorious for promoting Racial Segregation". Discuss with reference to one specific historical period.

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“Religion’s are notorious for promoting Racial Segregation”. Discuss with reference to one specific historical period.

Racial segregation is a system of legal racial discrimination. Racial segregation has been apparent many times in our history and is still apparent today, especially in the Arab world such as in Israel and Afghanistan. There are many factors fro racial segregation such as economic, social, historic and allegedly religion. I will asses the claim that “religion promotes racial segregation” which I believe to be false. By examining evidence from racial segregation in the 19th and 20th centuries I intend to conclude my claim. Christianity has been an important force within this, as has Islam, so by examining these religions, within my argument, I will be helped to conclude to my claim.

Apartheid

        Apartheid was a system, which existed in South Africa for about 50years. It was abolished in the late 1980’s following a rapid change in public perception of racial segregation throughout the world. Apartheid is an Afrikaans word meaning ‘separation’ or ‘apart hood’. In English it means any legally sanctioned system of racial segregation. Basically, Apartheid was racial discrimination institutionalised.  

History of South Africa, leading to Apartheid

        The English and Dutch colonised South Africa in the 17th century. They used firearms to defeat the Africans, take the land and make the Africans into a race of servants. They believed that the Africans were ignorant, stupid and they gave them little and poor education, while the Europeans were educated thoroughly and expensively.

        In 1910, the union of South Africa was set up. This meant that the two white people, the Boers and the English, were united, after the two Boer wars, and given self-government. By doing this though the British liberal government had forgotten to safeguard the interests of three-quarters of the population, the black Africans. A member of the house of lords, supported by a bishop, did propse that africans should have the right to stand for parliament in South Africa, but the idea was pushed aside and the afircans were left without protection in the hand of their white empolyers. This idea supported by a bishop, suggests christianity opposed racial discrimination and segregation, however as a political idea, it had not enough support. Africans were often forgotton, they had not won any power and could not make their voice heard. Without political power, their lves remained the same as slaves to the white people. This was the start towards Apartheid.

        At the beginning of this century, europenas started to find it harder to keep their control over South Africa. With South Africa becoming the richest industrial country on the African continent, and africans doing all the manual labour making this welath, they wanted a share of it. They learnt about trade unions, through talking to each other, and how tese raised the standard of living for europena workers. With the modern world developing around them, these africans wanted their share o of wealth, idependance but mostly, of dignity.They could not be kept  scattered famrs and scattered agriculteral workers.

        The second reason for control becoming harder is because Aricans knew that there were not free, independent African states. Before this they thought that there were perhaps many things that the white man coud do and they could not. Now they knew that Africans too could run governements, armies, universities and realised that it was its edication and trainging, not the colour of one’s skin which makes the difference.

        The Europenas in South Africa had one of the highest standards of living in the owlrd with chepa servants, goods and the best jobs. They did not want the afircans to advance, gainging equal edications, increasing African wages and increaing he pirce of goods. The europenas wanted to keep their life of aristocracy and did this through Apartheid.  This form of racial segreation, at this point appeared to have no promotion from religion, but purely caused by economic, political and social factors.

Apartheid starts- timeline

        1948 → this South Afican Antional party wins the generla election. Apartheid starts. Stratesgists in the national party invented it as a menas to cementt control over the economic and social system. The initial aim of Arpratheid was to maintian white domination and extend racial segregation.

Apartheid in Practise

        The South Africans were to be kept separate by not beng allowed to live as citizens with rights in European towns. They were ordered to live in ‘Bantustans’, the native areas, which were slums and disease ridden communities. They were not allowed to mix with europeans by sitting in the same cafes, wating rooms compartments of trains, or seats in parks. They were not to bathe on the same beaches, go to the same cinemas, play on the same games fields or in the same teams. In white communities, where many afircans had to find work. Often there was only one public toilet fr the whole community. People would have to que for hours for a wooden shack. Whereas the white people could walz right into theirs. 12% of the land was left for the africans, most of which was dry, poor, mountainous land on which they had to farm and live. However over three- quarters of the popullation was african.

Mixed marriages and mixed sexual relationships were prohibited, and everyone had to register as white, black or mixed, but only white were excepted in society. Communist political groups were banned so the opportunity for equality between races was stopped.  Black people were even banned from certain areas and people from different races were prohibited from using the same public amenities and education facilities. These actions do not fit in with the benevolent nature of god. Religion therefore would not promote it as religion also follows this benevolent principle and believes in the equality of all.

        Africans become aliens in their own country

1951 → the bantu authorities establish a basis for ethinic governemtns in african reserves, known as the “homelands”. They were idependant states to which each african was assigned by the governmetn according to the record of origin. This was frequently inaccurate though. This meant all political rights, includign voting, which an african had were restricted to the designated homeland. This resulted in the black people in Sotuh Africa losing their citizenship in South Africa and becomgin citizens of their homeland. They lost any right of involvment with the South African parliament which held complete hegemony over the homelands. From 1976 to 1981, four of these homelands were creates and 9million South Africans were denationalized. Africans living in the homelands needed passports to enter entyer South Africa and became aliens in their own country.

1961 → South Africa left the commonwealth. Amny people in england and europe felt sorry for the africans. They believed Apartheid was wrong, even though they themselves were partly resonsible for creating it. Chruches thought that it was contary to christianity, suggesting that the hypothesis is wrong and religin does not promote racial segregation. Christian missions encouraged Africans to improve their position and atempted to educate themselves. They made peaceful, no violent, attempts to improve their postion. The christian chief Luthuli was given the nobel peace prize in 1960 for his efforts to abolish Apartheid.  This again suggests that christianty was attempting to improve racial harmony. Some africans decided that Luthli’s methods were useless and that only violence, secret organisation and sabbotage of government understatings would force a change in policy. An orgnisation called ‘ Psear of the nation’ was formed and one of its leaders was the famous Nelson Mandela, avtively involved in trying to improve the africans position in society. In 1964 however he was caught and given a life sentence for treason and sabbotage. He made a speech as his trial and it included this passage. “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the african people. I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ide of a democratic and free society in which I hope to live for and to see realized. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”. Nelson Mandella was not an actively christian man in faith but it appears he was one in morality. He believed in equality among all people, one thing which the bible teaches. He did not want wrongs for wrongs but tried to make them right, and this is another thing which the bible says jesus taught. This suggests again, that christainity was not promoting racial segregation as it would not contradict inslef if the government was truly religious, in both faith and morlaity.  

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The bible syas “ Thou shalt not kill”, however this is exactly what the white police were doing. They often killed inicent people, without remorse. In 1960 in the “Sharpville masacre”, this is exactly what happened when large groups of blacks in sharpville refused to carry their passes. The government declared a state of emergancy, accesible due to the public safety act and the criminal law ammendmant act of 1953, increasing penalties for protesting and disobeying the laws, which were against basic human rights. This lasted for 156 dyas, 69 people were left dead and 187 wounded.This wielded the ...

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