Captives Quotes
“Musselman” was then a term for Muslims used by Europeans. The Arabs then, as many terrorists still do, commonly captured American and European ships enslaving the crews and passengers or holding them for ransom. Jefferson and Adams explained that if this could not be stopped and resolved it might mean war. The Americans could not understand why they were attacked when American had done nothing to offend the Arab Counties. The Arab envoy explained their “duty” and “right” to attack Americans and why war was not a serious deterrent to Islamic nations. Ironically, the same explanations were given by Arab leaders in the early 21st century to illustrate why the Arab countries could not be intimidated.
The source was in the form of an autobiography but was written later by someone unknown. Prior to WWII and the German killing of over 25 million people, Tamerlane was responsible for more killings than any other ruler in the world. 17 million is generally given as the number if one analyses the Persian, Indian and other literature. He controlled the Middle East, the Ottoman States, a part of Russia and Eastern Europe, Persia and much of China and India. Although he himself was a Muslim he warred against other Muslim states and warlords defeating them all. Muslim nations are historically very ambivalent about Tamerlane. Pride as a conqueror is eclipsed by this excessive rapine and murder. In one case, the Persian city of Isfahan, he actually built a giant pyramid of 70,000 decapitated heads of prisoners. Also, the fact that he attacked and defeated major Muslim empires violates a current Muslim notion that there is a unity of Islam. He attacked, conquered and butchered the Ottomans, Syria, Iraq, Persia and the Muslim (Mugal) states of India.
The Muslims were poised to make the final assault on Constantinople. Religious leaders were whipping up the troops by calling for Jihad and telling them those who fell in battle would enjoy immediate access to Paradise and the virgins that went with Islamic martyrdom. However, the Sultan did not trust religious fervor alone. He said this to the leaders of his soldiers who then spread the word. The City fell the next day. The troops had 3 days of looting, rape and pillage which the Sultan had promised, but there was almost no further damage to the infrastructure other than that caused by the seige cannons.
Lisbon had been conquered and was occupied by the Moors. Alfonso needed the French to oust the Moors. Such arrangements were not uncommon.
The colonists had united for a war against the Narraganset Indians. The Charter allowed them to keep captives as slaves.
Like the other people’s of the ancient world, the Jews on several occasions murdered captives and pillaged cities who had resisted them, there was never an occasion where captive peoples were forced into Judaism or denied the worship of their customary religion.
Johannis Leo de Medici. He had been a slave captured by Christians but was freed and converted by the Pope who commissioned the study. This work was the primary European resource on Africa for years. It demonstrates that Black slavery existed as an African institution for some time before the Europeans and Americans took it to a new plateau.
