Islamic Influence Quotes



The Barbary Pirates of Algiers, led and controlled by the Bey or Dey (king) had an incredible extortion racket going in the Mediterranean. If nations would pay them an annual sum each year, they would not attack and seize merchant ships of that country and sell the ships and goods while holding the sailors for ransom. The only thing that the Algerians seemed to be interested in was money and religion.


Few non-Arab Muslims would publicly admit this historical truth, and at the time this view was shocking to the most religious men in Turkey. However it resonated with many of the average citizens. The entire Arab world had been subject to and controlled by Turkey, and amongst the Turks, the backward Arabs, were not very popular and were historically seen as underdeveloped colonial subjects.