Why Did President Jefferson Read the Koran?

Wednesday

When Keith Ellison was sworn into office as a congressman, he wanted to swear on a Koran instead of a Bible, so they used Thomas Jefferson's Koran, which they borrowed for the occasion from the Library of Congress. The story behind Jefferson's Koran, and what he did with it, is an instructive look at the power of accurate knowledge.

It began before Jefferson was president. He was then the American ambassador to France, and he was disturbed by what was happening in the Mediterranean. For centuries, the "Barbary Coast Pirates" had been raiding ships passing through the Mediterranean. These were not "pirates" in the sense that we usually think of them. They weren't rogue agents acting independently. They worked for the governments of the North African countries. They would steal the ship and return to their countries, confiscating the booty aboard the ship, most of which added to the wealth of the Islamic state. They also took the ship's crew members captive and ransomed the ones they could. Most of that money also went to the Islamic government. The crew who could not be ransomed were sold into slavery.

In addition, these "pirates" randomly raided towns on the coasts of Europe and captured people, bringing them back to North Africa to ransom or sell into slavery. They even came so far as the shores of America to capture settlers, to bring them back to Africa to ransom or sell. They especially prized young women and children who could be used as concubines or made into eunuchs. Over a million Europeans and Americans were sold into slavery during the 200-year reign of the Muslim "Barbary Coast" rulers.

Many European countries wanted this to stop, of course, to which the leaders of the North African countries replied, "All you have to do is pay us a certain amount of money annually, and we will not attack ships from your country." Many European countries paid the tribute. It was cheaper than going to war. Of course, that was a short-term, self-defeating solution, since paying the tribute made the North African Muslim countries more powerful and more capable of terror, plunder, and mayhem.

The United States was paying this tribute also. This bothered Jefferson. It just so happened that while he was an ambassador in France, Jefferson met with John Adams (then the American ambassador to Britain) and together the two men met with the ambassador from Tripoli (one of the North African Muslim pirate countries). Jefferson and Adams sat down to talk with this man. They asked him why Tripoli attacked ships. Why attack the United States? They had no previous interactions. Why the hostility? Why did they choose America as an enemy?

The Tripoli Muslim ambassador was very straightforward. He said, basically, "That's what we do. We are commanded to do so by Allah." Jefferson later wrote that the Tripoli ambassador told him, "It was written in their Koran that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every mussulman (Muslim) who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to Paradise."

Completely taken aback by this revelation, Jefferson decided to look into the matter further, and did the one thing everyone should do: He read the Koran. He learned what Islam was about.

And when he became president, he expanded and then mobilized the United States Navy to protect American ships from Muslim piracy and then sent Marines to the shores of Tripoli, who soundly defeated the Muslim warriors. This brought an end to the "Barbary Coast Pirates." This was the first foreign war fought by the U.S. and military aggressiveness of Islamic countries remained contained and weakened for over a century.

It's amazing what a little accurate information can do.

Read more: Thomas Jefferson's Koran.

And for goodness sake, Take the Pledge to read the Koran yourself and convince everyone you know to do the same.

38 comments:

Citizen Warrior 1:17 PM  

Here's a little more history about the Barbary Coast Pirates:

Ships from Morocco (one of the North African countries) were nabbing ships from all over Europe, stealing the plunder and taking the Europeans captive to be sold as slaves in the North African cities of Algiers and Meknes.

The Jihadis also raided the coast of Europe. They sometimes captured all the people of a random, isolated town along the coast — men, women, and children — and took them back to North Africa to be sold as slaves.

England's response to this was unbelievably weak. I'm only halfway through the book, but so far they have shown no backbone whatsoever. They make ineffective attempts to BUY their citizens back, and they make "peace agreements" which, of course, the Muslims ignore when they wish.

That's how the English were dealing with it. And it went on for over two hundred YEARS!

