Reply to: dhimmi no more

Submitted by Sohail (United Kingdom), Aug 31, 2006 at 20:07

dhimmi no more you said the following:

Let us start with 635 CE. Why did the Arabs invade the Middle East?

Sorry dhimmi no more, the Arab conquests began in 633. They conquered Syria, Palestine and Iraq (-640)

Islam did not spread by the sword:

It should be known that Muslims ruled Spain for roughly 800 years. During this time, and up when they were finally forced out, the non-Muslims there were alive and flourishing. Additionally, Christian and Jewish minorities have survived in the Muslim lands of the Middle East for centuries. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan all have Christian and / or Jewish populations.

If Islam taught that all people are supposed to be killed or forced to become Muslims, how did all of these non-Muslims survive for so long in the middle of the Islamic Empire? Additionally, if one considers the small number of Muslims who initially spread Islam from Spain and Morocco in the West India and China in the East, one would realize that they were far too few to force people to be members of religion against their will. Additionally, the great empire and civilization established by the Muslims had great staying power - its citizens were proud to be part of it.

The spread of Islam stands in contrast to the actions of the followers of Christianity, who since the time of the Emperor Constantine have made liberal use of the sword -often basing their conduct On Biblical verses. This was especially true of the colonization of South America and Africa when native peoples were systematically wiped-out or forced to convert. It is also interesting to note that when the Mongols invaded and conquered large portions of the Islamic Empire, instead of destroying the religion, they adopted it.

This is a unique occurrence in history - the conquerors adopting the religion of the conquered! Since they were the victors, they certainly could not have been forced to become Muslims!

Ask any of the over one billion Muslims alive in the world today whether they were forced! The largest Muslim country in the world today is Indonesia - and there were never any battles fought there! So where was the sword? How could someone be forced to adhere to a spiritually rewarding and demanding religion like Islam?

Dhimmi no more you read too many comic books.

Sohail

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