Islam: Empire of Faith
What is Islam? Who is Muhammad? This is a documentary narrated by Ben Kingsley about Islam and attempts to answer these questions. The first part deals with the life of the Prophet Muhammad, his early life, his encounter with God Almighty and the birth of the Islam.
1. Prophet Muhammad and the Rise of Islam. Islam would become the revitalizing force of a barbaric Arabia, returning people to God and bringing back the monotheistic message of Christianity and Judaism in its most powerful way. Islam Women were given rights over there husbands, racism was annihilated and the rich were made equal to the poor.
2. The Awakening. This part relates the golden age of Islam. A time of great learning when Europe was steeped in the Dark Ages. The building of great works of architecture, reading, writing, mathematics, medicine, and astronomy. Even before the printing press Muslims would have hundreds of scribes writing all at once so they would learn and reproduce the writings.
3. The Ottomans. This portion deals with the growing Ottoman Empire, which would control the bridge between 3 continents: Africa, Europe and Asia. This empire would begin at the close of the Crusades until World War I, from the 1300s to 1923. They would rule the entire Middle East and make there way into Europe. Before there was the state of Israel, there was great peace in the Holy Land regulated by the Ottomans.
In the opening of this documentary, the narrator translates" La illaha illa Allah"as "There is no god except god" which is not correct. The correct translation should be"There is no god except Allah"from the perspective of Islam. The word "Allah" is personal name of ONE and ONLY ONE being who is the ultimate creator of this universe.
Peace Anwar,
May God guide me in using the best of words. The word Allah literally means the The God. Like the newsgroup Al-Jazeera "Al" means and Jazeera means Island (Great Name as a 4th Estate).
Al=The and LAH part is the God. notice ilLAHa.
Here is what God says on the matter:
The Holy Qur'an 17:110
Say, “Call Him GOD, or call Him Most Gracious; whichever name you use, to Him belongs the best names.”
You shall not utter your Salaat(Ritual Prayer) too loudly, nor secretly; use a moderate tone.
Here is an online version of the Qur'an brother so that
Peace be upon you brother. Since I have started reading the Qur'an I have realized that even many of us Muslims have it wrong.
I enjoyed watching this doc because it's a good example of humanity from the past - but not so different from today. The USA (under the flag of Christianity) is bombing the crap out of Islamic countries (promoting Islams as "terrorists") for something they want (oil) and using force to get their way "but" justifying their means using propaganda... no different to the major political parties trying to win office or the big duopoly corporations trying to consume their competitors financially. It's all "big picture" stuff people, stand back and reflect, you may not be completely comfortable with your own examples in life....
Always gotta drag the USA into everything. The war on terrorism continues. Islam is an evil death cult that would love to conquer the West. They smile in you're face and curse you behind your back. You goddamn right we bomb the sh*t outta them.
It is pity that so many people ,at least of those who commented above ,that they didn't know what is Islam is and they are still bound to the believes stuck to their minds . Islam is for you ,for me and for all man kind .It has the solutions for the troubles that are blighting humanity nowadays .All what you need ,those who are staggering with hatred loads to Islam, is just go and read about it ,know about it and then judge .See what is most problem that you are facing in your daily life and try testing the Islamic solution for .It fails or let you down you can then declare the verdict .
Islam is the panacea for all ailments .
Excuse my English .
with love for all humans that Islam prohibits killing them .
I found it to be a very good documentary, it really was a fact based historical account. The people who seem to criticize it seem to feel threatened by it. Its almost as if its unbearable concept that Islam is not the monster in the closet they have been taught to believe. This addresses Islam, not the culture of some of the countries in the region, they are two different things.
to @MARD and CRIS HEATH
I am not commenting here to defend islam as islam does not need my defence but I cant remain silent when u people discus my religion my PROPHET S.A.W even without knowing the facts. its a moral rule that when u don't know somethnd u should not discuss it. it will show only ur ignorance. but I can tell u what I know though I know little but its true as my heart accepts it. not that I belong to a muslim family so I am a muslim. I am muslim from my heart and soul. hav u people ever noticed why non muslims disgrace our Prophet S.A.W ( although his grace cant b lestened by anything). have u have seen or heard any muslim disgracing hazrat EISA A.S( whom cristians call jesus) or hazrat Mosa A.S( whom jewds call their prophet). NO never because islam teaches us to believe in them they are Allah's Prophets we cant even imagine disgracing any of Allah'messenger. that's one of the proofs who is true and who is not
secondly in one of comments I read references from HOLY QURAN. listen if I tell u a story that a man murdered someone and police killed him and u take ''only police killed him'' from my story and tell everyone that police is bad as it kills everyone then it will b only ur foolishness.the references u quoted hav a whole background. Quran is for all humanity not only for muslims. it tells us the way of living. hav u ever noticed that why in spite of all these propagandas and lies islam is flourishing. even after 9/11 the rate of ppl converting to islam has increased much from past. as u r confused then read English translation of whole QURAN may ALLAH give you hidayat.
TO @MARD I AM not commenting here to defend islam as islam does not need my defence but I cant remain silent when u people discuss my Allah my PROPHET SALLALH U ALAIHI WA AALAHI WASALM its a moral rule that when u don't know about anything u should not comment or discus it. but I can tell u what I know though I know little but it is true as my heart accepts it. not that I belong to a muslim family so I am a muslim I am muslim from my heart and soul. have you people ever noticed why non muslims disgrace our PRophet SAW. have you ever listened or heard any muslim disgracing hazart EISA A.S or hazrat MOSA A.S. no, never because our religion teaches us to believe in them they are Allah's prophets we cant even imagine disgracing any of ALLAH's messengers that's a proof who is believer and who is not
secondly in when of comments I read references from Quran e pak. if I tell u a story that a man murdered someone and police killed him and you take only"police killed him'' from my story and tell everyone that police is bad as it kills every one then it should b only ur foolishness. Quran tells us the way of living it is not only MUSLIMZ holy book its for all humanity. the references u quoted hav a whole background. u know people in Makkah used to bury their daughters as they considered them a thing of humiliation and now in western countries women are only toys of men ISLAM gives us respect and protection. have u ever noticed that why in spite of all this propaganda and liaes islam is flourishing even after 9/11 the rate of people turning to islam has increased much from past. if u are confused then read English translation of QURAN. u will know every thing
Assalamu alaikum... From what i read above, I came to understand how many People especially the non-Muslims still remain ignorant about the Golden Islam. In my own view, I will attest thatt no religion is as Perfect as Islam. I've had the intention of replying to most of the comments here, but I dont't think it could be possible with me, but in a nutshell, I will rather say one or two things:
-Talking about Science, historically even before the Muslims in the Islamic Golden Ages, we've had Islamic Prophets that were Scientists. Take examples of Prophet Nuuh (Noah), the first Engineer in the world. He made the Ark. Prophet Dawud was a Foundry/Metallurgical Engineer. Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon), the Son of Prophet Dawud (David) was the first person on earth to produce Soap. Prophet Idrees (Enoch) was the first Person to use a pen and write. To mention just a few. Coming down to the era of the likes of Jabir Ibn Hayyan (Geber), the founder of Algebra, Fakhrud-Deen Ar-Raazi (Rhazes), Imam Al-Ghazali
Lmaoooo. Non Muslims belive they know more than actual Muslims?? Why, because you pulled out a bunch of verses and hadith with the word "kill" in them?