Yesterday I came across a comment on an online article detailing how the Dutch handled a similar situation. They had been paying off the Algerian Corsairs (Muslim pirates), but the Corsairs seized Dutch ships anyway.

So the Dutch sent a squadron of warships to the main harbor of Algiers. On the way there, they captured several Corsair ships and towed them into the harbor, and demanded all their Dutch citizens back or they would hang all the Jihadis from the Corsairs.

The pasha thought they were bluffing, so they hung all their Muslim captives and left the ships in the harbor and went out to find more. They towed in another batch of Corsairs and made the same demand.

And what do you think happened?

All Dutch slaves were immediately released by the Algerians.

Traeh 1:51 PM  

Another excellent article from Citizen Warrior.

And a fascinating comment, too!

A bit OT:

I know a few Muslims through my work, and I appreciate them as individual human beings. Yet Muslims are part of a religion that is oppressive and destructive to non-Muslims, and a threat to freedom around the world. We have to find a loving, yet realistic and uncompromisingly tough, way to deal with this. Even while we tell the truth about Muhammad and Islam, hiding nothing of its terrible darkness, somehow love has to be to the forefront of what we do and say. That doesn't mean one should become an absolute pacifist, or reject self-defense for ourselves and other non-Muslims and the West. But somehow love needs to be at the forefront, to give us the best chances of success.

One reason I like this website is that it tells the truth about Islam, but without a harsh or negative tone. Maybe that's not exactly a "loving" approach, but it's closer than some other Islam-critical websites. I don't even know exactly what a "loving" approach would be, but as someone who has been highly critical of Islam for years now, I've been feeling the need to spread the truth about Islam in a different way, or with a different attitude. Since I'm not an evangelical Christian -- though I might be some sort of Christian -- I probably can't seek to convert Muslims to Christianity. But I still feel the need for a loving approach to raise up the purely negative one of pointing out the manifold dangers and depravities of Islam and Muhammad.

So I guess I'll have to work that out.

Traeh 1:59 PM  

A letter to Governor Christie re NJ Transit's recent firing of the man who burned pages of the Qur'an:

Chris Christie
Office of the Governor
PO Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-6000

Dear Governor Christie,
You are on the Board of NJ Transit. Were you in on the recent decision to fire a man for exercising his First Amendment rights? The man burned some pages of the Qu'ran.

Whatever one thinks of the man's action, his firing serves as a message to all of us: "If you exercise your First Amendment rights vis-a-vis Islam, Governor Christie may permit agencies under his authority to trample those rights."

NJ Transit has ripped a hole in the First Amendment not just for that one man, but for all the other employees at New Jersey Transit, and for every NJ government employee. This action helps to chill freedom of speech in the U.S., already chilled by self-censorship, as we saw in the case of the Comedy Channel, which not long ago censored its programming in response to death threats from a Muslim website. See: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/04/28/south_park_and_self_censorship_105331.html

Governor Christie, if the firing is not reversed immediately, and sincere public apologies made to the man by whoever was responsible for taking away his, and our, First Amendment rights, then those responsible for the firing should be immediately removed from office. They are not worthy to be public officials in the future.


*****************************

Anyone should feel free to use the letter I wrote above, or edit it to suit you.

Governor Chris Christie is on the Board of NJ Transit. The Executive Director is James Weinstein.

We should politely ask Governor Christie to order NJ Transit to apologize to the man who burned the pages, and to reverse his dismissal.

Chris Christie
Office of the Governor
PO Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-6000

NJ TRANSIT Corporation
James Weinstein, Executive Director
One Penn Plaza East
Newark, NJ 07105-2246
(973) 491-8800 (Board Inquires)
(973) 491-7314 (Fax)

Citizen Warrior 2:29 PM  

Traeh, I'm thinking along the same lines. Just the other day I was talking to a man I work with about Islam, and he told me some of the things that bother him about criticizers of Islam. They seem so angry and hateful, and it gives him sympathy for Muslims. We have a strong tradition in the West of wanting to protect the underdog. And somehow we have to change our approach to reach these kind-hearted underdog defenders so they can see the bigger picture, and I think for the sake of our own health, we have to find a way to inform about Islam without feeling so stressed and upset by the whole thing. There must be a way. Let's work it out together.

Ms. Cat 5:49 PM  

Hi Citizen Warrior,

I found your blog via Sultan Knish.

Anyway, I also think a softer speaking approach would be useful.

I once spoke to someone and I was telling them how I couldn't believe Muslims could do x, y, and z

and she respons, "yes! and they are so ugly to me!!!"

That was not the response I wanted. I actually think they (the women anyway) are pretty nice looking. The men, however, could learn to smile a bit more (but only if they mean it).

Anyway, at the same time, I don't want the truth to be sugar coated!!!

Civilus Defendus 10:03 AM  

Keith Ellison should not be considered an elected representative - swearing on the koran means he cannot protect and defend the US Constitution as islam's objective is to replace man-made law with "divine" sharia. Since islamic "divinity" includes murder and genocide, discrimination and oppression, pedophilia and rape, terror and war, well, I'm not buying.

Traeh 10:34 PM  

Glad to hear you agree on the love angle, Citizen Warrior.

On a different subject, here's an excerpt from a Washington Times article from Tuesday:

"A panel of national security experts who worked under Republican and Democratic presidents is urging the Obama administration to abandon its stance that Islam is not linked to terrorism, arguing that radical Muslims are using Islamic law to subvert the United States."

As one finds out if one reads the rest of the article, the panel put together a report. It's 150 pages or so, and included on panel are a number of people we will recognize as friends, including Andrew McCarthy (lead prosecutor in the first WTC attacks) and Diana West, author and columnist.

The 150 page report, called Sharia: The Threat to America, An Exercise in Competitive Analysis, Report of Team 'B' II, is free to read online, and includes a ten-page executive summary, which I read and found excellent. The authors also explain the long title. It's brilliantly based on the title of another report that marked a sea change in strategy toward the Soviet Union thirty years ago. The content of this new report is impressive, based as it is on the intellectual resources of a talented team that brings together a broad range of experience. And this team is on our side.

If you are tired of the "Religion of Peace" propaganda coming out of Washington for the last ten years, this report heralds a sea change to something remarkably realistic.

Traeh 10:39 PM  

List of co-authors of the report I mentioned in my immediately previous comment:


Team Leaders: Lieutenant General William G. “Jerry” Boykin—US Army (Ret.), former
Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence

Lieutenant General Harry Edward Soyster—US Army (Ret.), former Director, Defense Intelligence Agency

Associates:

Christine Brim—Chief Operating Officer, Center for Security Policy

Ambassador Henry Cooper—former Chief Negotiator, Defense and Space Talks, former Director, Strategic Defense Initiative

Stephen C. Coughlin, Esq. —Major (Res.) USA, former Senior Consultant, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Michael Del Rosso—Senior Fellow, Claremont Institute and Center for Security Policy

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.—former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy (Acting) President, Center for Security Policy

John Guandolo—former Special Agent, Counter-Terrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Brian Kennedy—President, Claremont Institute

Clare M. Lopez—Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy

Admiral James A. “Ace” Lyons—US Navy (Ret.), former Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet

Andrew C. McCarthy—former Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney (Southern District of New York); Senior Fellow, National Review Institute; Contributing Editor, National Review

Patrick Poole—Consultant to the military and law enforcement on antiterrorism issues

Joseph E. Schmitz—former Inspector General, Department of Defense

Tom Trento—Executive Director, Florida Security Council

J. Michael Waller—Annenberg Professor of International Communication, Institute of World Politics, and Vice President for Information Operations, Center for Security Policy

Diana West—author and columnist

R. James Woolsey—former Director of Central Intelligence

David Yerushalmi, Esq.—General Counsel to the Center for Security Policy


I'm up to page 45 or so, and I'm in pig heaven. I'm really enjoying reading it. It's really top-notch. Sure, I've found a tiny mistake or two, but I'm guessing they put it out under a deadline, so that's to be expected.

