Shores of Tripoli

If this is your first visit, go to "Archives": "November 2014" and read "Introduction".

It is good to remember some history. 

In the 18^th and early 19^th centuries, the Mediterranean Sea was in the grips of Muslim terror from the Ottoman provinces of North Africa generally referred to as the Barbary States. It should be noted that though the Barbary States were nominally a part of the Ottoman Empire, the Empire had little practical influence over the States. 

The practice was for Barbary pirates to capture European and American merchant ships, steal the ships and cargo, and hold the crews.  The Barbary States then demanded tribute to free the crews and curtail the practice.

The new born United States, having just fought the Revolutionary War, sent an ambassador to the region to try and reach an agreement with the Barbary States.  There is much history in all this that I do not intend to go into at this point, but the upshot was that the negotiations resulted in a treaty. It was during these negotiations that Thomas Jefferson, the above mention ambassador, uttered the famous words “millions for defense, not one penny for tribute”.

It is interesting to note that the Tripoli ambassador, during the negotiations, presented the following view point as reported by Thomas Jefferson:

“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 who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise. He said, also, that the man who was the first to board a vessel had one slave over and above his share, and that when they sprang to the deck of an enemy's ship, every sailor held a dagger in each hand and a third in his mouth; which usually struck such terror into the foe that they cried out for quarter at once.”

Stack this along side the recent statements of Imam Anjem Choudary.

Religion of Peace?  Well, provided you convert to Islam.

Shortly after Thomas Jefferson was sworn in as President, the Barbary States habit of infringing on the treaty became too numerous and blatant to ignore.  President Jefferson sent the new U.S. Navy in to the region following authorization from Congress to do all necessary to protect US ships and citizens.

The result was a two-year war with one of the Barbary States, Tripoli.  The Navy, along with the Marines (remember the hymn) prosecuted the war to a victory over Tripoli, which resulted in a treaty with the Ottoman Empire that ended the piracy (terror) of the Barbary States.

Perhaps there are some lessons for our current invertebrate leadership.