The answer to this is b completely false
I think the underlying cause was, the towns people didnt know why all the women where acting strangely (almost as if they were possessed) so they went to the one thing they trusted in most which was Religion and they assumed that the women were possessed and were Witches.
It would have been easy since there were no documents (I think) and most evidence was hear say.
First Barbary War is the andwer
