The Arabian Peninsula
Before Islam, as there was no single authority in the Arabian Peninsula, every tribe was autonomous. Every tribe had its own customs, traditions, chief and idols. Nobody could break the customs, violate the orders of the chief or worship any idol other than the idol of tribe.
Women had no rights of marriage or divorce. They had to marry or live with the person their parents or guardians decided upon.
They had no rights of ownership or inheritance, and no choice but to beg for a living if their husbands passed away.
Slaves were oppressed and insulted. They were dominated. They had to work hard without any pay or food. If they resisted, they faced death.
While the chiefs of tribes amused themselves with alcohol and female slaves, the people had to work hard to secure their basic needs and pay.
In the East:
In China Confucius was canonized, Buddha in India, Zerdust and Jamshid in Persia and statues were built of them.
The Indians sanctified cow, the river Ganges, while the Persians sanctified Lake Sawa; and began to worship these inanimate objects.
There was terrible discrimination among people. Dictators were seen to immortal. Rajas, nobles, and rich people were the upper classes and they were immune. Other people were miserable, downtrodden and exploited.
Women were seen to exist merely for the sexual satisfaction of men. Slaves were dominated and had to work hard and were put up in stables alongside animals.
The poor were financing the extravagance of the rich through heavy taxes. Those who could not afford to pay were imprisoned.
In the West:
The West was different from the East in terms of belief. Its religion was Christianity, yet it was undergoing the darkest time of its history.
People were fighting against hunger and diseases. While there was shortage of bread, the kings and the lords in palaces and the priests in churches were enjoying luxuries.
The kings and lords extorted money from the people to cover their extravagances. The priests, too, forced people to come to the church and confessing, even fining them. While even kings and lords were threatened with excommunication, poor people were required to attend churches to confess and give all their earnings to the priests. However, the priests were not content. They began to sell parcels of heaven to the rich and became incredibly wealthy.
What about women and slaves? They were exploited to even a greater degree.
Some slaves were forced to work hard without any food or pay, while others were set to pull the oars, being whipped and mistreated.
Christianity, which was once a true religion, had now become deformed and a tool of exploitation. It was a cause for the masses to be mistreated and impoverished.
John W. Drapper, a historian says in this regard: