“Under Umar, the caliphate expanded to include many regions of the world such as the lands of the former Byzantine and Sassanian empires in Asia Minor, Persia and Central Asia.”
Yeah, how exactly did that “expansion” occur? In reality, beyond the pseudo-academic whitewash and fantasy below, the caliphates always behaved much like the Islamic State, because they were all working from the same playbook. Find out the true, bloody history of the caliphates from Islamic sources in The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS.
Also, AP says “This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content.” But would it ever run a view that dissented from this one? Not on your life.
“What is a caliph? The Islamic State tries to boost its legitimacy by hijacking a historic institution,” by Ken Chitwood, Associated Press, November 13, 2019:
(THE CONVERSATION) Just days after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Oct. 27, the Islamic State named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as the new “caliph.”
In 2014, IS conquered vast swaths of Iraq and Syria and declared itself to be the “caliphate.”
Defined and applied in different ways over the centuries, the fundamental idea behind the caliphate is the just ordering of society according to the will of God.
The Islamic State’s caliphate was never widely recognized among the global Muslim community and no longer has significant territory. But the Islamic State still uses the history of the caliphate to push their claims.
As a scholar of global Islam, every time I teach my “Introduction to Islam” class, questions about the caliphate come up, in part because of IS’s claims….
The second and third caliphs were Umar and Uthman. Under Umar, the caliphate expanded to include many regions of the world such as the lands of the former Byzantine and Sassanian empires in Asia Minor, Persia and Central Asia. Uthman is credited with compiling the Quran….
The Abbasid dynasty descended from Muhammad’s uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib, and succeeded the Umayyads.
These two caliphates oversaw the continuing expansion of the empire. Under them architecture, the arts and sciences flourished.
For example, the “Dome of the Rock,” a shrine in the Old City of Jerusalem, was built under an Umayyad caliph as a monument to the rising supremacy of their empire…..
somehistory says
I have met and gotten to know some of the professors at UF. This guy is a fool and a tool and what he is saying is so full of holes. He brings the status of UF down.
“Art and science” never flourish when moslims control. They don’t believe in true art and their ‘science,’ is balderdash. The ‘earth is flat,’ and their using camel …. as medicine, and so many other items of nonsense.
The word “science” basically means truth or knowledge…it can be about any thing…doesn’t have to be test tubes or looking at cells and microbes.
islam has no truth in any form. islam is built on a lie…and added to that, more lies. Much like what this “professor” has written and what he claims to “teach.”
somehistory says
“Their using camel”, should be their use of camel….
gravenimage says
Somehistory, here is more stupidity from Ken Chitwood:
“It’s time to change the way we talk about Islam — you can’t just blame the media”
Terrorism. Violence. Extremists. Bombs. The list could go on.
These were some of the responses at a recent community action forum hosted by Welcoming Gainesville—a local organization seeking to create a space for immigrants to thrive in their new community—when participants were asked by Hassan Shibly, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Florida, what the first words were that came to mind when they heard “Islam in the media.”
When asked why, the crowd collectively concurred that the media over-reported instances where Muslims committed acts of violence, avoided calling non-Muslim violent extremists “terrorists,” and generally did a poor job of covering Islam…
http://www.kenchitwood.com/blog/2016/2/3/its-time-to-change-the-way-we-talk-about-islam-you-cant-just-blame-the-media
Note none of these tools ever thought that these were the first things people thought about Islam not “because of the media”, but because Islam is a creed that demands violence against Infidels.
somehistory says
Thanks, g.
I hate reading stuff like that or hearing fools ‘discuss’ this evil about which they either know nothing, or they seek to hide the Truth from the public.
More and more, I see moslims and I can’t help but wonder which ones will be the ones to commit the next act of terror here in Florida. I expect something when I ride a bus, sit in a restaurant, walk on the street, go into a grocery store or doctor’s office…if any moslims are in the same place as I am.
And every one of them has an expression of ownership and superiority…in face and body language.I hate the source of their belief.
gravenimage says
Agreed, Somehistory.
MINAS says
I disagree, calling this deplorable POS a fool and a tool is being way too kind in describing him. There should be a new English word or catchphrase invented to call people like this guy.
mortimer says
The article is EXAGERATION and HOGWASH!
