One Important Difference Between Italian and Muslim Trading Ventures in the Eastern

One important difference between Italian and Muslim trading ventures in the eastern Mediterranean was that

A) Italians did not make use of commercial diasporas, as was common among Muslim merchants.
B) Italian merchants only traded with other Christian merchants, unlike their Muslim counterparts who traded with all populations.
C) Italian merchants were often backed by military forces funded either by the state or by private bodies.
D) Italian merchants were highly regulated by state authorities, while Muslim merchants could trade freely.