I'm a Muslim so why am I not blowing myself up? Or waging war on my Christian neighbors?
Some people will open their hearts and understand what Islam is, but for the majority of commenters, you will not listen to reason, that is why you are a non believer. All I can say is; you will finally believe on the Day of Judgement. But by then it will be too late. Let is hope Allah has mercy on your soul.
All religion is superstition . Some are much more toxic than others. Islam is the worst, being stuck in the barbaric seventh century . Attempts to excuse or glorify this backward fantasy death cult is shameful. Christianity has had it's evil moments but at least has evolved somewhat instead of regressing into fanaticism and ignorance .
The world will be a better place when the murdering thugs that this film glorifies are simply no more. They declared war on us. We didn't start this but we will finish it like how modern humans did to neanderthals.
I havent read all the coments but reading the few from top, if u r talkng about wars and violences, you should then also have a look into what is happening in afghanistan, palestine, and yemen. And who is the master mind. They are not muslims who are causing all the sufferings sweet heart. They are your people. Non muslims.
Respect and admiration is a two way street.
You won't find any documentaries in the islamic world that acknowledge what the West has done for the planet (knowledge mainly). So why should I sit here fawning over a culture that has openly stated it is at war with mine?
I know that some of Islam's early scholars were some of the brightest minds on the planet. But what has Islam achieved since then? It has regressed. They used to have some of the best astronomers in the world. Now all they do is fight each other.
Sorry but I'm not in the mood to fawn over a culture that loves war. The West is not much better, I will acknowledge that much. Both sides love war as much as they love knowledge, its just that the West are doing both at the same time, whilst Islam languishes in war, and war only.
Sorry, but here's one Western boy who will not accept pom-pom waving for Islam. Yes it used to be a lot more than whats its about today, I dont need a doc to tell me that. But what is it today? Make a documentary about Islam today. There will be lots of fascism and blood in it. A regressed culture, dont try to make me sit here and feel respect for a culture that has slept in its own ignorance while you accuse mine of being ignorant at the same time.
I've read a few dozen comments here and it is obvious to me that a lt of people like to point fingers at religions being mistaken in quests for power, yet the history shows that ideas can not be mistaken or hunger for war or power, people do that and they often use commonly accepted ideas and beliefs to force people to follow them, e/g by saying: god commands it, or jesus himself wants it.
That said, it strikes me as odd that people in the 21st century can still think that god is a being, while the evidence shows that it is not. God is the source of everything and it is everything and it's will is to exist only and it surely doesn't care how we live or die, the universe is fine with any and all outcomes. Good or bad are just our oppinions. I like to think that stealing and rape is bad. God however couldn't care less either way. It will continue exisiting either way.
But what I find even stranger is that people nowadays can say that there is no god at all, while science has proved that it originates from somewhere and it is all connected. I think that we would all be better off if we at least acknowledge that everything exists and is connected through physical laws (of which a lot have not yet been discovered by man) and by accepting that there is no plan, no good nor bad but what we choose for ourselves. God doesn't think and it definately doesn't need us, it just is and we have to work with what we've got.
If I have learned anything from this documentary or any other (probably very flawed account of any historical event) is that it is probably best if we at least try to learn from and with eachother and not destroy things just because it doesn't fit in our views.
It's a good video to get a well produced view on Arab/Muslim expansion, narrated by Ben Kingsley, but all the speakers in it are not remotely critical, which doesn't make for an objective view. It is a glamorized version of history, glossing over centuries of brutal forced conversion to Islam, under the propaganda of unification (though I'm sure the message was gladly accepted by the many marginalized peoples of the regions they conquered.) That Christians and Jews were not immediately killed or enslaved, though not treated equally by any means and taxed heavily, is no consolation prize to the extremely violent expansionist agenda. Violent expansion isn't unique to Muslims however to try and glorify it under the banner of a peaceful movement is absurd. It's sad that the enlightened era of Muslim learning and discovery, a truly positive aspect of the culture when the rest of the world was in the dark ages, is overshadowed in some ways by radical fanaticism and hatred. There are many peaceful Muslims, but even if radical Islam is a small percentage, a small percentage of 1.6 billion, is a lot. As for the rest, in many Arab countries, basic freedoms are not respected, freedom for women, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, democracy. The idea as stated in the description that there was peace under the Ottoman occupiers until the formation of Israel is completely wrong and stating such has an immediate anti Israel bias. If you want a clear picture, dont listen to any unquestioning pro or anti Muslim or pro or anti Israel films. Get the facts, weight them, and try to understand, there are no easy answers in a long history of tribal warfare.
Search for the truth and search as deep as you possibly can, all of you who have criticized Islam have no right to because you know nothing about it, you never ask yourself what if? you don't have the balls, you listen to what your parents tell you, what your community tells you, don't be deaf dumb and blind, open your eyes, clear your mind, judge stuff in an impartial way, read the torah, the new testament, and the quran. I have read all three, found the truth pretty quickly, Seek the truth, don't seek the acceptance of those around you, and building up on their ridiculously s*upid stance's. Seek the truth, because any book could have been hampered with, how can you know what the truth is, when you have only read one book. How can you let those around you decide what your beliefs are, when you, do you ever ask yourself what if you just might be wrong? if you don't you are not too wise, or you are scared. Open the books and read from start to end, then you can judge the book, and say whether it is God Almighty that sent it, or if it is a man made story, because if it were sent by God then surely he would reveal the truth onto you if he wished it..
I want to learn about Islam, and i am certainly not going to in a
documentary made by PBS were the only people allowed to talk are white
Americans, i mean how ridiculous is that ?
Would you trust a bunch of
Chinese "experts" to explain to you American capitalism if you knew
nothing about it ? How backwards and lame is that ?
This
d̶o̶c̶u̶m̶e̶n̶t̶a̶r̶y̶ is of as much cultural value as an episode of
"catching a predator", and i believe it is deeply ignorant and insulting
to the people that believe in that religion to tell people to watch
this abomination for their homework.
Are you still willing to learn about our religion?
Even the summary sounds like nonsense. Islam is, and always has been, one huge propaganda machine. An ugly, brutish invention, that tries to make itself look OK, by disguising its hideous face, under a veil of peace.
But we have seen the warts, and the disfigurement. We see it every day.
thereligionofpeace
the disfigurement caused by the west and israelis
We see that in all religions though, dont we? Pedophilia in Catholicism comes to mind.
I really have a hard time believing this documentary is legit. AT the moment it seems socially acceptable to demonize the history of Christianity and completely whitewash Islam.
The bottom line is that Mohammad claimed that god talked to him personally and told him how everyone should live. Then craploads of people died as he road around 'spreading his message'. How PBS could possibly turn this into a family movie is completely beyond me. They make it sound like he was riding around the desert handing out flowers and settling disputes until he finally died peacefully and despite his best efforts to keep people from worshiping him they did it anyway! lol.
