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The Spread of Islam: Where? How? Why?. The Spread of Islam: Where? How? Why?. Reasons for the Spread of Islam Common Language (Arabic) spoken throughout the Middle East Strong Military Weakened state of Byzantine and Persian Empires allowed for Muslims to conquer these territories.
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The Spread of Islam: Where? How? Why? • Reasons for the Spread of Islam • Common Language (Arabic) spoken throughout the Middle East • Strong Military • Weakened state of Byzantine and Persian Empires allowed for Muslims to conquer these territories
The Spread of Islam: Where? How? Why? • Treatment of conquered people • Allowed others to practice their own faith, but you had to pay a special tax • Qur’an forbids forced conversion • If you freely converted you were exempt from a higher tax rate • Possibility of social mobility • People all are creations of Allah, so they are all equal
The Spread of Islam: Where? How? Why? • Trade Cultural Diffusion • People exposed to Islamic beliefs and embrace Islam’s message • Regions • Middle East by end of 600s via conquest • North Africa by late 600s via trade & conquest • Spain and Sicily by 700s via conquest • India by 700s via trade & conquest • Southeast Asia by the1200s via trade Bedouins Middle Eastern desert dwelling nomads who helped spread Islam through their camel-raising trade
Why Not Western Europe? • The Battle of Tours (732 A.D.) • Christian Franks under Charles Martel were able to repel Muslim forces in France. • Preserved Christianity as the religion of Western Europe
The Abbasids • Non-Muslims had grown dissatisfied with the Umayyads for the following • Paying higher taxes than Muslims • Social discrimination • Lower wages in the army & government • Anti-Umayyad forces overthrow the empire • Abbasid Empire established under Caliph Abu’l-Abbas
Abbasids • Empire reaches it’s height under Harun al-Rashid • Life in the Abbasid Islamic state • Sophisticated urban civilization develops • Capital moved to Baghdad • Better treatment of non-Muslims • Leads to Islamic golden age
Abbasids • Fall of the Abbasids • Conquered by Seljuk Turks (recently converted Muslims) • Allowed Abbassids to still oversee the religion, but Seljuks controlled state affairs. • Abbassids aren’t completely defeated until Chinggis Khan captures Baghdad in 1258.