Islamic Terrorism in Early America

[LadyEagle]

With the exception of studying abroad, all of the above.

 

[DavidsonBap]

That is wonderful Lady Eagle - That you are friends with some Muslims. I'm glad they have told you their faith does not teach terrorism and that you are educated about Islam.

 

[LadyEagle]

Actually, they get publications which advocate overthrow of the American government. Should I turn them in?

 

[DavidsonBap]

Right.

 

[LadyEagle]

But by this time, the Barbary Pirates had become allies to the English and French, which greatly reduced their tribute revenue.

I would like to see some documentation to support this claim that they were allies.

According to observers of the late 1500s and early 1600s, there were around 35,000 European Christian slaves held throughout this time on the Barbary Coast - many in Tripoli, Tunis, and various Moroccan towns, but most of all in Algiers. The greatest number were sailors, taken with their ships, but a good many were fishermen and coastal villagers. Out of all these, the British captives were mostly sailors, and although they were numerous there were relatively fewer of them than of people from lands close to Africa, especially Spain and Italy. The unfortunate southerners were sometimes taken by the thousands, by slavers who raided the coasts of Valencia, Andalusia, Calabria and Sicily so often that eventually it was said that 'there was no one left to capture any longer'.

'White slaves in Barbary were generally from impoverished families...'
There are no records of how many men, women and children were enslaved, but it is possible to calculate roughly the number of fresh captives that would have been needed to keep populations steady and replace those slaves who died, escaped, were ransomed, or converted to Islam. On this basis it is thought that around 8,500 new slaves were needed annually to replenish numbers - about 850,000 captives over the century from 1580 to 1680.

By extension, for the 250 years between 1530 and 1780, the figure could easily have been as high as 1,250,000.

British Slaves on the Barbary Coast

Which should be proof, to any logical thinker, that you CANNOT negotiate (to your advantage, anyway) with terrorists/thugs/criminals etc. etc.

Exactly. The Europeans had been paying "tribute" and meeting the Islamic Barbary demands for 300 plus years. WE were the ones who stood up to them, albeit, out of necessity once we gained our independence, but we did, nevertheless.

 

[Johnv]

Originally posted by LadyEagle:
I would like to see some documentation to support this claim that they were allies.

Check your local history books. Even in the website cited in the OP: "Turkey, overlord of Barbary, was an ally of Britain. The North Africans depended on free trade with France for supplies."

 

[LadyEagle]

Still can't find any documentation, though, John. Turkey, being overlord of Barbary, still isn't the same thing as Barbary being allies with the English and French.

At any rate, this is an interesting study and history does have a way of repeating itself, like the old saying goes.

 

[hillclimber]

Originally posted by DavidsonBap:

The world has not seen a worse religion than Islam in it's history, and I fail to see why you want to defend it. The fact that the vast majority would like to live in peace doesn't in any way ameliorate, or negate the words of destruction of infidels written in their Koran. It serves the purpose of declaring them sinners for not murdering infidels. A people deciding to dedicate themselves to something, must be held responsible for the consequences.

 

[robycop3]

They were pirates in the vein of Blackbeard, mostly out for personal gain. Their particular division of Islam held Christians & Jews in great disdain.

Two earlier Moslem pirates who were held in much-higher esteem were the brothers Horuk and Khair-Ed-Din Barbarossa. They were GREEKS who converted to Islam and allied themselves with the Turks, especially in their battles with Spain and Italy. Horuk became ruler of Algiers by becoming an ingrate & murdering the emir of Algiers who had taken him in as an ally against Spain. However, his career was ended when he mistakenly took on the Spanish on land & was killed by forces unger Gen. Gomarez in 1518.

His brother Khair-Ed-Din, was made Admiral of the Turkish fleet, while remaining as a pirate against Spain & Italy. He had several savage sea battles with Andrea Doria's Italian fleet, but was still able to ravage the coast of Italy for several years. He died full of honor in Constantinople, 1546, age 81.

While both were ferocious fighters, they were not known for atrocities. However, Horuk cut off a sailor's head for questioning his command to attack a powerful Papal galley(which they boarded & captured) and for hanging Spanish friars who spoke against Islam. (However, he treated other friars as POWs, holding them for ransom from the RCC, which they usually paid.)

In a way, they were early Barbary pirates, operating outta Algiers, but they weren't universally hated and detested by all Europe as were the later Barbary pirates from Algiers, Tunis, etc. England, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, & Holland were too busy fighting each other to send a small fleet to suppress the pirates. When push came to shove, those pirates were NOT really too tough, as the small USA force easily vanquished them at sea, then decimated them on land.

Those later pirates often made prisoners swear fealty to Islam at swordpoint. The Barbarossa Bros. were never known to have done that.

 

[LadyEagle]

http://cedarmailer.com/americancongress/pages/Petitions/ActivePetition.asp?pid=2

 

[Bro. James]

Unsolicited observations: The ones with the gold make the rules. History is written by the victorious, not necessarily the righteous.

The god of this world is still at war with the Creator. Jesus has bruised his head. It is finished.

Selah,

Bro. James

 

[hillclimber]

congrats on the 1K posts Bro.James.

 

[fromtheright]

And, LE, it was done without a declaration of war by Congress.