How did Islam spread?

[Yurt]

If this has been posed before, then just point me to the thread. Or, if it has it might even be worth discussing again.

I have thought about this and researched it and it appears to me that Islam did in fact spread after their militeristic conquests. Islam will claim though that there is no compulsion in religion vis the Quran. Well maybe the Quran says this, however, I look to the facts that actually occurred in history.

What do you guys think?

 

[CSM]

The history of the spread of Islam is pretty clear:

http://eawc.evansville.edu/chronology/ispage.htm

There are those who would try to portray Islam as a religion of peace, but it is only "peaceful" once it has enforced Islam with the backing of military power.

 

[CSM]

Not saying I agree with this site, but it is one view:

http://www.answering-islam.org

 

[CSM]

An oppossing view to the latter post:

http://www.islamanswers.net/crossroads/islam.htm

 

[rtwngAvngr]

good finds csm. Thanks.

 

[freeandfun1]

How Islam is spread.....

Muslims should not take Christians or Jews for friends. (Al-Ma’idah 5:51) They must fight against Christians and Jews who refuse Islam until they surrender, pay the poll-tax and are humiliated. (At-Taubah 9:29) To this may be added hundreds of Qur’anic verses on the subject of jihad in the path of Allah, as well as the ‘Book of Jihad’ found in all Hadith collections.

 

[CSM]

I have researched this extensively over the past few years. There is no question that the spread of Islam (in my opinion) was connected to military conquest, despite the protestations of some.

 

[CSM]

A more 'balanced' view. Note that it still contains plenty of allusions to military power.

 

[Yurt]

Muslims, however, almost never convert to Christianity despite sophisticated means and well-organized missionary activities.
http://www.islamanswers.net/crossroads/islam.htm

I love this one. Of course they almost never convert, it they leave islam for another religion in a muslim controlled country, they can and are put to death. They have a hadith which allows this.

Also, under Islamic law, christians are not allowed to convert others, if they do so openly, they can be arrested and/or killed.

Hmmm....

 

[Avatar4321]

I once read a book, the Martyrs of Cordoba, about the Christians who spoke out against Islam in Al Andulus (medieval spain). its an interesting read.

 

[Said1]

I have researched this extensively over the past few years. There is no question that the spread of Islam (in my opinion) was connected to military conquest, despite the protestations of some.

For sure CSM. It's funny, but the most successful Otto armies were mostly Christian from SE Europe who were converted to Islam as young children.

 

[theim]

I once read a book, the Martyrs of Cordoba, about the Christians who spoke out against Islam in Al Andulus (medieval spain). its an interesting read.

what happened to them?

EDIT: Noticed the word "martyrs" in the title.

 

[stoor]

spread without a war or military operation? If not military, then when has a religion spread with some sort of oppression. Just curious.

 

[acludem]

Christianity has been spread through conquest and war as well. That's why most people in Central and South America are Catholic.

Religion has been and continues to be one of the single largest causes of human death in history. From the Crusades to 9/11 religion has made men (and woman for that matter) kill and maim each other for centuries. This does not, however, mean I think religion is necessarily a bad thing. I do think that religious extremism, regardless of the religion, is a bad thing.

acludem

 

[Avatar4321]

Christianity has been spread through conquest and war as well. That's why most people in Central and South America are Catholic.

Religion has been and continues to be one of the single largest causes of human death in history. From the Crusades to 9/11 religion has made men (and woman for that matter) kill and maim each other for centuries. This does not, however, mean I think religion is necessarily a bad thing. I do think that religious extremism, regardless of the religion, is a bad thing.

acludem

Once again, communism still has more deaths in this past century than all the religions in the world combined since the beginning of man. I know its convienent for the left to forget this when arguing against religion but atleast try to be honest.

Im also willing to bet getting drunk and doing something incredibly stupid has caused more deaths as well.

Also, Spain didnt conquor central and South America to promote religion. they conquored it to get rich. However, their rapid conquest caused the indigenous people to believe that the Spanish had a superior God to their own so many converted when the Gospel was taught to them. If you are at all familar with the history of South America youd realize that the Catholic Priests fought hard to protect the people from the cruelty of the Spanish army and that won more converts because they earned the trust of the people.

Europeans conquored alot of other areas. China for one. that's hardly a Christian nation. Africa is another. heck the europeans carved up the middle east too. If they had forces christianity on the people there we might not be having the terrorist problem.

 

[dilloduck]

Christianity has been spread through conquest and war as well. That's why most people in Central and South America are Catholic.

Religion has been and continues to be one of the single largest causes of human death in history. From the Crusades to 9/11 religion has made men (and woman for that matter) kill and maim each other for centuries. This does not, however, mean I think religion is necessarily a bad thing. I do think that religious extremism, regardless of the religion, is a bad thing.

acludem

care to define "extremism" for me and show me where Christian extremism exists today?

 

[stoor]

what happened with Milosevic. Hitler has been rumored to use Christianity as a weapon and much of his army and movement comprised Christians. Acludem has a legitimate point.

 

[rtwngAvngr]

This does not, however, mean I think religion is necessarily a bad thing. I do think that religious extremism, regardless of the religion, is a bad thing.

acludem

So look around you in the world and observe which religion is being pushed to it's extreme at this point in history. It's not christianity, It's islam. And all you libs are obsessed with calling Christianity barbaric. We are not fighting The war on terror to spread christianity, we are doing it to protect our true multicultural society, where a person of any religion may practice it, so long as he doesn't blow up others in daily society. What the hell is wrong with you? Slap yourself.

 

[Zhukov]

what happened with Milosevic.

That was ethnic, not religious.

The Serbian massacre of the moslems was a remnant of a hatred that predates the First World War.

And no one was trying to convert anyone.

Hitler has been rumored to use Christianity as a weapon and much of his army and movement comprised Christians.

Absurd. Christianity as a weapon?

Hitler's wars were wars of conquest and racial annihilation, not wars to spread Christendom. He attacked and invaded other Christian countries. He conspired with moslems to foment unrest in the British middle eastern protectorates.

Be serious.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

Christianity has been spread through conquest and war as well. That's why most people in Central and South America are Catholic.

Religion has been and continues to be one of the single largest causes of human death in history. From the Crusades to 9/11 religion has made men (and woman for that matter) kill and maim each other for centuries. This does not, however, mean I think religion is necessarily a bad thing. I do think that religious extremism, regardless of the religion, is a bad thing.

acludem

How did Christianity spread? At the point of a gun? I think not.

It was the early Christians who were the ones who were being thrown to the lions by the Romans. What caused the movement to survive and continue to spread? Not through guns.

The pagan gods played games, fought with each other, and pretty much ignored the people "below". To someone who was a pagan the Christian god was much more advanced and appealing. "For God so much loved the world…"

Christianity was also blind to ethnicity. It welcomed peoples from all walks of life.

Christianity was rooted from the bottom-up, not from the top-down. Small donations in the many churches added up. This is why it was so hard for the Christian movement to be squashed. Christianity grew in numbers as the "good news" spread.

For about 250 years there were The Crusades which started in the 12th century. It was started to deliver the Holy Lands from the tyranny of Mohammedanism not to convert others.

Even in much of the New World which was conquered by the Christian Europeans, the pagan believers were not forced to believe in Christianity at the point of a gun. The pagans were allowed to continue with their paganism as long as it did not interfere with those in power. It was the missionaries who spread The Word that converted so many of their own free choosing.