A History of Islam Part 2

It’s one thing to desire that others share your beliefs; it’s quite another to go and make disciples by holding a sword over their heads.

Why is it important to understand how the Arab Empire used force to gain converts and the territories where these converts lived? It’s because modern jihadis remember this history and are resurrecting it and attempting to replicate it in modern times (with less success, as the scattering of ISIS forces in Syria has shown, though terrorism continues). We see them as barbaric and cruel, but they see themselves as preserving their faith. They never give up, mostly because they are religiously motivated. Infidel diplomats from the hated West are not about to dissuade them from what they believe to be a command from their God to conquer the world by whatever means necessary, including lies, subterfuge, coercion, and force. This is what the increasingly secular West fails or, to be more accurate, refuses to understand. By contrast, followers of Jesus are called to attract the lost to their faith through other means: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). We are to be known to others by the way we love one another.

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THE DECLINE OF THE ANCIENT ARAB EMPIRE

What went wrong? Why did such intellectual pursuits and successes not inspire future generations of Arabs and Muslims? In part, it is because of the profile of most nations—with the West being a notable exception for the moment—which at some point run out of steam and turn inward. Whereas the Arab world once welcomed interaction and cooperation with others, it began to isolate itself. As historian Hillel Ofek observed, “The civilization that had produced cities, libraries, and observatories and opened itself to the world had now regressed and become closed, resentful, violent, and hostile to discourse and innovation.” Ofek also identified a rejection of reason and philosophy as contributing to the fall of the Arab Empire. In essence, both were deemed incompatible with Islamic teaching.

Source: America's Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers… and the Future of the United States (2020) by Cal Thomas.