Any man can adopt any profession to earn his livelihood. Being a merchant is a respectable profession among the Muslims.
Merchants had a very favorable view in the Islamic world as the purveyors of goods and emissaries of their religion.
Muslims
Muslims traveled with no weapon being carried when entering city or town to trade. (happy Muslims =])
Muslims in general and Arab Muslims were the best merchants of the time. They travelled all over the world and discovered many lands and sites on earth. They sold and purchased goods and spread good manners and love. This was the main cause for many nations to know Islam and finally embrace it from Asia to china and Africa.
Hung over and itchy
Non-Muslims inspired by other Muslims all over the world lead them to mosques !
The trade that Muslims performed was direct competition for the Portuguese merchants. By the natural laws of competition, the Portuguese wanted to shut down Muslim shipping to expand the ambit of Portuguese shipping. The fact that Muslims were evangelizing a religion that the Portuguese believed to be demonic (Islam), did not help improve the Muslim merchants' esteem in the Portuguese government-leaders' minds.
they are suppose to feel relieved and clean! That is the most important trip they will ever take in there life!
Yes, if they feel so inclined.
Muslims consider Jesus as a prophet only.
I think its because the west thinks that they are terrorists.
Conversion of merchants was the strategy used by Buddhist and Christian missionaries employ to spread their faith.