Berbers and Siculo-Norman Culture
Upon the ascension of Norman rule in Africa, Roger II wanted to imitate migration into North Africa the same way Robert Guisacrd encouraged Lombard and Italian migration into Sicily. He did this by encouraging Muslim refugees in Sicily to re-settle in their new domain in North Africa. For the local Sicilian Berbers, there was a good percentage of the population that wished to reestablish ties to their native lands in the region. Roger maintained the loyalty of the local Berbers in Africa by providing grain for the people and allowing religious and judicial authority in the hands of the ʿāmil (local governor). However, it wasn’t just Sicilian Berbers who jumped at the chance to migrate to the new Kingdom of Africa.
For the people living in Norman Sicily, both Berber and non-Berber, the decades of Norman rule and cross-cultural pollination led to the creation of Siculo-Norman culture across the Kingdom of Sicily. As migrants from these lands entered North Africa, the Berbers of North Africa experienced a culture that was distinct and different from their own. For many Berbers living in the cities, this multicultural influence seemed to be welcomed at first, as the new ruling elite provided an economic boom and exchange of ideas and knowledge in the region. However, this was not the same for the rural and tribal factions that were away from the cities. To them, they saw a Christian ruler who instituted a foreign Siculo-Norman culture, the implementation of a jizyah tax on Muslims, the freeing of North African Christians from enslavement, and the empowering of Christian churches in the region.