I knew that there was a large Islamic empire that included North Africa and the Middle East, but when I started researching it, I wanted to know more and get the specifics. I read a long article about the
Rashidun Empire on Wikipedia that told an amazing story about the expansion of Islam after the death of Mohamed (632 AD). Within 24 years the successors of his religion had conquered an enormous territory, from what is now Afghanistan, across the Middle East to North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea and Spain. (Click on the map image -- it will get bigger and you can see how truly enormous this empire was!) This was all the more remarkable because there was, apparently, a great deal of dissent and disagreement about who should be the leader of the faith after Mohammad. One the one side, the Sunni's believed that the Caliph should be elected and they selected Abu Bakr. On the other side the Shi'a's believed Mohamed's son-in-law Ali ibn Abu Talib should be the leader -- setting the stage for a disagreement that has lasted to this day. The Islamic Arabs defeated other empires, notably the Byzantine, Persian, and North African empires in a series of battles. They taxed the people they conquered, but, apparently at a lower rate then their former colonial masters, and they had some legal protections for citizens, especially if they agreed to become Islamic. These measures, along with a carefully organized administration and military force, allowed them to set up and establish their long lasting rule. Other interesting sources on the Rashidun Caliphate include
The Encyclopedia of World History and the
Encyclopedia of the Orient, which claims that, "
Modern Islamism as headed by the Muslim Brotherhood, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and Osama bin Laden and others have contented that the reestablishment of the Caliphate is the ultimate goal for their struggle against secularism and Western societies." 
The Decameron,
10th day, novel 9: There is much to notice in this story of encounters between an Italian noble, Torello, and the leader of the Islamic leader of Babylon, Saladin, at the time of the crusades. I was especially charmed by the vivid scenes of banquets, night-time torch parades, and hawking. I loved the feeling of entering into this world of 800 years ago! I am really curious about what students found of interest.
I knew that there was a large Islamic empire that included North Africa and the Middle East, but when I started researching it, I wanted to know more and get the specifics. I read a long article about the Rashidun Empire on Wikipedia that told an amazing story about the expansion of Islam after the death of Mohamed (632 AD). Within 24 years the successors of his religion had conquered an enormous territory, from what is now Afghanistan, across the Middle East to North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea and Spain. (Click on the map image -- it will get bigger and you can see how truly enormous this empire was!) This was all the more remarkable because there was, apparently, a great deal of dissent and disagreement about who should be the leader of the faith after Mohammad. One the one side, the Sunni's believed that the Caliph should be elected and they selected Abu Bakr. On the other side the Shi'a's believed Mohamed's son-in-law Ali ibn Abu Talib should be the leader -- setting the stage for a disagreement that has lasted to this day. The Islamic Arabs defeated other empires, notably the Byzantine, Persian, and North African empires in a series of battles. They taxed the people they conquered, but, apparently at a lower rate then their former colonial masters, and they had some legal protections for citizens, especially if they agreed to become Islamic. These measures, along with a carefully organized administration and military force, allowed them to set up and establish their long lasting rule. Other interesting sources on the Rashidun Caliphate include The Encyclopedia of World History and the Encyclopedia of the Orient, which claims that, "Modern Islamism as headed by the Muslim Brotherhood, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and Osama bin Laden and others have contented that the reestablishment of the Caliphate is the ultimate goal for their struggle against secularism and Western societies." 
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