They only mention his first wife. I guess that's because she was older then 9. If Jesus had married a 9 year old and PBS did a documentary on Christianity I'm sure they would have found a way to include that in the title.
I realize that Christianity has a rather bloody history but let's not forget that it started out as a group of pacifists led by Jesus and those people would rather die then fight. Many of them did die for this reason. What Christianity turned into is not my concern. What matters is what their leader taught and how they originally understood it.
This documentary makes it seem like Mohammad wasn't even there when people were getting killed.
In the time of the prophet Jesus it was common to marry early in life, in fact Mary the mother of Jesus was around 12 or 13 when she had Jesus.
We are still living in the ancient past with Islam, then. What happened to the 21st century? Oh, of course, it's really only Thul-Qedah 1435, to Muslims. So we'll be tapping our feet and drumming on the table for the next 600 years, waiting for Muslims to join us, if the imams have their way. Meanwhile, Islamic hebephilia is ok and 34% of UK imams will marry a 14 year old Muslim girl against her will.
Peace xpsyopsx,
I hope you are well and may God protect you and increase you in faith. I feel like you are talking to me because you spelled the Messenger's name like mine (a rather uncommon variant) Well most Muslims follow other books in addition to the Qur'an like the Jews follow the Torah AND other books. Books made by men. Unfortunately, even well intentioned books can have flaws, especially through the lens of time. The Qur'an doesn't speak about the marriage of a child. Historical evidence places her age in the late teens (I think about 17, if I recall correctly) One historian believed the reason for her young age is Muhammad didn't marry a woman who wasn't divorced or widowed. He was never the first husband except Aisha. Why is this important? Well, her theory, was at the time marrying young was acceptable so they just lowered her age to prove she was a "virgin" it all comes down to well intentioned men supposedly raising the stature of those they follow.
I'm veritasverdad on reddit. There's a group of us who follow the Qur'an and like to reason and think. Open forum if you are interested or want know more
P.S. Here's a quote in the Qur'an that gave my peace. My mom is a Jehova's Witness, my sister is a Catholic. I'm Muslim. Most of my family doesn't practice so this really helped.
5:69
Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the converts, and the Christians; any of them who (1) believe in GOD and (2) believe in the Last Day, and (3) lead a righteous life, have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.
All I can say after watching this extremely biased documentary is an equivalent would be having Arabs make one on the growth of the U.S.A. saying conquering Indians was awesome, and forcing them to convert to American culture was necessary so America could grow it's empire. And America was very good and tolerant to the Indians like the Cherokee for example not really stealing their land, and Black slaves were not kidnapped, but recruited by nice white people holding their hands while leading them around to grow the wealth and power of the American empire, and Florida was a tired old Spanish shrinking outpost that needed to be seized. Mexico too needed half it's land taken so America would become a superpower and also have a couple of Americans commenting as well just so it's good. It's more than funny that the west Europe and America can now criticise themselves for past imperialist wrongs but apparently they cannot criticise Islamic imperialism??? I can understand Muslims refusing to look at the evils they have done (Which is something they really NEED to do if they want to move into the modern world and get out of the dark ages!) But the west? are we really this scared or apologetic with political correctness? Even the Mongols got a break in this documentary, I guess cause most of them converted to Islam? I guess if most of Europe converted the crusaders would get a little bit of a break as well. Unless Islam sees what it has done it will continue to do the same; ethnic cleansing and continue with the same hate we see today. If Islam could even remotely criticise Jihad the same way we criticise the crusades there may be some hope but I won't hold my breath.
Yo thank you, its about time someone has some sense to add up and put things together with out leaving out the facts of fault and ignorance that most people tend to leave out, driven by emotional response, when it comes to their opinion. God bless, may God bless you with you with more wisdom and understanding.
OMG the Christian children were "recruited" by the Ottomans for Janissaries!!!!??? They were Kidnapped forcibly taken from their parents!!! These talking heads are even U.S.A. university professors, have they no shame???? How you would you feel if I came with my army and stole your children???? These professors are not even middle easterners!!! Can we get someone to do a properly balanced documentary on Islam with SOME criticism not just it's all good???
Can you imagine an American documentary produced nowadays saying it was good to take Indian lands or have black slaves saying it really wasn't THAT bad for America to do they were just recruited, with a nice white guy holding their hands as he leads them to the cotton fields!!!
Hah hah real funny one, Muslims thought crusaders were just Byzantines making a nuisance of the themselves attacking the boarders! What a joke do these people get paid from the Saudi's? No mention of the Turks and Arabs attacking the east Roman Empire (Byzantium) since Muhammad's death, And being quite successful at it too! No mention of emperor Alexio's letter of help to the pope from the INVASION of Muslim Turks, no mention of the atrocities the Turks pulled off on the crusaders like huge pyramids of bones they made nope just concentrate ONLY on the crusaders atrocities, Muslims at the time would never massacre anyone so kind they were. no mention of robbing and killing the Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem either just Al Hakim hah the only Muslim to persecute Christians, So the Byzantines were being a nuisance defending their lands from invaders huh? something like what Europeans said about native Indians when they took their land in America. nice... such good apologists for Islam, they were good all others bad! mustn't say anything bad about Islam they might blow you up lol. Can someone make a document about Islam nowadays without bias?
Empire of faith?!? Really?!? How come?!? Are you seriously talking about Muhammed... and his God that says if are Muslim and converted then you must be killed... if you are NOT Muslim but you been invited and some how rejected then you must be killed, also if you are NOT Muslim but willing to, then you must only and only pray to God in Arabic... how an earth would the real and truth God says that... in fact does God only understands Arabic... WOW!
excuse me...led to its own demise...
This is what gets old and will never lead to any understanding. We preach how great every civilization was i.e. Greece, Rome, Japan, China, whatever. And then there were the Muslims. A civilization as great as any other, but for some reason, they were more horrible than all the rest. Well that is total BS. Every civilization has either degraded women, pursued slavery, or created war ad nauseam except for relatively few. It's about time everyone just knocked this self important pseudo intellectualizing; observe the best each had to offer and realize that any civilization that starts believing in its own propaganda perpetrated by a few who have great influence, will eventually be lead to its own demise. These petty Biblical feuds and distorted interpretations of religion, history and culture lead to nothing more than the bickering I see here. Just like Palestine and Israel. Get over it! Both sides need to admit they've F32ked up negotiations and agreements too many times for the rest of the world to tolerate their self righteous crap and unproductive aggression. Hamas, the Zionists. What a pain in the ass all of you are! But the bottom line is, the Arabs contributed much to civilization. America has contributed quite a bit as well. Advancements in technology, the Arts, (just as any other culture has) while at the same time destroying everything we usually come into contact with! So, maybe ALL of us should consider our own historical skeletons - shut the F43k up - and do some serious reflecting about it before it's too late.
With the Name of Allah,
Praise be to God who is Free of need of his creation, while his creation is in complete need of him, the most High, The Most Great.
I've only read the most recent posts so far so I will address them if God Wills.
