Re: Muhammad in eyes of Non-Muslims
Maybe so. But what they did in the name of religion is having an impact even today. For non muslims who suffered even more at their hands, that colours the perception of the religion even today unfortunately.
Islamic conquest of Afghanistan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The region was ruled by Hindu and Buddhist dynasty called the Kabul Shahis since the 5th century. The Arabs were unable to succeed in converting the population of that area because of constant revolts from the mountain tribes. In 870, Ya’qub-i Laith Saffari, a local Persian[SUP][11]](Muslim conquests of Afghanistan - Wikipedia)[/SUP] ruler from the Saffarid dynasty of Zaranj, Afghanistan, conquered most of the cities of present-day Afghanistan in the name of Islam.
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Arab armies carrying the banner of Islam came out of the west to defeat the Sasanians in 642 and then they marched with confidence to the east. On the western periphery of the Afghan area the princes of Herat and Seistan gave way to rule by Arab governors but in the east, in the mountains, cities submitted only to rise in revolt and the hastily converted returned to their old beliefs once the armies passed. The harshness and avariciousness of Arab rule produced such unrest, however, that once the waning power of the Caliphate became apparent, native rulers once again established themselves independent. Among these the Saffarids of Seistan shone briefly in the Afghan area. The fanatic founder of this dynasty, the coppersmith’s apprentice Yaqub ibn Layth Saffari, came forth from his capital at Zaranj in 870 and marched through Bost, Kandahar, Ghazni, Kabul, Bamyan, Balkh and Herat, conquering in the name of Islam.[SUP][12]](Muslim conquests of Afghanistan - Wikipedia)
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Even Afghanistan which is completely Islamic today fought against Islamisation for almost 3-4 centuries. It was Ghazni who succeeded firstly by expelling the Hindus from Gandhara unless they converted. Even today after all these centuries we have many castes in India who trace their ancestry to Gandhara and remember why and how they had to leave their homeland . So unfortunately many of the non-muslims of India view Islam as an aggressor and blame the religion since the wars were carried out in the name of said religion. I don’t want to promote one POV over the other at the expense factual history and the psyche of the people due to its long term effects. I may be wrong. But these are my frank observations of the people (non-muslims) around me. If other non-muslims here have a diff contradictory POV , I am open to their views as well. 