islamic-jihad-legacy-of-forced-conversion-imperialism-slavery

Islamic Jihadnever released; neither the British government desired so because of their apostasy). Cason paid £38 apiecefor each male captive, while a hopping £800, £1,100 and £1,392 for three females. Having run out of cash, hereturned to England with only 244 captives, leaving many more behind.Hereafter, the Barbary corsairs intensified slave-hunting in the sea; they also widened their sphere,attacking ships from far away Norway and Newfoundland. The Russians and Greeks were also enslaved alongwith merchants and noblemen from the Holy Roman Empire. Spain and Italy were the worst-hit, whileBritain, France and Portugal continued to be major victims. In 1672, famous Sultan Moulay Ismailconsolidated power and intended to expand the slave-hunting venture to hold the European rulers to ransomfor extracting large sums of tribute.In 1661, Portugal had handed over Tangier to Britain, when King Charles II was betrothed toCatherine of Portugal. The British government had planned to use Tangier, which stood across the straits ofGibraltar, to attack and eradicate the Barbary pirates. In 1677, Sultan Moulay Ismail ordered the capture ofTangier to clear the way for his slave-hunters. Sultan’s General Kaid Omar laid a siege on the garrison city of2,000 British occupants for five years but failed to overrun it. In 1678, Kaid Omar was able to capture eightdefenders and another fifty-seven in a new wave of attacks that followed. In 1680, Kaid Omar’s forces werepoised to overrun the garrison, but a British reinforcement arrived in time and beat back Kaid Omar’s forces,forcing the latter to abandon the offensive. 918King Charles II soon afterwards (December 1680) sent an ambassadorial delegation, headed by SirJames Leslie, to secure the release of the British soldiers, captured during the siege of Tangier. The arrival ofthe gifts for the sultan from London was delayed. So, Sir Leslie sent forth Colonel Percy Kirke to inform thesultan about the delay. A timid and drunkard with no diplomatic experience, Colonel Kirke was overwhelmedby the sight and charm of the dreaded sultan. Overawed by the extravagant welcome, hospitality and flatteryshown by wily Moulay Ismail, who had kept Europe at ransom, Colonel Kirke forgot his role and started anegotiation himself. When raised the issue of a peace treaty, the sultan offered a four-year truce, but asked forten big guns in return. The naïve Colonel not only obliged but also promised to ‘‘help him with everything helacked.’’ Colonel Kirke not only breached his role as an emissary, not a diplomat, he also totally forgot aboutthe captives, some 300 of them, held at the sultan’s palace. Overjoyed by his diplomatic success, he wrote toEngland, ‘‘I must tell the whole world, I have met with a kind prince and a just general.’’ 919At length the presents intended for the sultan arrived at Gibraltar and Sir Leslie left for the sultan’scourt. When he raised the issue of British prisoners, the sultan, not interested in the negotiation, withdrew andasked his General Kaid Omar to sign a truce. Unwilling to release the captives, the sultan reluctantly agreed torelease the seventy soldiers captured during the siege of the Tangier garrison, but asked for so high a pricethat Sir Leslie had to return to London empty handed.However, the sultan sent an ambassador, Kaid Muhammad ben Haddu Ottur, to London giving himall powers to negotiate the terms for the release of the English captives. The Sultan’s ambassadorial team wasgiven excellent hospitality for months in London. After intense negotiations behind closed doors, a truce waseventually signed: the British captives would be released at 200 Spanish dollars apiece and that the sultan’scorsairs would spare England’s coastal villages. No mention was made of the attack on British ships. But thewhimsical sultan disapproved the treaty and replied to the British King’s letter promising to rest only after ‘‘Ihave sat down before Tangier and filled it with Moors.’’ On the request for a negotiation about attacks onBritish ships, he wrote, ‘‘we have no need of it’’ and that the corsairs would continue their attacks.918. Ibid, p. 28,37–38919. Ibid, p. 39–41259