In fact, as this book will show, Islamic philosophy is and continues to be, even in the twentieth century, fundamentally medieval in spirit and outlook. Consequently, from the time of Thomas Aquinas and Roger Bacon until now, interest in this thought has been cultivated in the West only in so far as it could be shown to have a direct or indirect bearing on the development of European philosophy or Christian theology. More recently, attempts have been made by Western scholars to break away from this pattern and to approach Islamic philosophy as an intellectual concern in its own right, but the fruits of these efforts remain meager compared to the work of scholars in such cognate fields as the political, economic, and social development of the Muslim peoples.
Watumwa walikuwa wanachukuliwa kutoka hata katika wakati wa Ufalme wa Kirumi, lakini "biashara halisi ya Utumwa" ilianza mnamo karne ya 16 baada ya ujio wa mataifa ya Kikristo ya Ulaya. Edward A. Alpers wa Chuo Kikuu cha Dar- es Salaam, anaandika kwamba; "kama tunavyoleta utofautisho baina ya biashara inayoambatana katika watumwa ambayo ilichuruzika katika sahara kutoka magharibi mpaka kaskazini ya Afrika kuanzia siku za nyuma sana za wakati wa utawala wa Ufalme wa Kirumi, kwa upande mmoja, na kioja tunacho kiita The West African Slave Trade kwa upande mwingine, kwa hiyo lazima tulete tofauti hiyo hiyo kwa Afrika ya Mashariki." 111 .