Allah (swt), God, which in the Arabic language translates as, The God, The only One worthy of Worship. Even in the most fundamental aspects of Islam, my religion, there is a clear separation between what those believe to be true and what is reality, our reality. The reality and of which has always been our reality is that there is only One God. One being who has created all that is seen and unseen, what is known and unknown. Who has full knowledge of what came before, what is present and what will come after. Owner of the very fabric of time itself. A being outside of time, can we fathom an existence without time regulating it? A being who raised the sky without pillars, without a support. How can we be so arrogant to believe that we ourselves were created without a purpose?
God, our creator, who has created you and I, knows our purpose and has over the history of our existence sent messengers to guide us to that path. Is there not already laws that are set of which all living beings are governed on this earth? Man spends his entire life just trying to understand the wisdom and knowledge behind these rules and laws. So, why do we not think that God does not have a set way he wants us to live our lives?
This is Islam, a path, a way of life in submission, complete and utter submission to the One who created you. And if you turn up your nose in arrogance and believe that you are the master of your own-self I suggest you defy death, gravity, your need for air or water or food. I also suggest that you be the first of us to stop himself from defecating because if I was the master of myself that would be the first thing to go. Just a few suggestions...
Another suggestion, I would like anyone who reads this to truly seek out knowledge of what Islam is and who the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him truly was and what his Lord and our Lord sent with him as a message to us. Do it for your own souls, for surely, your Lord is Free of Need of his Creation, and has created a dwelling made of fire that is fueled by men and stones, made only for those who are ungrateful to their Lord the Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
James...please stop your preaching and trying to gain or convert people into your religion, SeeUat Videos is not your pulpit.
Please read the "comment policy" any more such posts will be deleted. Thank you.
yr sick pal
This i Bullshit.Islam teaches violence.Not all muslims are bad, but those who follow the word of Mohammed are very bad.Mohammed was a bloodthirsty warlord and a pedophile, it says so in the quran, just read it, you don''t have to trust me.All so-called scientific advances made by Islam were actually advances from the classical world, wich was christian by the way, that they just conquered and took over.There were 5 centres on christianity in ancient times, after the converion of the roman emperror Constantine, 4 of wich were in the places we now call muslim.Not every muslim is bad, but Islam, as tought by Mohammed is a totalitarian ideology wich religious overtone.It needs a reform, just like christianity had.By the way, i'm not a religious man.
May ALLAH show you the right path, and give you a chance to do sorry from ALLAH for humiliating The beloved Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon Him. Ameen.
Which book have u read that that has given u proof of what islam teaches ..if u state sumthing with so much confidence please have some sort of quote or statement of the bulls(it that comes from ur skull..not all muslims are bad only those who follow muhammad are ? The idiosy in that statement is hillarious , muslims are the people who believe in one god and the prophet muhammad unless u know sumthing °̩ don't..ur whole comment is so contradicting °̩ think my five year old nephew cud build ª better argument ..u claim to have read the quraan ? Which part and what language coz clearly as uneducated as u may sound °̩ doubt u understood nething u read..calling ª prophet ª paedophile and trusting in u to have that correctly stated , °̩ think I'd have ª better chance of jumping off ª plane and surviving..
Islam need ª reform like christianity ?? Oh foolish person, ur bible has been rewritten ª thousand times to ª point where people are doubting that the bible is the word of god..please go to ur bible and see the authours of each chapter and get bk to me, how can u claim to know my quraan if u dnt even know ur bible ??? Then u closing statement is "I'm not ª religious man " but u know so much about Islam and the bible ..the quraan is the revelation brought down to the prophet from god for the muslims ..U need ª refund from school to go buy u and I.Q ..ur spelling is as pathetic as ur grammar for that u get ª zero..
I absolutely agree that Popescu has no clue what he is talking about. Still, I do believe that Muslims with positive values need to make more clear what Islam is NOT; the concept of Jihad should be taken as a struggle within oneself between good and evil, not holy war and meaningless bloodshed. That is what is unclear to most folks who don't understand Islamic culture, because it is easy to portray the concept of Jihad as a reason to kill others (probably because it is so commonly exploited in this way).
Jihad, as virtually all Islamic clerics have stated throughout history, is about subjugating the whole world to the will of Allah, under Sharia law.
If many must be killed, then so be it.
But Muslims must fight, until the religion of Allah is above all others, ie the dominant religion.
Not much of an 'inner struggle' there, Mr Taqqiah.
Jesus' companions (apostles) spread the word by preaching. Muhammad's companions did so by the sword. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. Caliph Umar entered Jerusalem with an army. Muhammad's companions did not understand islam, but you do?
Absolutely true, I'm Persian and unfortunately our country known as an Islamic Country but guess what! Majority of Persians (60%) are NOT Muslim and DO NOT believe in Islam at all, in fact most of us converted to Zoroastrianism, basically to our ancient religion which says only believe in God and God and nobody else... unlike Islam which the "ALAH" says fight and kill anyone who may not accept ISLAM...
Not all the Muslims are bad, but it's their religion that has made them to be like this... hope they wake up and see Islam is nothing than lies...
And bout 10% to 15% are Christian... so who else is left to be Muslim apart form the fact that This f--king government insists to show that Persians are Muslim which is ball-shit...
I am sincerely curious about the contents of Qu'ran. I can't read Arabic so it remains a mystery what the Islamic teachings based on this scripture are. Does it say something like those who worship other than the God Allah must be killed?
No it absolutely does not say to kill anyone. You can't blame a few crazy people's actions on the entire religion as most do. There are almost 2 billions muslims in the world so if the religion taught violence, there would be wars everywhere not just in the oil-rich countries.
Thanks Sofia, I was a bit down and needed a good laugh. Obviously you have never read any of your religious books, (like most Muslims it appears to me), only listened to garbage spouted by the Imans.
As a matter of fact the koran does say to kill people, over and over again, all disbelievers, Jews, Christians, athiests, everyone, until the whole world is an Islamic caliphate. Read the hadiths, they openly tell what a murdering, lying, raping hypocrite Muhammad was. Of course it is obvious that Muhammad was nothing but a con man and as the koran was cobbled together years after his death when most of the men who had learnt Muhammads nonsense by heart were dead it shouldn't be given any credence, especially the following it has. A hundred years or so after that the Hadiths were produced to try and make a smidgin of sense out of the koran which is one of the most abysmally written books ever. That makes the hadiths really believable quoting from 100 years back.
Oh, by the way. There are wars everywhere. Haven't you noticed. And guess what. Muslims are at the centre of almost all of them. Also look at the trouble and problems they are causing in every country that has ever offered them sanctuary from their own miserable homes, and you will see that most western countries are looking down the barrel of civil wars everywhere as people finally try and take their own identities and cultures back from insidious Islam.
By the way, there were a number of differing korans around at the beginning until all except one version were ordered to be rounded up and burnt. So doesn't that make a precedent for burning the koran okay?
Dear Heart Winter,
If you can't read Arabic, I suggest you get a trustworthy translation by a devout Muslim in your native language, like I did.
The Quran does indeed have many verses which order its followers to go and 'behead' the 'unbelievers' to 'strike terror in their hearts' along with maligning these so called 'unbelievers'. Till they have converted every non believer they encounter to the holy way of the only true god (Allah), they cannot be said to have performed their holy duty.
