world history,islam
Creative writing! As I stated in my lecture Islam(s) in the Era Abbasid Decline, most conversions to Islam were peaceful and voluntary. Consider yourself a non-Muslim person living in one part of the Abbasid Empire at some point between during the 750 and 945 C.E. You are faced with the decision of whether or not to convert to Islam. What reasons would you have for converting? What hesitations might you feel? What reasons would there be for rejecting the faith? How would you make your decision? Who would you consult? Are you a Christian in Syria? Are you perhaps a Jew in Egypt or Spain? Are you a polytheistic Arabian nomad? Are you a member of the former Persian military elite? Are you a Turkish tribal leader? When exactly are you living? Are you male or female – and do issues of sex play a role in your outlook? Do you have impressions about science, medicine, or Greek philosophy? Would you choose one particular branch of Islam over another? Why? Based on the sources we have studied so far, compose as detailed a portrait as you can of your decision-making process.
Length: 2 Pages, Double-spaced, 12 point font
Submission Type: PDF, Word Doc., or Google Doc link
