Islam: Not Spread by the Sword

When the Quranic verses of Islam were sent to Muhammad around the year 610, the beginnings of a new religion called Islam were revealed to the world. This religion was the last and final, perfect religion sent to humanity in the form of a holy book by God. At first, as with any new idea, Islam was questioned and doubted by the majority. But because the power of the religion and the message for the world to hear were so strong, Islam thrived for centuries and is currently the fastest growing religion in the United States. However, over the years, because of certain incidents and misguided individuals, Islam has been tainted with a view of being a religion of violence. Add to that the recent media events over the past few decades, and it is no wonder why the common uninformed individual would have such a bad view of this misrepresented religion. "Islam was spread by the sword." I believe that this quote is wrong and do not agree with it. However, with a clear explanation of Islam's rising and spreading, coupled with the true lessons of the Quran, one will find that this religion, in fact, strives to promote the opposite point of view, one of peace and free will.

Before discussing why Islam was not spread by the sword, it is important to recognize what the reasons are for this belief. When we can define what misconceptions are presently the causes for this view, we can correct them to get a better understanding of the religion. With the recent events of 9/11 and the War on Terror, America has seen nothing but war and destruction associated with Islam. Extremists who claim that Islam tells them to commit acts of terrorism give some Americans false understandings. Because of this, they tend to think of Islam as a religion that promotes violence to spread the message across. "Islam, a religion of mercy, does not permit terrorism. In the Quran, God has said: 'God does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those who have not fought you about religion and have not driven you out of your homes. God loves just dealers.' (60:8)" (Ibrahim 59). Many Islamic terrorists claim that these crimes are part of Jihad. Jihad is a legitimate belief in Islam literally meaning "struggle" or 'striving". "Most Muslim-Americans, however, insist that fundamentalists such as bin Laden misrepresent the doctrine of Jihad- which simply means 'to strive for some objective.'" (Hurley 104). The idea of Jihad involves standing up for your religion and beliefs. It does not mean murdering all who are not Muslim or taking the lives of innocent people in the name of God. "Jihad is a duty of all Muslims to commit themselves to a struggle on all fronts- moral, spiritual and political- to create a just and decent society. It is not a holy war against non-believers as is commonly understood." (Hurley 121). The interpretations of Islam and Jihad from a few people lead the world to see this religion as being filled with war and violence. Another reason why Islam is viewed as a religion of violence dates all the way back to the Crusades. Because of the medieval wars between the Muslims and Christians, many really began to believe that Islam promoted fighting. This is unfair because there were two sides to the war. Although Muslims did fight, Christians were the other half of that battle. They also engaged in violence and yet there is no saying "Christianity was spread by the sword." One cannot judge a whole religion on a few secluded events. In taking a closer look, it becomes apparent what actually happened in the rise and spread of Islam and it has little to do with forcing and murdering those who did not convert.

Islam is a religion that promotes peace and unity among its followers and the idea of equality no matter what race or background. "Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from falsehood." (2:256) The Quran clearly states that people who convert should do so because they see the beauty of Islam and want to be a part of it. A person that converts because they are threatened does not really believe. This means that they are not necessarily Muslim at heart. This kind of conversion is not legit because the person has not accepted the religion; he or she has been forced to convert. It makes no sense to force your beliefs onto others who will not buy it. A major example of the peaceful spread of Islam can be seen in Indonesia. In this Asian country, Islam is the major religion. In fact, Indonesia holds the world's largest population of Muslims. Yet Indonesia has never even seen a Muslim army. "…The Islamization of Indonesia seems not to have been so much the result of a series of holy wars as it was a process of assimilation and synthesis." (Bunge 10). How, then, could it be possible that Islam was spread by the sword? Obviously, another motivation was present to spread the religion; something that does not involve violence. There are other instances in which Islam promoted peace and did not conquer land by the sword. Islam has been spread across many different areas of the world in the past. Although many of these areas have a Muslim population, Islam is not necessarily the major religion of the area. Catholicism is the major religion of Spain. However, the Islamic Umayyad Dynasty had control of Spain for approximately 700 years.