It has many good things to say, like not to steal or lie or enter someone's house unannounced, but since 'unbelievers' have a sub-human status and warrant having their heads slashed, I assume those only apply to the followers. Apostates too invite killings.
If you are specifically looking for the violent verses, a quick google search for violent verses in the Quran will help you know where to look in your translated Quran.
I still have to read other holy texts, but I must admit I was appalled with all the sanctioned holy violence in the Quran.
@Mard...I was brought up a christian, but jeez man, may Allah forgive you.
For what? Not wearing rose colored glasses?
Well...all in all, Islam is just like any other religion, it can be used and abused all around by whoever wields the books.
That's my reason for following ol' Buddha's teachings ^_^
What islam teach is the respect for other people and other religions and guiding others to the righteous path..It never teach violence its all about peace.for example when prophet peace be upon him conquered Makkah back no blood was spilled and He pbuh forgave everyone .. even the murderers of his uncle thus giving a lesson of forgiveness ..an old lady used to through trash on Prophet Peace be upon him whenever he passed the street ..one day that lady didn't throw the trash and prophet peace be upon him went to her home to see if she is alright.. She was sick and prophet looked after her ..this shows us the tolerence that islam is all about...and for all those who say islam teaches us violence and who will surely say that all the things that i said above are merely tails(though they aren't ) they mustr be believing in the bvoks written by their own historians and they must not forget when christian conquered Jerusalem in the first crusade they were the ones who filled all the streets with blood of human beings (both christian and muslims) and when Saladin conquered it back instead of killing people he washed the streets with rose water ..So those who think that islam is the religion of violence must go and read history..and don't forget its the media that is responsible for all this propaganda against our religion..We didn't dropped a nuclear bomb anywhere .Mind it /
I am a Christian, Actually Mohammed pbuh didn`t pass anyone in the street. He was praying and as he did so, the neigbour would throw rubbish on his back. This she did every day until one day she didn`t turn up to taunt him. Mohammed pbuh after praying, went to visit the neighbour to ask if she was alright. He displayed exactly what Jesus pbuh taught. Btw, this is a remarkable series of documemtary and it has made me respect Islam even more. God Bless you <3
I am from very muslim family. This doc is full of **** and lies funded the most probably by Saudi Arabia.
So much of twists from beginning to the end.
To Mard .
It looks like you were brought up in a fundamentalist and oppressive Muslim family ( probably lower class and unaducated ) brain washed radical Muslim families who has no clue about the the real Islam ! As a growing child this will certainly shock you and leave marks in your soul and brain ! You've been traumatized by fundamentalist Islam which is not the true Islam , but the Islam the west have made and promoted it to the Muslim world, as part of their anti Islam propaganda and plans to dominate the world ! Wake up and start thinking instead of blindly hating what your paretns( out of ignorance ) did to you !
Your name and further comment unfortunately feeds your ignorantly bliss stereotype.
Please be more informed about the religions of the world before commenting with an intent to insult. In fact, YOUR comment has actually revealed that you are the ignorant one. The religion of Islam is not bad. Many of the people are not either. What you dislike is radical and fundamentalist Islam, and ANY religion has these people. Seriously, did you watch the video above? Look at the terrible things the Europeans and those in the name of Christendom did in the past!
The video above is most obviously funded by Saudi Arabia to be in favor of their interests. It is a piece of cake for them to fund $1m to a desperate history prof at any uni across the world.
Major Flaws:
-Science advancement wasn't the result of Islam at all. the ancient civilizations of the region such as Persia, Babailon, Syrians, Indians,.... were already developed and still evolving. What Islam did was Invaded all those flourished civilizations, devastated them, and them coerced people to be Muslim. Not only Islam wasn't a fan of science but also did burn libraries In southern Persia entirely. The library was at a university back then (yes a university when Arabs of pennynsila were hunting reptiles). So people were advanced already, and Islam ended up co-existing with them when they reached their goal and then. Pls, stop taking credit of the sciences emerged in the region for Islam.
-If you think Islamist are not doing the right Islam, please please read Qoran again, Please read it in your mother language to understand it. lol. Mohammad was the first person in the history who established the govermental terror. He ordered to assassinate 7 comedians who were making fun of him in Arabia.
He ordered the slaughter of 800 jews (Kheybar castle) in one day who were arrested by him and were already in truce treaty with him.
He was the most ruthless, lusty, womanizer, pedophile ruler back then.
- read his life style and decrees before and after Mekeh's conquer.
-read his life style before and after Khadijeh's death. Khadijeh is his first wife who was super-wealthy and 40 years of age when married him. Money talks, hay??? lol
- For sure he has been smart in terms of taking advantage of others money, life, smarts and ruling over them by any means.
Just a few to name!
Peace
It is common that powerful government especially USA or Israel invest millions of dollars in making fictional movies in their interests. Even if it had been sponsored by Saudi Arabia, it is a documentary movie and there is nothing but factual information.
By your name (Mard), with high probability it seems that you are from Iran. If so, you should know although your SHIA government rules in the name of Islam but they are deviants from Islam.
All need to study VALID history books.
I don't see anywhere in my "sentence" where it I state Islam is bad, nor the people. So I'll elaborate on my "sentence" as I should have; in the hopes that at the very least you will stop exclaiming and
writing IN BOLD. Like the virtual FINGER POINTER!
The most you can take from that "sentence" is I dastardly referred to "Muhammad Kamran" as further feeding the overtly religious Muslim stereotype you see made case against all over the West and Eastern Europe.
Yes the stereotype exists. At least in the greater public eye that is fed by the media. And unfortunately to whatever Religion they adhere; They do not help to promote a healthy educated image of it. I don't fully agree with the stereotypical as there's obviously more to an individual than what you can gather in a couple of "sentences", but not in the eyes of the media machine.
Its there in the public eye. And is a mark for those who seek only to use the especially media driven "stereotypical uneducated Religious man or woman" as ammunition against the very Religion they defend.
yes my friend. islam is bad. any belief, or following, that causes mass groups of people to believe that....gays should have less rights, abortion to be abolished, promote scientific growth of a country, and are missionary religions (like islam)..there goal to is to spread the word of there god and there beliefs. This is terribly bad considering it is 2012 and no one wants to go back to the ways things were in the medieval ages and HOW CAN THEY SAY EVOLUTION DIDNT HAPPEN. RELIGION DOES NOT SUPPORT PROGRESS BECAUSE THERE BOOKS THE QURAN, THE BIBLE WERE WRITTEN OVER A 1000 YEARS AGO....
what about slauter of 800 Jews in one day(Kheybar Castle redsidences)??
What about Ertedad decree? it means whoever converts out of Islam must be killed right away by even his parents.
what about the verse in Qoran about the right of muslims to carry away non-muslim's women and wives when they conquer their country. And in Practice it happended when they took over Persia (during Damn Omar)
what about marrying 6 years old girl?? Mohamad's second wife.
Please study Mohammad's life after and before Mekkeh's conquer. He is totally a different ruler when he reaches to power.
Also before and after his first wife's death. He is a horney beast after his first super-wealthy wife.
