[Modernman]

Islam, at its inception, was a very dynamic force. For a religion to rise from a few tribes in Arabia to the second largest religion in the world, it needs to be attractive to acquire so many converts. Certainly, Islam was spread through conquest. However, swordpoint conversions tend not to last for too long if the only thing imposing belief is the threat of violence. That leads to the conclusion that Islam used to be a religion that could pick up a lot of converts through its ideology.

Keep in mind, the Mongol Hordes conquered much larger swathes of territory than Islam or Christianity ever did, but very little of Mongol culture or religion remains in those conquered territories because Mongol culture and religion held little appeal for non-Mogols.

In the 14th century, Baghdad was probably the most advanced and civilized place in the world. However, the internal contradictions of Islam led to the overthrow of the open, advanced version of Islam present at the time and replaced it with a more fundamentalist version that is very bad at dealing with modernity.

Unless and until Islam goes through something akin to the Reformation, it is simply not able to meet the demands of a modern, advanced civilization. Adherents of literal Islam are forever doomed to live in backward societies that will constantly be passed by more dynamic cultures.

[A Navy Vet]

I believe Islam is the lazy man's guide to paradise. A believer can lie, cheat, steal, murder in the name of Allah and still go to heaven. No need to work at keeping the darker side of human nature in check, just do it if it feels good - sound familiar?