Saracen, Turk, and Moor were interchangeable fluid signifiers, like the modern catchall Arab

Evidence

In most cases, “no clear distinction was popularly drawn between Turks and Saracens.” Much like the late twentieth century, when “the Arab” was often used as a symbol for all Muslims, the Saracen, Turk, and Moor served as fluid signifiers of Muslim identity in earlier centuries. — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 323

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels how the reader’s own era collapses diverse groups into single symbols — echoes contemporary coverage patterns. — connects to: Shakespeare’s Moor and Jew characters encoded pre-modern racialized difference. — Nasar Meer, Racialization and Religion: Race,…, 27