Go and read history to know what Saudi Arabia represent ! It is a corporation ruled kingdom, owned and controlled by big oil companies who have bought the silence of their rulers ! There is no Islam in Saudi but corruption and oil wells . People is Saudi are suffering and suppressed because oil companies wants the people of Saudi to be oppressed not to be able to librate their own countries and take over their own resources . In the name of "false" Islam Saudi rulers are oppressing people and giving its oil for free to the western corporations !
"respect for other religions"?
If so, why did Muhammed smash the Meccan gods?
IDOLATRY is against God, it is not a religion from God. What is the duty of prophets?! :D
That's a complete contradiction? Somebody worships their god in a manner you don't like so you smash their idols? I guess it's okay as long as it's done respectfully?
The mixture of different cultures is always good. The proof is all the inventions and improvements they made in engineering, architecture, trade, mathematics,...
We should be more open minded about culture, religion and everything. This will make us better
Islam is the most tolerant religion, minorities with different religions lived in muslim lands over hundreds of years, just google what how muslims and jewish had suffered after the catholics captured spain , how Abdurahman 3 the Ottaman emperor welcomed the jewish who where fleeing from Spain. what about securism? over 60 million people was killed and raped and all the jewish in europe disappeared just 60 years ago. was the muslims responsible slaving of black Africans?
You refer to the Nazi who committed these evil acts against humanity during WW2. I have to inform you that a Muslim Mufti raised a battalion of 20,000 Muslims to fight with the Nazi. Unfortunetly in all religion we have good and bad people <3
-what about slauter of 800 Jews in one day(Kheybar Castle redsidences)?? By the way, they were in peace treaty with Mohammad, right?
-What did he do with people who converted back to their pre-Islam's religion in Yemon and ...??? They were beheaded as far as I know, right? they are called Mortad.
- Non-muslims could only work in Muslim's lands with 20 stricts laws. They tied them down to do what they wanted. They had no right of promoting their religions and always being subject of injustice and brutality.
What about Ertedad decree? it means whoever converts out of Islam must be killed right away by even his parents.
what about the verse in Qoran about the right of muslims to carry away non-muslim's women and wives when they conquer their country. And in Practice it happended when they took over Persia (during Damn Omar)
what about marrying 6 years old girl?? Mohamad's second wife.
Please study Mohammad's life after and before Mekkeh's conquer. He is totally a different ruler when he reaches to power.
Also before and after his first wife's death. He is a horney beast after his first super-wealthy wife.
I'm an atheist , I would never believe some guy would resurrect himself, fly, bla bla except if he's david copperfield.
But I read, and read a lot. You should do the same too. I wont bother answering your ignorant comments but just wanted to give an example, Mohammad married those little girls to save them from rape of other men. at least that's what book says. Of course if you were smart enough you'd never believe in books written by god in first place but anyways, there are too many people like you around so its ok.
I don't think you're an atheist dalidali, i think you're a muslim, so don't hide it, admit that you're a muslim and be don with it
I hope Islam isn't censored here by the evil western media!
Yeah, minorities paying extortion tax (jizya). Quran 48:28-29, 9:5, 9:28-30, 9:32 and 9:123 are some of the most peaceful, tolerant things I can imagine (SARCASM, and chapter 9 is at the end of the Quran in chronological order).
And those lovely hadiths!
Sahih Bukhari Book 59, Number 632: "...Once Muadh paid a visit to Abu Musa and saw a chained man. Muadh asked, "What is this?" Abu Musa said, "(He was) a Jew who embraced Islam and has now turned apostate." Muadh said, "I will surely chop off his neck!"..."
Sahih Bukhari Book 59, Number 643: "...testify that None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, or else I will chop off your neck..."
I feel the peace and love of Islam washing over me like a sea of kittens and rainbows!
"Sahih Muslim, Book 8 Number 3371
"...took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired them, for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them..." (It doesn't get any better. Also see Sahih Bukhari Book 34, Number 432 and Book 59 Number 637)
Yes, Muslims were reponsible for slaving black Africans, centuries before U.S. even existed. Made U.S. look like amateurs. Look up Tidiane N'Diaye.
there is no safe place until religion exist.
No matter what I don't trust Islam. It is a religion that doesn't encourage tolerance. Most Muslims I know will be perfectly happy if the world was under sharia law, that's what scares me.
I bought a pirated copy of this off the street while traveling in Thailand. Didn't think much when I randomly bought it, but it has turned into one of those hard copy dvds I've carried with me over the years. I like to pull it out whenever I meet a person who holds a bigoted "terrorist" view of Islam. This film has changed more than a couple of minds during that time :)
All religion is utter nonsense but Islam is the worst of them all. Religion needs to disappear so the human race can evolve past predjudice and hatred and become better educated.
if you think islam is the worst of all religion you should look at it again. and not only skimming over the details . you should go through the details ... looking at them so you can see what it is.
did you study the history of religions ? did you read the 3 books , did you read the quran ...... did you EVEN watch the documentary ?????
i doubt it , so please after doing that you may share your opinion with us , because opinions that came from ignorance are not welcomed ...
Well that comment just illustrates how uneducated you are.
You only need to read parts of the Koran, to realise how hideously malformed must be the minds of Mohammeddans, having to live by such dreadful commands as :-
2.191 "And slay them wherever ye find them. Such is the reward of disbelievers."
9.05 "Then, when the sacred months have passed,slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each an ambush. "
8.55 " Lo! the worst of beasts in Allah's sight are the ungrateful who will not believe."
Don't they realise, we do not believe in pink teapots in the sky, and we not believe in the bloodthirsty, murderous Allah, may camels piss be upon him.
This documentary (Part One) chooses to ignore the Abrahamic source of Islam. Abraham is mentioned a handful of times but only with ancillary importance. This is done for their convenience and it would be an embarrassment to admit that they are one of three splinters of the same religion, each carrying a solitary book with identical characters and geography.
In these religious docs I wish they would include the evil as well the implied good .
the person who made this film didn't read enough about Islam and Muslims .. he bring many things from his mind and imagination not from the truth history
lol @ most of these comments, esp. you wannabe 'scholars." who sits back & pretends to know about stuff on 'SeeUat videos' lame.
@ ISLAM
4,000 lesbians and gays have been executed since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Methods of execution include; beheading, chopped in two, stoning to death, burning alive, and being thrown alive from a high building.
________________________________________
Google:
"Real execution :(( Stop The Gay Crime , Iran!! :(("
________________________________________
warning -- graphic
Look God created Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve. So Islam teaches you the real Nature of Man and Women and Having a Child from Both just as Animals do aswell. You will never see a Male Lion having contact with a Male Lion NO!!!. Even Animals behave Naturally. Gays, Lesbians or Sodomy is a end of Man and Women. America has 25 million gays, its worrying that such people will spread this practise and end Man's True Nature. God save Us from this Devil.
to Doll
I think what you are saying are historical facts about policy, not about Islam (Expect for the Jezia). The crusaders for example did a horrible massacre of the Muslims and the Jews in Jerusalem. Am I right if I say that Christianity is a horrible religion? No, it is not. Religions were misused to accomplish the selfish desires of mankind while they supposed to bring peace for humanity.