If Islam was forced on people, Spain would have been a key Muslim area today. This shows that the rulers of the country did not force people to convert. The Islamic empire also ruled in India for a long period of time in history. During this time, although some people converted on their own, it was not forced onto them. Once again, even though Muslim leaders ruled over the area as they did in Spain, today there is only a minority of Muslims in India. The majority follow Hinduism as they have been for centuries. Also, ten percent of the world's Arabian population is Christian. All Arabs originated from a common area in the Middle East, the same area where Islam was revealed and started out. If conversion was mandatory, there would be no Christian Arabs today. Christianity was present before Islam and some Arabs had faith in this religion. When Islam was revealed, these people were allowed to practice and believe as they chose fit. "In fact, what came to be known as the dhimmi communities, those monotheists who lived under a pact of protection (dhimma) with the Muslim state, survived and in many cases thrived for many generations." (Berkey 92). They were left in peace as long as they recognized the authority of their government, which was an Islamic government. "Rulers throughout the world usually persecuted subjects whose religion was marked variance with theirs. Nonetheless, Islam was relatively tolerant, as the treatment of Christians and Jews testifies, and the caliphs permitted many types of religious deviation," (Oschenwald 90).

When Islam was first formed around the seventh century, it started out small. But because its message was so convincing and open to interpretation from people with all different backgrounds and personalities, it rose and spread throughout the Middle East initially and throughout the world eventually. During Islam's early years, many areas that were conquered were done with ease because the areas were already weak. The government system was not influential over the people and everything was in an unorganized state. The Islamic empire had been formed and developed into a large, intricate system. It had the strength and unity to easily rule over new territories. There was no need to have wars or battles because some areas had no reason to resist change. When Islam took over, the areas easily accepted the religion because of its power. Treaties were written and areas were given up to Islamic rule. "Often territory was peacefully surrendered by treaty rather than conquered," (Oschenwald 52). This shows that Islam was not forced onto people. Also, in the Islamic Empire, there was a tax called the Jizya for non-Muslims occupying the region. As long as they paid their taxes, the people were left alone. Muslims were not required to pay this tax. In addition to the Jizya, the empire also enforced a land tax for everyone both Muslim and non-Muslim. Because Muslims could own land, they would lease it to non-Muslims who in turn would have to pay the land tax. The combination of the two taxes for non-Muslims became an incentive for conversion. It became an option in order to get out of paying taxes. Never was it forced to convert. The citizens were allowed to freely make the decision on their own. If these citizens chose not to convert, they were left in peace. "Non-Muslims- Christians, Zoroastrians, Jews, pagan Berbers, and a few scattered others- were called dhimmis and were protected and recognized legally as second-class subjects on condition that they acknowledged the political supremacy of the Muslims. They were judged almost entirely in their own courts in accordance with their own laws and were permitted to worship in their own way and to live their personal lives as they wished," (Oschenwald 56). Also, Islam recognizes other religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianismas being acceptable to practice. Followers of these religions are known as "people of the book." Islam says that they are perfectly alright worshipping as they have been for centuries. In fact, Islam is so tolerant of other religions, it is permissible for a Muslim man to marry a non-Muslim woman (so long as she is of the book).

Myths are present everywhere in a society and it is up to individuals to figure out whether these sayings are true or not. The saying that Islam was spread by the sword can be seen as a myth due to the lack of education one might have concerning this subject matter. Islam has become misrepresented in this world due to some unfortunate events that lead to a bad name. Although at first it may seem true, after looking into the history of the religion, it becomes clear that Islam does not specifically promote violence and that the people of the religion have been very tolerant towards various faiths during the rise and spread of Islam. Many specific instances in the history of the world provide solid evidence that Islam is not a religion of violence. When one is aware of both sides of the story, it becomes clearer that Islam, in fact, was not spread by the sword.