For Muslims, it is ALLAH … rather then men who impose the caliph. Arabic ḵalīfa meaning ‘deputy (of God’) from the title ḵalīfat Allāh. The caliph represents ALLAH and the second caliph Omar titled himself ‘Farooq’ … the ‘redeemer’. Omar considered himself on a par with Mohammed and capable of giving ‘revelations’ of his own. The concept of the caliphate clearly DEVELOPED and was never born FULLY FORMED out of the mental illnesses of Mohammed. Mohammed probably didn’t think beyond next week in all likelihood. He could not remember what contradictory information Allah had ‘revealed’ to him even weeks before. MOHAMMED DID NOT THINK UP THE CALIPHATE and never appointed a successor …. certainly not the men who poisoned him on his bed and buried him underneath it!
ISIS was meticulously and abundantly Islamic and a led by a PhD in Islamic studies who insured that Sharia law and Islamic traditions were followed to the last LETTER of Sharia law. The selection process in the matter of the ISIS caliphate was strict, requiring a descendant of Mohammed’s Quraysh tribe to lead the Islamic world.
The caliphate was created on the model of the Roman emperor… the caesar (pronounced ‘kaisar’ in Classical Latin). The Arabs wanted their very own ‘kaisar’, their very own empire and their very own state religion, different from Christianity or Zoroastrianism (of the Persians) … but plagiarizing pieces from both.
The caliphate was created by thuggish gangs of outcast Arabs who through raiding became fabulously rich. The Ottoman tribe also ascended quickly to power through the identical methods of conquest, theft and genocide.
Islam is based on conquest, theft and genocide. The religion of Islam came after the fact. Two or three hundred years after the fact. Islam was not finally codified until almost 500 years after the death of Mohammed.
mortimer says
The first ‘caliphs’ didn’t even use the word ‘caliph’ … they called themselves the ‘AMIR-AL-MUMINEEN’ … the ‘COMMANDING OFFICER of the BELIEVERS’.
The definition of the caliphate developed over the next 200 years.
gravenimage says
Still, Muslims have followed the basic model of the “Prophet” Muhammed–invading, raiding, slaving, raping, slaughtering and conquering others, and forcing everyone to submit to Islam.
Stephanie says
‘somehistory’,
you are so right; islam is the most backward, ignorant, hate-filled bull crap ever. Because they rule through fear, many will not fight islam. your school people are idiots to allow this jerk even on the campus. Do they not know there are no rights, period, for women and that is just for beginners?
I feel sorry for the muslims because they are incredibly backwards. they have NO basis for their beliefs other than how to control through terror.
And we do not need that ‘consciousness’ in our country, nor in any of our schools.
The politically correct bunch do not understand what they are doing.
Mario Alexis Portella says
Trump should have the same K-9 dog that forced al-Baghdadi to commit suicide go after that professor and anyone who believes sharia-law should be part of America.
Quazgaa says
And have the dog die of food poisoning?
Mario Alexis Portella says
hahaha! True!
MINAS says
No, better yet, how about sending military trained guard pigs after retards like him.
mortimer says
This professor is entitled to be wrong. Mohammed and the Rashidun caliphs did not create rules for electing a caliph. That was a later development. Caliph al Baghdadi followed the rules of the selection of the caliphate as much as possible, so his caliphate was perfectly acceptable in principle, but in actual fact, no Arab country recognized his legitimacy, even though Sharia law would back him up.
Today, there is no Islamic body that can with authority recognize or endorse a caliph. The caliph would have to be endorsed by ALLAH giving him overwhelming victory after victory. But that isn’t likely to happen. Muslims today are not in the mood for a caliphate even though most of them say with their lips they want it.
In fact, most Muslims did NOT endorse Caliph al Baghdadi when they had the opportunity … so most Muslims are TOTAL HYPOCRITES in the matter of the caliphate.
In fact, most Muslims are LYING TO THEMSELVES … in fact, they DO NOT want a caliphate.
E T says
Grandma, if you can read or see this, you were right, Islam is all about lies and filth. MY goodness, you were way ahead of your time.
gravenimage says
Yes–I know how you feel, E T. I wish I could tell my brother’s wife’s parents that they were right about Islam back in the early ’80s, back when I was still pretty clueless about that foul creed.
Quazgaa says
I believe they do want a caliphate , out of islamic pride, if nothing else.
Pride is the hot air that keeps islam’s balloon inflated.