If you haven't seen it yet, Citizen Warrior, I suppose you are going to be pretty pleased.

Citizen Warrior 12:55 AM  

Thanks, Traeh. I'll check it out!

Just1Marine 1:32 PM  

Awesome post Brutha. Keep them coming.

Anonymous 5:22 AM  

Treah, thank you for your comment on finding a loving but firm way to deal with Islam and Muslims. Just yesterday I came across an article written in 2003, saying that, if present trends continue, there will be more Muslims than Christians in every major U.S. city by the year 2020. That's just 10 years away. Carl Ellis of Project Joseph, is another watchman seeking to warn the nation about the threat to our liberties, but he said,"...Christians need not look at Islam's success, but at Christianity's failure... I suspect Islam is rising, not because of the strength (of their message)but because of the retreat of the church." As an evangelical Christian trying to inform my friends about the threat, I'm constantly bumping heads with long-time friends and family members who are part of that uninformed or don't-want-to-be-informed majority. There are a few individuals warning of the threat while, at the same time, training Christians to appeal to the Muslim heart in a loving way, including Fuoud Masri's Crescent Project. We really are in a spiritual war,and we need every weapon in God's arsenal to make any headway. That's why I've been so concerned that some in the forefront in the fight against Muslim aggression (Wilders, Hirsi Ali and even Citizen Warrior) all claim to be atheists, and to discount all "religion" as evil. They're partly right. Religion is a manmade attempt to reach and appease God (god). That's why JESUS came so we could have a Relationship with our Creator. So I hope they will all find this relationship. Do like many Muslims have done: Read the Bible and pray earnestly that God will reveal Himself. -- Deborah Joan

Anonymous 5:32 PM  

One thing as a Marine. Thomas Jefferson had nothing to do with the formation of the U.S. Navy or of the Marine Corps at the time of the barbary pirates. We (Marines) were formed Nov, 10th 1775 at Tun's Tavern in Philadelphia.

Anonymous 10:45 AM  

Hi Citizen Warrior,
I liked your article so I translated it to share it on my blog so that a wider (german speaking) community has access to it. Of course I place a link back to your site and the original article and I also mention the original author.

I hope you don't mind? I plan to translate your articles to german from time to time. Please let me know if that is any problem.

So far you can find two translated articles:
http://schda.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/warum-hat-thomas-jefferson-den-koran-gelesen/ (Why has Jefferson read the Koran)
http://schda.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/dschihad-innerer-kampf/ ("But Jihad is an inner struggle")

Isley

Citizen Warrior 12:29 AM  

Isley, I don't mind. In fact, I think it's great. Translate all you want into German from Citizen Warrior!

Anonymous 1:32 AM  

OK and thank you!

Satya 3:39 AM  

Why is US President Obama not reading?
Why did Abrahalm Lincoln miss it? Still he did found principles of American culture. Obama follows him but then President Jefferson got exposed to evils of quran and Abrahalm Lincoln was not exposed. So that means Obama will not read?

Obama read Quran.. this should be next slogan.

Anonymous 1:08 AM  

lovely link on same subject:

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/opinion/sam-blumenfeld/4479-thomas-jeffersons-quran

The new President did not have a CIA to tell him what the enemy was like. He found that out by reading the Quran he had bought for his own edification. In other words, Jefferson’s copy of the Quran helped him understand the nature and mentality of the Muslim enemy. He was wise enough to do his own research long before the United States government had any intelligence apparatus.

The Barbary War was the first foreign war fought and won by the newly independent United States. After many attempts to appease the duplicitous Barbary Muslims, the U.S. finally decided that force was the only way to put an end to the piracy. And thanks to Jefferson, a new U.S. Navy was created to fight and win this war.

