Article 11 and the Arabic Text

Article 11 of the English translation ratified by the Senate and signed by the president states that the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion. These assurances were intended to allay the fears of the Muslim state by insisting that religion would not govern the treaty's interpretation and enforcement. Modern translations confirm no such phrase exists in the Arabic text, yet the Barlow translation has been universally accepted as the treaty's equivalent since 1797, despite evidence of its erroneous character held in State Department archives since about 1800.