re: The myth of the Caliphate

quote:

---

Seems to me the argument is that the Caliphate, in the sense of a divinely-ordained political order supposed to gather all Muslims into unity--is an invention of the second half of the 20th century, and that most radicals who follow this ideal are ignoramuses who don't know their history.

---

What a ridiculous notion. Muhammad established the first Caliphate by conquering Mecca and Arabia and turning them into a unified religious and political state (the Caliphate). Ever since the death of Muhammad it has been the role of his successors, the Caliphs, to serve as the supreme political and religious leader of the unified Islamic state. And the Caliphate immediately expanded via military aggression from the very beginning under the rule of the very first Caliph, Abu Bakr. Islamic expansion, violent expansion, immediately broke out throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and even Spain. From its very inception Islamic tradition as well as the historical record shows that the Caliphate was a militant, expansionist political and religious power focused on unifying the Muslim populations through violence, forced conversion, and any other means at its disposal in order to create an Islamic empire. You want to speak of history, well explain why the founder of Islam as well as his very first successor (and subsequent Caliphs) viewed it as their duty to not only serve as the political and religious leader of the Caliphate, but almost always sought to expand its borders through force and violence.

Invention of the 20th century? Islamic imperialism is innate to Islam and has been present since its birth.