It’s hard to believe that all this history is unknown to Congressman Ellison as well as President Obama, who knows full well what is in the Quran and what motivates the global jihadists. He doesn’t need the CIA to tell him what we are up against in this new phase of our never-ending war with Islam, for as long as the religion of Islam exists it will never disobey its Prophet’s command to conquer unbelievers and dominate the world.

plusaf 9:50 PM  

this page's link was forwarded as a message at http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

with a comment that basically said, "it's a shame that the President will never see the content of this link..."

excellent writeup!
thank you.

Citizen Warrior 11:42 AM  

Someone emailed this comment:

Arab Islam's canvas is Arabia (the Arab World only. It is a religion "for the Arab, by the Arab, of the Arab". Outside it, it is sheer IMPERIALISM.

Today, Pakistan is the centre of this imperialistic ideology.Osama once said that "yes I know, Pakistan is fort of Islam". As long as Pakistan does not change like Bangladesh, situation won't change.B'desh renounced the very word Pakistan and returned to its original name B'desh.Likewise, pakistan will also have to change and become either "Muslim India" or
"Islamic Republic of India". The word Pakistan encourages jihadi tendencies and works as an inspiratin to terrorists.

Pakistan's anti-Hinduism and anti-Indianism have become a danger for the whole world. The whole idea to establish Caliphate for World Jihad, in the wilds of Afghan mountains, was an ISI idea.

Ciccio 6:05 PM  

It is very easy to incorporate the highest ideals of Christianity and of Islam. As the founder of the Muslim brotherhood himself said, the ultimate ideal is to die for Allah.
The ultimate Christian ideal is to live for Christ. The obvious Christian solution is to help as many Muslims as possible to die for Allah.

Lech Dharma 8:16 PM  

First of all, I just wanted to say to Citizen Warrior that you have been an inspiration and wealth of information to me, and I link to your blog and information pages quite often.

The Somali pirates are the NEW Barbary Coast pirates; inspired by the same ideology. Amazingly, I have heard their barbarous actions defended by Liberals, who say they do it out of "necessity"...because of the past oppression---and plunder of their natural resources---by Westerners.

Anonymous 5:09 AM  

Islam is a religion of peace and only peace yes in the early days the Prophet peace be upon him sent his people tp diff lands in order TO INVITE them to Islam. the Prophet also said " to you be your religion and to me mine" with regards to non-muslims. The distortion of Islam due to the 1st 3 caliphs took place after his passing and for that how can u accuse him? Islam does not have any depravities. Just read the Quran and try to develop a more rational mindset towards us Muslims.

Anonymous 5:16 AM  

You discriminate against a black man they call it racism. You discriminate against Jews you are a jew-hater a Nazi-lover.All other religions cannot be discriminated against for fear of being called an extremist But when it comes to violation and abuse of freedom in order to insult Muslims and degrade their religion u call it freedom of speech and your civil rights. Please learn to use your rights for the right purpose. Thankyou

Unknown 5:03 PM  


I am a true believer in all of the rights in the Bill of Rights, the 1st grants Us Freedom of Religion. I hold no animosity toward Islam, or any other religion that is not My own.

In My mind, anyone Who feels They must force anyone to believe Their way, or kill for it, don't truly believe in it Themselves.

All religions teach that the almighty (By whatever name You assign Him) is all powerful. If then that is the case, Why does anyone believe Their God needs Them?

The Divine Creator does not need Us, We need Him!

Unknown 9:04 PM  

Jefferson purchased The Koran in 1765


http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CF0QFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cairchicago.org%2Fdoc%2Fthomas_jefferson_quran.pdf&ei=rSOUUsKfD8P1oAS1zIGIDA&usg=AFQjCNG9ahNHkp24knYVhsV4sxP3CD63oQ&sig2=zsG0EaGMZ9wfJwsM7kaZXw&bvm=bv.57155469,d.cGU&cad=rja

Freedom ins't free. 12:50 PM  

I love history, and history has teach us much if we place attention, it's the door to a past, that we can learn to live our present to make a better future.
Ahhh islam ( can't capitalize, because I have no respect for it ) while I'm a believer, I can said I love islamic people as they are children of God, but with that much inbreed, one can't know if they are of God or not, for the simple fact that their original genes are being tainted, I can't love islam, because it's a cult of darkness, destruction, sadness, tears, killings... nothing more nothing less.

