Hovhannisyan
Islam’s Effects on The West
Nowadays, Islam, the youngest of the world religions, has a significant importance to a vast number of people. With the great majority of Middle Eastern countries, rich with such fossil fuels as coal and oil, as its adherents Islam has a crucial role in world affairs. Amid such events as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Ben Laden’s call to “jihad,” Islam is perhaps the religion with the most misrepresented reputation in United States. Moreover, Islam affects the lives of millions, including non-followers, every day in all parts of the world, either spiritually, politically, or economically. Just like in the present, Islam played a major role in the west during the early middle ages. In fact, the rise and spread of Islam had an essential effect on the development of the Western Civilization, because it extensively contributed to the cultural and scientific advancement of that region.
Before the core discussion of Islam’s significance in the development of the Western Civilization, a brief description of Islam and its rise to power is suitable. As it is known, the founder of Islam is Muhammad, a brilliant salesman and mediator, who according to Muslims became the last prophet of God. Day by day, Muhammad’s prophecies attracted more and more followers and the numbers grew fast. Soon Muhammad had enough followers to raise an army and conquer Mecca, the city from which he was banished because of his teachings. In a few words, Islam became a unifying force for the many different Arabic tribes and clans. Since the Arabs were more united, they were more powerful and posed a force large enough to defeat foreign armies and gain control of their territories. Soon after the death of the Muslim prophet and leader Muhammad, the Muslim Caliphates experienced a rapid expansion in size and became to be known as the Muslim Empire, which stretched from Iberian Peninsula, Italy, North Africa, The Middle East, Central Asia, to northwest India. Briefly, the Muslim Empire could be described as an empire of religion and it covered a vast territory with all types of different cultures and nations.
