The Popularity of Islam

Today Islam is one of the most widely spread religions, present in every region of the world. Plenty of factors contributed to the popularity of the religious tradition leading to the position it holds in the contemporary world. These factors can be symbolically divided into two categories, contemporary and historical. The historical spread of Islam was influenced by two major activities – military conquest and trade. The history of Islam is full of bloody wars, both with the purpose of conquering new lands and preserving the ones owned by Muslims. Therefore, after taking control over new lands, many of the conquered people converted to Islam. Some people were drawn by religious belief it implied, finding them more attractive. Some, instead, considered economic and political privileges given to Muslims appealing enough to convert to Islam. Another factor that contributed to the process of religious conversion was trade. The Middle East had long been a center of trade with Asia, Africa, and Europe alike. As a result, Muslim traders were able to spread Islam across the world. In the contemporary world, Islam keeps expanding its geographical boundaries holds beyond the position it obtained in the course of history. One of the key factors impacting this process is immigration. A large number of Muslims have migrated into traditionally non-Islamic regions, spreading their religious beliefs, or rather “the truth”, as they refer to it, to anyone willing to listen. Due to the universality of Islamic teachings and its openness to the new adherents, many people adopt the beliefs willingly. The demographical factor also impacts the popularity of Islam, considering that Muslim families tend to have more children than Christian ones. Moreover, inter-religious marriages often presuppose conversion to one religion, so Islam is generally dominating over others. Therefore, this combination of factors has influenced the popularity of Islam, granting not only its further