As for al Jezia:
By definition it is a small sum of money paid by those who are capable to fight from the Jews and the Christians, but not from the oldsters, the women, the kids and those who fight with the Muslims. Hence, more than 70% of the Coptic Orthodox was exempted from paying this tribute. It is a tax paid by the Christians and the Jews as a contribution to the society. Christians and Jews are not obliged to pay the Zakaat like Muslims, which is Third of the pillars of Islam.
Propaganda comprised of largely glossed-over history and a smattering of theology from the earlier suras--- the peaceful ones before Mohammed got his bloodlust freak on.
I find a some documentaries only really focus on positives of Islam which is fine and good, but they tend to dismiss the negatives that are true fact as well that have happened in history, which I find is one sided. Thus, with the Janissaries the elite fighting force of the army at one time were Christian children kidnapped and converted to Islam, which mentions them in history as people cut of from civil society, such as not being able to marry, Other children that were kidnapped from their families were those that showed talent and were treated as a kind of tribute to the Sultan. Thus, in history it states only Muslims could be rulers, They believed they had to be dominant, Muslims were not allowed to convert to other religions nor could Non-Muslim convert Muslims though it was fine for Muslims to convert Non-Muslims. Further, all Non-Muslims like (Jews & Christians) had to pay a special tax (Jizya) not paid by Muslims living in Islamic states, based on allowing Non-Muslims to practice their own faith only because Islam after all was getting money from the conquered to keep their Islamic state. Lastly part of Islam history, is the Armenian Genocide were the Ottoman military uprooted Armenians from their own homes and forced them to march for hundreds of miles depriving them of food and water. As a result, many women were raped and other sexual abused as they were murdered in a cold bloody massacre regardless of age or gender and yet today the successor state of the Ottoman Empire Turkey denies genocide. My opinion is regardless of the beautiful ornamental buildings, the enrichment of western culture with science, literature, dance and music these things cannot equal and nor will they ever equal that which was kidnapped nor genocidal murdered by the Ottoman Muslims. (So much for Islamic Ottoman tolerance).
...BURN
HARRY TRITT i feel sorry for you , you speak of someting you know nothing about with alot of resentment and negativity ; maybe youre the one with the "inferiority complex" =)
you ve got to be blind or plain anti muslim to not see the influence on islam in the world ; the fact that u bathe and clean yourself , something that was oblivious to our european forefathers (who basically bathed every other month) , is something u learn at a very young age in muslim society , and as for the dark ages well filth had alot to do with it , the plague was proof of that , when europe was knee deep in its own sh*t , the muslim world was flourishing in every aspects of life !
so what im trying to say bro , from a westerner to another , from a non muslim to another :
we are lightyears away from understanding islam for two basic reasons 1- people like you
2- the governments who represent the people like you
peace, shalom, assalamu alaykum
by Muslim world you mean Persian, Soomarian, Syrian, Messapotenian, Ottaminian, egyptian, babeloonian and so on and on..., right?
Dude, wake up please. these are the cultures with 1000s of years of flourished and advanced pre-islamic society and cultures. unlike you, so many scholares and evidences of history shows Islam has been the main reason of hindering them from a continuous advancement.
I have a question for u? if all west turn atheist from now on, is that ok if in 100 years I call influence of atheism brought these technological advancements to the west?
What kind of nonsense have you been reading? Romans, Egyptians and other civilizations were hygienic long before Islam existed. Quran doesn't even mention soap, which had been around for thousands of years, but Quran 5:6 says you can wash yourself with dirt and that's good enough. Book 7 of Sahih Bukhari is dedicated to washing yourself with dirt. Good grief.
Nothing about proper cooking of food or sanitizing water in the Quran. Only thing boiling water is good for is to torture people who didn't join the cult (Quran 47:15). That must explain the cholera epidemics.
Was is not the English who bathed once a year ? Does the song "Ring a ring a roses" jog your memory ?
The Qur'an talks about abulation with clean dirt, not about bathing, read the Qur'an properly.
Your pathetic comments speak volumes of your ignorance.
Then would you PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE tell Adam and insecure Muslims to stop bragging about ablution with dirt as being hygienic, and to stop ignoring facts like outbreaks of plague and cholera around the Islamic world including Mecca, and no mention of soap or standards for proper cooking or sanitizing water (it isn't difficult to do).
I constantly see people trying to fluff up Islam in this manner and it makes them look incredibly silly and dishonest. Nice how you conveniently ignored portions of my comment.
Smearing two liters of water on yourself once a week (ghusl) is nothing to brag about as far as hygiene goes. (Sahih Bukhari: Book 12 Number 817, Book 13 Number 20, and Book 48 Number 833...tirmidhi, chapter 42/number 56).
Sheesh. Islam must be the most insecure religion on Earth.
I recommend to all (Muslims, non-Muslims, Agnostics) to please read "The Ornament of the World" by Maria Rosa Menocal, published by Little ,Brown and company.
It depicts truly in an unbiased fashion ,the conquest of Andalusia(Spain) and how Muslims, Jews, Christians lived to-gather for 800 years in peace and harmony. Start of European Renaissance was from the contribution of all Andalusians under an Islamic Empire.
böte 3 den bu belgeseli biz ald?k daha elle?meyin. yavuz ahmet ahmet
I've read most of the comments here, some praise Islam, some degrades it.
There is no doubt that Islam brought a lot to the human race, just as Christianity taught us a lot, Muslims in the middle ages were a bless to mankind, but after so many years of abuse and exploitations by others including the Christians, the Muslims reached the current state of forfeiture and confusion.
Islamic world was concurred, raped, exploited and abused first by the Mongol in 1258 AD, and in modern day by the Christian armies. Therefore, don't expect modern day Muslims to be the same as those during the middle ages... modern day Muslim feel betrayal and unjust inflected on them by others.
Islam = ignorance!!! This is so biased. A director obviously with an inferiority complex. The muslim world, has never been a world encouraging openess to people of all beliefs and cultures. I did not waste any more of my time with it....
really enjoyed it,
What history let us see is that every religion was always used by the rich to control and manipulate the masses,to kill in the name of god contradicts the essence of all peaceful religions but benefits the economic interest of the ones in power,
oh yeah the extremist muslims are very rich... >.>
You are partially correct, the habit of taking wealthy Europeans ( by the Muslim Barbary coast pirates, among others) as hostages, could attract a large ransom fee.
If the ransom fee was not paid, the person would just be a slave.
Better than working heh! (Though perhaps not as honest.)
I am a secular humanist.
I view all religion as mental illness.
What has been accomplished by 5 billion prayers a day?
My answer is absolutly nothing!
Unless of course all 5 billion prayers are for starvation, pestilence, famine, drough, floods, earthquakes, death and distruction in which case prayer works 100%.
your the sickness....your arrogance is amazing religon is the reason for morals in particular a belief in one true ALL encompassing power who does not beget nor has he begotten. there is a particular place in hell for atheists
ahh yes, a good "place in hell"; what an excellent 'moral' example!
