[Antoninus]

2. That Byzantine rule was so abusive and heavy-handed for cities in Mesopotamia and Persia that Muslim armies were often welcomed as liberators.

Yup. But in almost every case, they regretted that decision very shortly thereafter. Read the account of the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the Chronicle of John, Bishop of Nikiu.

[Captain Rhino]

Oh, absolutely! But, like communism or fascism, submitting to Islam is a door whose hinges swing in only one direction: inward but not outward.