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Beginning in the 630s, just after Muhammad is traditionally believed to have died in 632, armies streamed out of Arabia and swiftly conquered Damascus, much of Iraq, Jerusalem, Caesarea, Armenia, Egypt, and North Africa. Nowadays the claim is common that these were easy conquests because the people of these regions were so sick of Byzantine oppression that they welcomed the invaders as liberators. In reality, however, the caliph Umar, whom Islamic tradition says ruled from 634 to 644, once asked a critic a revealing question: “Do you think that these vast countries, Syria, Mesopotamia, Kufa, Basra, Misr [Egypt] do not have to be covered with troops who must be well paid?” If the natives had welcomed the conquerors, why did their lands have to be “covered with troops”?
Read Full Article: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm-plus/a-history-of-conquest/
