why were arab traders important Indian ocean trade around 600 CE? a by 600 most Arab traders had converted to Islam. This allowed them to trade with many Islamic states along the Indian ocean who refused to treat it with non-Muslims. b Arab merchants relied on slaves purchased from African kingdoms to provide all labor on ships. This made travel cheaper than if they had paid soldiers. Arab merchants relied on slaves purchased from African kingdoms to provide all labor on ships. This made travel cheaper than if they had paid soldiers. c arabs had become experts in navigation and geography by 600. Those skills gave them an advantage in establishing trade routes in the Indian ocean. d Buy 600 Schraders from the Arabian peninsula had conquered most of the countries along the Indian ocean. This allowed them to force unfair trade practices on those countries