Turning Turk

I found the article's description at the beginning of the article the most interesting, where the typical battle of English (good) versus Turk (evil) is laid out. It makes sense that the English needed and wanted a physical representation of evil to battle, and that came in the form of the Turks. On page four, the article clarifies that Englishmen were not afraid of "cultural domination", but actually afraid of being "conquered, captured and converted". By placing the responsibility for their possible pending conversion on the Turks, and making it seem like an act of force, maybe they were trying to clear their consciences about conversion. If anyone converted to Islam, it was an act of force, NEVER an act of willpower.

Later instances of representing the devil through the Turks are listed on page five: the article contains a text referring to the Turks in the singular, as "the wicked monster and damned soul Mahumet". The English lump all of the Turks into a category similar to saying that group of people 'over there', represented by a single person equal to Satan. While this godless existence was often associated with Turks, I found a sermon by Martin Luther discussing this very subject...even admitting the religious devotion of the Turks in comparison with the pope, and despite their refutal of key Christian doctrine (although he also associates them with the devil!).