Ottoman Algeria in Western Diplomatic History with ... - Bibliothèque

shores of the Mediterranean, the word ‘corsair’ became synonymous of one
who had been authorized by a state or a sovereign to pursue “a holy war against
the enemies of faith” on the high seas. 110 Therefore, the corsair in general was a
holy warrior or faith fighter. As far as Algiers is concerned, and according to
the Muslim tradition of warfare, one may unequivocally state that the Algerian
corsair, far from being a pirate and inveterate sea-robber, was the “champion of
Islam and pride of Muslims.” 111 He practiced el-harb fi el-bahr or war at sea as
a form of jihad against the enemies of Islam. Therefore, he was a mujahid 112 or
ghazi 113 “who carried warfare to the very homes of infidels.” 114
The religious motivations were so closely associated with corsairing that
the meaning of the term Ghazi was grafted on all holy warriors of the
Mediterranean Basin. According to John F. Guilmartin, Jr., a member of the
United States Air Force, “the ghazi psychology and mode of operation at sea”
was “more Mediterranean than exclusively Muslim; the Knights of St. John of
Malta were essentially Christian ghazis [sic].” 115 According to this logic, the
Muslim corsairs, just like all Christian corsairs, had acquired a legal status of
faith warriors whose rulers had officially permitted them to fight the enemies of
their religion, i.e.: the Christians. Therefore, and by the very legal standards of
Europeans, seizure of Christian commercial shipping by Algerian corsairs was
110 Earle, Pirate Wars, p. 39.
111 Panzac, “La course barbaresque revisitée,” p. 27.
112 Kaddache, L’Algérie Ottomane, p. 31.
113 Ghazi is a name given to those who dedicated themselves to war against the infidels on the frontiers
of Muslim lands. It was also used as a title of respect and had a more permanent connotation than the
Christian equivalent, ‘crusader.’ “Ghazi,” in Bernard Lewis, ed. The Encyclopedia of Islam, New
Edition, (London, 1960), p. 1043. 24. For the importance of El-Ghazawat in the rise of the Ottoman
Empire see Hess, “The Moriscos,” p. 8.
114 Panzac, Corsaires barbaresques, p. 21; Panzac, “La course barbaresque revisitée,” p. 30.
115 Guilmartin, “Tactics of Lepanto,” p. 60.
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