Islamic Empires in Africa (and Asia)

Viewing notes on Crash Course 13, the Qur’an, the Five Pillars all without a Flame War

Key Terms: “our history,” Gabriel, ‘recite,’ tribal society, ‘religious melting pot,’ Ka’aba, between two empires, ‘radical reforming religion,’ final prophet, Qur’an, strict monotheism, caring for others, five pillars, profession of faith, ritual prayer 5 times a day, fasting during Ramadan, giving alms, pilgrimage to Mecca, hadith, 72 virgins, sharia, submission, ummah, Quraysh, Yathrib, Hijra, Abu Bakr/First Caliph, Ali/Fourth Caliph, Omar, Uthman, Sunni and Shi’a, expansion and assassination, Ummayids, ‘spread by the sword’ or not?, Sassanians, Spain, Egypt

Questions:

1. How did it feel to watch this after spending 3 hours (+) with the BBC series? How would the makers of the BBC series respond to John Green’s episode? Name 2-3 areas of likely agreement, and 2-3 points of likely disagreement.

2. What are John Green’s main claims about the importance of Islamic empires to World History? Based on your reading in Strayer and Nelson, as well as Ibn Battuta’s Rihla, how do you evaluate Green’s claims?