[PoBoy321]

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My understanding, and of course I could be wrong, was always that after the rise of Mohammed in 711, Islam spread throughout the Middle Eastern world basically by Muslim warriors approacing a city, telling them that they had to pay taxes to them. If they accepted, they paid the taxes and basically everyone was ok. If they refused, they were attacked, conquered and forced to pay.

[/ QUOTE ] wrong. Muslim warriors approached a city and told everyone there that they had to convert to Islam. Those that refused were killed. Islam was spread by the sword.

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Well, Christianity was spread much the same way throughout Europe. I know of at least a few occasions of mass murder in Germany during the Christianization of the Celts.

I was always under the understanding that the Muslims didn't paricularly care whether or not you converted so long as you paid, but I'll see if I can find some information to back one of us up.

EDIT: I found a couple of articles that say that Muslim invaders did frequently force conversion on those they conquered, but that Christians were certainly guilty of the same thing.