Muslims dont pray for power, Muslims dont pray for Money, Muslims dont pray for woman, Muslims dont pray for thier desires to be fullfilled. Muslims for your kind information prays to God for Mercy ... there are many to be listed, rest is for you to find out Mr.Atheist to be.
@ Somethin
No one is saying europe owes it all to Islam but they definitely owe a great deal.
Your assumption that the dark ages weren't really that dark because there wasn't a lot of writing is completely ludicrous. Essentially, you're saying that there was never a dark age BECAUSE 95% of the population was completely illiterate and the 5% who were literate devoted all of their academic efforts to nothing but religious writing. But I guess in your infinitely more cultured euro-centric world mass illiteracy = cultural flourishing?
Anyhow, look at the history of muslim spain. The muslims came in and conquered; this is true. But they made Jews and Christians pay a tax because they weren't Muslims. I'd say that's infinitely more liberal than re conquering spain and killing or forcing conversion or forcing the exodus of anyone who isn't Christian. Oh and those who did convert? Well it was OBVIOUS they were infidels at heart so they had to be hounded by the Inquisition for the rest of their natural lives...pretty peaceful.
However, as I've said before religious history and the history of religious violence is all a you killed my brother so I'm gonna kill your father and now you'll kill my sister and on and on and on. Give it up. I just had to knock you off your pompous ass high horse in making my point about christian vs. muslim spain.
Dont be overly concerned with the relationship between Islam and Christianity when discussing conflicts between the middle east and the western world. Both holy books (The Koran and The Bible) are equally atrocious when taken literally. The problem is that currently one of the books is taken literally while the other isnt.
Both sides have been instigators in past conflicts and religion has always been the excuse. But if you look at any conflict you can always find the true political reason for it.
I really enjoyed it, the western media makes Muslims look like a bunch of barbarians. I loved the videos
@Somethin
Conquest, dominence, war?
Have you even watch the documentary? If so, did you understand something? By saying conquering the christian nations you mean more like that muslim nations are the one who brough war to christians when they was having wars for power among themselves? I mean, come on, if it really was religion maters for the christians they would have united themselves as the muslims did and defended themselves for that part. If you have noticed too, its not like the muslims was trying to conquer the world for dominence and power but to have a one big nation of muslims. If you just focused more on the good side of what muslims would you have noticed
that they even build a moske and a church in a same building in SPAIN (which was christian country in the first place) and didnt even have the whole civilation put slavery or unjustice, but no, they learned them knowledge, build up the cities more beutiful and toke care of it like it was one of their own countries.
By the way, its very awefull to judge a whole religion by propaganda and media view when you have no idea how actually on how the religion really works.
I live in europe and I have everything here (Im very greatefull), more than I would have in my country (Palestine/ or what you call Israel today) but I would never hesistate to move over there (If I get a chance) since the people and their style of living is more living in those dead countries (no offend, just a judgement from a young man who've lived on both sides of the world).
Im sorry if I offended you somehow, I just didnt like the way you talked about a religion you seem dont have a clue about.
Though many of the historical facts are quite adequately portrayed,some inadequacies have somehow found their way to the text.In the conquest of Mecca,to cite but one example,not one single drop of blood was shed(the Koran:48/24).The text and the accompanying comments lead to believe that it was a bloody encounter.
all that the documentary meant is that this part of the history is never told...or is conveniently forgotten or erased...today history that is easily available is the western history written by them, i was flabbergasted to know the glory of the islamic world, even muslim names in the western history(science) are westernised so that we dont get to know that they were muslims. it looks like a conspiracy, a propaganda and it has worked coz there are many muslims who are absolutely unaware of their powerful past...
as far as wars are considered, dont forget the Crusades started much before the Jihads,which makes it a counter war or a war in defence, legitimate even by the Geneva convention;0
also i think all these debates are meaningless that which religion led to how many wars, i think war is natural to man, it is the role of the religion to bring peace and thats exactly what judaism, christianity and islam are here for...so much so that islam actually means peace...and if you believe in reforms than please pick the most reformed religion and that is undoubtedly islam, the last and final.
i have no intention to hurt or offend anyone but one should never hesitate to speak the truth
jazakAllah
i think we all need to think properly about this,it is not easy to think like this.
"The Crusades started much before the Jihads" . . . uh . . . no they didn't. The Crusades didn't start until 1095 AD! The Jihad started in 630 AD, over 400 years before the Crusades.
Jihad means strive and struggle, not go around killing anyone or everyone. Islam means surrender to God and Submit to one God. Allah or Elay is said by Muslims and Jews. Please do you believe in God? Do you believe in Jesus? please reply, and don't lie, because God knows what you conceal and reveal.
@Majid,
"Jihad means strive and struggle, not go around killing anyone or everyone."
That might be true but some guys must have misinterpreted that part of the Quran. As in any other religion where the scriptures are pregnant with thousands of different meanings.
Right...we owe it all to the Islam.
While it is true that there was and exchange of Knowlege (which, by the way, means they got things from us to...), the actual amount of Knowlege is not that great, nor did it have great significance for Europe.
What really influenced Europe ,in regards to the Ottoman Empire, was their striving for dominence, their conquests. In other words: War.
Well thank you so much for all that war Islam. Thank you so much for conquering formerly christian Nations and turning them into partialy islamic countries. And an special thank you for the violence in those countries between the different religious groups now present in those countries.
Oh yeah, it's sooo nice to have Islam as a neighbour.
btw. Nowadays it's very disputet if the "Dark Ages" where really that dark in Europe, we just assumed that because we don't have that much writing from that time. ;)
Oh and don't lecture me that i'm so ignorant and how i should read the koran. I don't judge people by their religious books but by their actions. And sadly those speak a very clear language in the case of most religions.
Does having refugees mean that you are a modern country??? History is as important as the present, because lessons are learned from history and not present. I am a muslime and I sadly disagree with you that the Islamic word isn't as powerful as it used to be. That is all the cause that the leaders of the Islamic world aren't working based on the Kur'an.
hmmmmm its sad that the Europe continued to the modern history, but the country's that Islam originated from went backward in history....... its is a big wonder. please who care about who did what, just look at today's reality and judge for your self! The Islamic world is crushing on its self! because there is no place for reform in it. it is stick in the pass. Why there are no refugees in Islamic world?????
enlightening...makes me wonder History as we have read is so biased...middle ages were thought to us as the darkness through out the world...history is so powerful...6th century Arabia to the Ottoman Empire is certainly not the dark ages...its the foundation of the modern history or may we say the European History.
Mohammed, peace be upon him, is mercy from Allah.
Prince Charles, Heir to the British Monarchy in a recent public speech at Oxford University stated:
"If there is much misunderstanding in the West about the nature of Islam, there is also much ignorance about the debt our own culture and civilisation owe to the Islamic world. It is a failure, which stems, I think, from the straight-jacket of history, which we have inherited. The medieval Islamic world, from central Asia to the shores of the Atlantic, was a world where scholars and men of learning flourished. But because we have tended to see Islam as the enemy of the West, as an alien culture, society, and system of belief, we have tended to ignore or erase its great relevance to our own history."
just proves howa threat the islamic goverment and islam is to your cults and leaders .!!!! its rather flattering