Re: How Islam Spread [split: UN Condemns the Dutch Film]
^ this simplistic approach to interpretation of historical events is shocking indeed .... by the same logic we cud argue that hinduism in India and christianity in europe and later americas was spread by brute force ....and if u recall tariq b ziyad did not stay long in spain nor was he personally responsible for the muslim spanish culture for which spain was wellknown in the middle ages
No religion with such a mass following as islam or christianity can be spread simply by sword , it might be introduced by armies but it only flourishes by the help of saints and scholars
imperial powers can at times use religion as a tool of domination and kings of all faiths have done that thru out history islam being no exception] but the religion itself is nothing but a dictatorship of God and of no man. Instead if u are familiar with islamic history u will find that its the class religious muslims who have traditionally challenged the authority of tyrannical muslim kings.
the problem is that on one side we have people like u that are hellbent on proving that islam is a faith of barbarians which was spread by sword
on the other hand are apologists who are willing to overlook many atrocities committed by muslims to portray islam as a "religion of peace " and try to defend the conduct of all muslim rulers.
but the facts are hindus as polytheists [according to us] really do not even qualify as dhimmis and granting them that status was controverisal to begin with ......most of the wars were started by hindus and that had started in the time of the third caliph uthman , and i must add a good number of Hindus particularly from sind converted to islam and proved to be very good and loyal muslims even at that early age