"To put matters bluntly, I come from a tradition where, even over 2500 years ago, in supposedly barbaric pre-Christian times, the followers of Buddha and Mahavira were ferociously debating whether it was ethical to unintentionally step on an ant and kill it (hence Jain monks wear masks to avoid unintentionally swallowing any tiny creature, or insect, and carry brooms to sweep aside any ants etc. in their path, to avoid “unintentionally” stepping on them and killing them). So the question is really: what was the ethical or moral justification in the West for mass murder and mass slavery of human beings?"