I'm from a country where islamics came not "inviting to accept their way of life" but through killing, stoning, crucify ,terror, and destroy, kidnap women and children to make them slaves, and kill many of the men... took my people 800 yrs of wars against them to get the country back.
Yes, those women that you see in pictures of islamic countries, are the offspring of European women.
islam IS NOT a religion, it's a cult, their god is the moon, and allah is nothing but in invention, as mohamed was NOT a prophet.
DECEPTION, is said to be the mother of all evils, deception is the best weapon that islam use against the ignorant, the naive, the weak, deception through taqiya, the art of lie to farther their agenda of conquer and convert..
Kafirs are all of us, once converted, we become less than second class citizens, we are slaves to them and we will work for them,
our women and children will be use as they please, we will be nothing but slaves, a property that they can destroy or use as they please. No be naive.
To the muslim who has wrote there that islam is the religion of peace, I will love to finish the sentence, " the religion of peace to muslims when they either kill the rest of us or convert " it's not for our peace.
The Constitution, DO NOT PROTECT cult nor hate, islam is against the Constitution 100% for islam to take strong hold here as they have done in most countries in Europe today ( sad to said, they should know better ) they need to destroy the 1th and second amendment, the first so people is banned to tell the truth of islam, second so people can't protect themselves when they attack, and attack they will.
In the USA today is 35 known terrorist camps, if they were so peaceful why those camps? and why anyone believe that BAMA is protecting islamics' because he's one of them, because they want to make of the USA the central Caliphate and while some or many people is sleeping in the USA, it's already a "fatwa" calling to muslims to attack the USA with terrorism, it's also promise to the islamic world that by 2016 the islamic flag is going to be on the top of the white house... so how good that sound?
Islam is about one thing and one thing only, conquer through terror, they will use anything, until is enough islamics in this country to take over
This is not hate, nor islamophobia invented by muslims, to silence people of the truth...this is accounts of millions of people that has dying in their hands, many of which were my people, this is the account of thousands of Christians slaughter every week by them while here they find shelter to conspire against the USA. muslims will never blend, they are walking bombs, and people must understand this, the USA is in dangers, the people base on their ignorance, are allowing their children to be teach wrong about islam, especially girls, mosques and islamic schools are placing seed on the children to hate America... wake the hell up, it's only ONE AMERICA and the world, the human kind need this country to protect humanity...before is destroy.
It's NOT radical, terrorist, moderate islamic, is plain in simple ISLAM. I hope Americans paid attention... Citizen warrior, is a good nick, I go under Freedom, in many sites, and I'M A WARRIOR... islam is against freedom. I'm against islam.

Make God be with all and everyone of you, protecting your home.

MAGGIEB 9:53 PM  

CONTINUED FROM POST ABOVE

After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:
Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%
At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:
Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Nigeria – Muslim 50.4%
Chad – Muslim 50.3%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%
From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and ***ya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:
Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%
After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:
Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%
100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:
Afghanistan – Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%
Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and to satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.

Anonymous 10:25 PM  

Rationality cannot have coexistence with the irrationality of Islam.

Citizen Warrior 1:40 PM  

I am not a Christian or Jew, but I can tell you that the nature of the language in the Bible is different in important ways to the language in the Koran. Read more about that here:

http://www.meforum.org/2159/are-judaism-and-christianity-as-violent-as-islam

Anonymous 12:33 AM  

I mean.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privateer#Overall_history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_slave_trade

The French, Dutch, US, Spain they all used privateering.

The Barbary pirates were basically the Ottoman Empire's equivalant of the British Privateers and the French Corsairs.