And as long as that patched balloon is flying, they won’t be touching the ground, thus facing and owning their mistakes.
gravenimage says
Yet Muslims have so little to be proud of.
gravenimage says
Mortimer, no Islamic countries formally recognized the Caliphate, mostly because that would delegitimize their own rule.
The only real disagreement among Muslims was rather al-Baghdadi was Caliph, or if it should instead be one of their own vicious faction–but every observing Muslim loves the idea of the bloody Caliphate.
abad says
Has anyone seen Chitwood’s mugshot? He looks just like a Jihadi.
http://www.kenchitwood.com/about
Chances are he is a Moslem spreading the usual taqiyya.
FYI says
These intellectually-challenged academics may simply be naive pro-islam apologists but some are certainly converts to the cult of muhammed although they probably won’t want to admit it.
Of course we know the Arabs[saudis etc} are happy to provide lots of money to colleges and universities to promote their antisemitic,antichristian cult of murder and mayhem…..so they need to employ such folk to act as salesmen for their shoddy product.
FYI says
And I see from that link you gave that he styles himself as “a forward thinking lutheran theologian”
Oh dear Jesus:That gives the game away a bit doesn’t it?
Well, it seems he is ‘backward thinking’ on islam….{Sarc/..”well placed”}
Ken likes “Ultra -distance running,well placed sarcasm and craft beer..”
Ok:most likely not a convert then….but a useful dhimmi…of course a PhD just isn’t what it used to be..[sarc/…”well placed”}
James Lincoln says
To our legal folks here at Jihad Watch:
Is there any legal way to keep Saudi money out of our colleges and universities?
gravenimage says
U of Florida prof: “Islamic State tries to boost its legitimacy by hijacking a historic institution,” the caliphate
……………….
The Caliphate has always been like this–conquering, enslaving and raping Infidels, and engaging in genocide.
The last Caliphate–the Ottoman Empire–ravaged their neighbors for centuries, seized Infidel children for the Janissaries, Harems, and slave markets, and after pressure to end this system came from the West, they simply slaughtered most of their non-Muslim population in the terrible Armenian Genocide, which actually targeted all Christians.
Angemon says
OK, so “caliphate” was “defined and applied in different ways over the centuries”, but somehow ISIS is not a caliphate. Even though they justify their claim with islamic tenets and historic precedents. Not that we’d know about that reading Chitwood’s article alone.
How many caliphates were universally recognized in the islamic world throughout history? Shias won’t recognize the legitimacy of a sunni caliphate and vice versa. The Ottomans had to face plenty of insurrections during their empire. Saying that ISIS’ caliphate was “never widely recognized among the global muslim community” (citation needed) means nothing to the legitimacy of its claims – appeal to numbers is a logical fallacy.
“Global islam”? But I’ve been told over and over, by scholars of islam, that islam is not a monolith, and only bigoted islamophobes think so!
“Expanded”? How, exactly?
Or Abu Bakr, depending on whom you ask…
You mean, they went and conquered other civilizations.
And appropriated their cultures.
…on the site of the Second Jewish Temple. A taste of what was to come over the centuries – building islamic shrines on top of shrines of other religions, many destroyed during bloody islamic conquest… sorry, “expansion”. Supremacy indeed
Phil Copson says
“…Grandma, if you can read or see this, you were right, Islam is all about lies and filth. MY goodness, you were way ahead of your time….”
——————————————————————————————————–
It’s the supremacism leading all the way up to genocidal hatred of others, that makes islam so dangerous: the “lies and filth”, they can practice at home….
Trouble is, it wasn’t so much that Grandma was ahead of her time, as that we are behind ours: previous generations knew about and defended themselves against the spread of islam for hundreds of years; today, Western education has suppressed the most basic knowledge of what the world is actually like.
gravenimage says
+1
Krishna says
Tell me professor during historic caliphate wasn’t people crucified, gays executed, theifs hands chopped off adulterers stoned and Christians, Jews and polytheist women sold as sex slave and men’s head chopped off?
gravenimage says
Yep.
sidney penny says
“Find out the true, bloody history of the caliphates from Islamic sources in The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS.”
Good as
The 8 Volumes of The History of India as told by its own historians by Sir HM Elliot and Professor John Dowson.
Own historians here means Muslim historians using Islamic sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_India,_as_Told_by_Its_Own_Historians
“all working from the same playbook”