One thing I love about Islam is there is no “superior” culture or race.
Every culture has its positives and negatives, and Islam beautifies it by removing the bad and leaving the good.
This is the attitude of the ummah and of our forefathers, and this attitude is in stark contrast to the attitudes of other empires throughout history. Muslims did not ever seek to destroy or change cultures, they sought to improve them and make them flourish.
Thus, there is no universal Muslim “culture.” The cultures are diverse, the people are diverse, but the religion is one.
This is exemplified in looking at historical conquests. Many countries became Muslim because their ruler converted, such as Southeast Asia, the Champa Kingdom of Vietnam (which was largely exterminated in a genocide), and Afghanistan.
The countries that were conquered through warfare saw every aspect of their nation improve exponentially: trade shot up, a burgeoning middle class was born, education skyrocketed, and safety ensued. For example, the Indian subcontinent under the Mughal Empire. By the end of Mughal rule, India’s GDP was 24.4% of the entire world–one *quarter* of the Earth! This matched the GDP of Europe, maybe 1% higher. By the end of British rule a few hundred years later, it shot all the way down to 4.4%.
Other empires sought to destroy, but the Muslim empires sought to build. And build they did. There is no diversity on Earth like Islam.
If all you’re proud of is your race, something chosen for you at birth, then that’s quite pathetic and primitive. Real people of virtue know that true honor is in the choices you make, not in the color of your skin. And there is no greater honor than Islam.
To read more on Islamic history, I recommend starting with “Lost Islamic History” by Firas al-Khateeb.
Halaqa 