I don't really see a huge difference between the Ottoman Slave Trade and Barbary piracy, and what Europeans("Christians") were doing in Africa, South America and other parts of the world.

"The 'Spanish Requirement of 1513 ("El Requerimiento") was a declaration by the Spanish monarchy of its divinely ordained right to take possession of the territories of the New World and to subjugate, exploit and, when necessary, to fight the native inhabitants. The Requirement was read in Spanish to Native Americans to inform them of Spain’s rights to conquest. Those who subsequently resisted conquest were considered to harbor evil intentions. The Spaniards thus considered those who resisted as defying God’s plan, and so used Catholic theology to justify their conquest."

It's not about religion. That's just an excuse used by imperial powers to convince the lower classes of their population.

So the Ottomans were trying to stifle the trade routes of European nations, and supply a luctrative business with slaves. NOT a new strategy, or in any way unique to the Ottoman Empire.

Kim Richardson 8:33 PM  

Yes- and thank our founding fathers to divide church and state- none of that terror to be applied to our human lives in our society. Presently this is not so for the Middle Eastern countries that reign with Sharia Law a serious threat to our rights in the west as human beings. The world needs to wake up!

Jerry 11:27 PM  

Treah, I do believe that most Muslims are good people with good values. I just find it hard to believe that Islam is a peaceful religion. It does not have tolerance for other beliefs. Under Islam everyone falls under Sharia law, and it is the duty of the followers of Allah to enforce the laws os Islam even on those that do not believe in Islam. Why the intolerance?

Jerry 11:32 PM  

Soundhoud, have you red the New Testament? Because if you have please mention a discriminatory statement from Jesus!

Unknown 1:26 PM  

Very interesting

Anonymous 3:53 PM  

The above is basically right, but to correct one important part of the story:

Jefferson's campaign (and Adams') against the Barbary Pirates didn't end the threat. Through a series of mistakes, poor management, bad luck (notably the grounding and capture of USS Philadelphia and the later explosion of fireship Intrepid), there was no conclusive victory until after the War of 1812. At that point the newly experienced US Navy, fresh with victory and captured British ships, came back and demanded forcefully that the pirates sign a permanent peace treaty without tribute. Only that show of overwhelming force made them back down. The Europeans, who could have used their own navies to crush the pirates decades earlier but preferred trying to play the pirates against other Europeans, then followed America's example -- except that France invaded and kept Algiers.

The victory stands in sharp contrast to the early years under Washington and Adams, when the US did pay tribute in gold, jewels, other trinkets, and even weapons that were then used against Americans. We'd do well to learn from that experience, too, when equipping "moderate" Muslim rebel groups.

Unknown 7:44 AM  

Those concerns in Leviticus of the bible are of Old Testament which preceeds the New Testament writings of Jesus. Christians are to be guided or motivated by the New Testament as it overrides the old testament. That is an important distinction. Most Founding fathers used New Testament principles in thier formulation of Constitution and Declaration articles. Church has guided our founding fathers! But freedom of religion was important however Islam was not considered properly at that time.

Anonymous 9:33 AM  

He read the Kuran to know his enemies. Just as Patton read Rommel's book. Don't confuse this with the liberal dems that want to make you believe he used it as reference when writing our sacred heritage.

Anonymous 2:10 PM  

What else can expected from Jefferson kaafir ? Nothing !Where is he now ? Rotting in hell !
No matter what you kufaar do ,Islam is there to remain .Even if you strangulate yourselves ,Islam is there.
Islam is the only reasonable religion.

Article Spotlight

One of the most unusual articles on CitizenWarrior.com is Pleasantville and Islamic Supremacism.

It illustrates the Islamic Supremacist vision by showing the similarity between what happened in the movie, Pleasantville, and what devout fundamentalist Muslims are trying to create in Islamic states like Syria, Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia (and ultimately everywhere in the world).

Click here to read the article.


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