Islam: Empire Of Faith

The PBS produced film Islam: Empire of Faith is an excellent introduction to the history and foundations of Islam. The documentary provides the audience with a relatively unbiased view of Islam, starting with the life of the prophet Mohammed to the spread of the Ottoman Empire up to Suleman. The film itself I narrated by Sir Richard Kingsley with multiple scholars providing commentary on the significant impacts of Islam throughout history. Islam: Empire of Faith provides an accurate depiction of Islam. The information presented utilizes factual dates and allows the viewer to develop a relatively unbiased opinion. Starting with the life of Mohammed, the film discusses his early tribal upbringing and portrays Mohammed as simply a prophet who

It shows the beauty of Islam that the media fails to identify when depicting Islam as a religion of violence and extremism. For most in the West, Islam is only mentioned when discussing terrorism or the conflicts in the Middle East. In America specifically, the technological advances that are the product of Muslim scholars or the architectural masterpieces of Spain are unknown. Additionally, the film shows how Mohammed spread Islam not necessarily by the sword, as is often thought, but through compassion. Lastly, the film highlights periods in history where Christianity, Judaism, and Islam were able to coexist. The early years of Jerusalem under Islam along with Islamic Spain are both presented in the

Mentioned specifically in the film is the lack of a clergy. Although various Muslim leaders are presented late in the film, these leaders are more concerned with the spread of their dynasty or kingdom and not necessarily that of Islam. The spread of Islam was a byproduct of these leaders conquering lands. However, the religious crusades sparked by Pope Urban to retake Jerusalem and prevent the spread of Islam further into the Byzantine Empire and the West highlight how religion was used by the clergy. Islam is often depicted as a religion spread only through conflict and conquer, yet Christianity bears a history that isn’t all that different nor is it less violent. The description of Jerusalem during the invasion by Christian armies with “blood flowing to the knees of horses” (Gardner, 2000) is a reminder of the atrocities committed in the name of