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.
And a comment on the original article:
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.
Poster Comment:
And that damned idiot Muzzie in the White Hut never misses any opportunity to talk about how Islam is one of America’s founding religions, one that has been “woven into the fabric of our country since its founding.” A damnable lie and he has to know it. As to the founders, John Adams, his son John Quincy (both of whom became presidents) and Ben Franklin all criticized Islam as a doctrine of war, not a religion.
In fact, the father of American jurisprudence, Justice Joseph Story, throughly slammed Islam.
Mahomet aimed to establish his pretensions to divine authority, by the power of the sword and the terrors of his government; while he carefully avoided any attempts at miracles in the presence of his followers, and all pretences to foretell things to come. His acknowledging the divine mission of Moses and Christ confirms their authority as far as his influence will go while their doctrines entirely destroy all his pretensions to the like authority…. And now, where is the comparison between the supposed prophet of Mecca, and the Son of God; or with what propriety ought they to be named together?…The difference between these characters is so great, that the facts need not be further applied.