Islam_in_Focus_text

and that wherever ihe Muslim conquerors went, they lived
side by side with non-Muslim natives. Moreover, they argue,
one cannot force a religion like Islam on anyone and find
him so sincere and honest about his Faith as were those
Muslim converts of the new lands. It needs more than com-
pulsion to develop such good Muslims out of a defeated peo-
ple, and it requires much more than suppression to make
them uphold and cherish the "forced" Religion.
Another trend of thought is adopted by some who like to
call themselves intellectuals or enlightened critics and au-
thorities. They are not satisfied with that silly and naive
opinion about the spread of Islam by force. They attribute
the expansion of Islam to the aggressive wars launched by
Muslims who suffocated in the heat and drought of Arabia,
and were simply motivated by economic needs and circum-
stances. Those wars and adventures were not religious or
spiritual but merely the outcome of pressing wants. This
may indicate that the Arabs had not arisen to such a high
level of sacrifice and devotion, or that after the death of Mu-
hammad his survivors and theirs lost interest in Religion al-
together and took off to satisfy their immediate wants. It
may also indicate that Islam itself is incapable of generating
such fervor and zeal in those Muslim Arab warriors. The in-
dication here is manifold, and the "intellectuals" of this opin-
ion are uncertain as to which probability should have prefer-
ence over others.