A Brief History of the Beginnings of Islam

This brief history "lesson" was in response from a reader on my Facebook account regarding Islam.

To xxx: I wouldn't call it "enlightened." When Mohammad started Islam and writing the Koran, he tried getting converts, but was largely unsuccessful and garnered only a few. He was eventually run out of Mecca because of his radical views, and migrated to Medina where he learned that force gains converts. His writings changed from peaceful coercion in the beginning, to use of forceful conversion in later writings. Using force, He became highly successful and gained many converts across the entire region. Under his leadership, Islam became a religion and, more importantly, a political force, all under the command of Allah. The new religion says that Islam is not to be equal to other religions, rather, it must be superior. Accept Islam, become a slave (dhimmi) or death.

Source: Mohammed, Allah, and Politics, The Islamic Political Doctrine, available from the Center for the Study of Political Islam. This is a great book (paperback) and is inexpensive. I recommend anyone interested in Islam read this book.