How was Islam directly tied to the beginnings of monotheism? Who was Ishmael, and how was he described in the Bible and the Koran?
Mohammed was arguing over more than the belief in one God. Why were the Arab leaders threatened by his ideas? What were his arguments regarding proper and ethical conduct?
When the Arabs conquered much of the Middle East and north Africa, how did they treat non-Muslims? To what extent was there hostility between the different faiths, and when was the Islamic expansion welcome?
To some extent the Umayyad dynasty managed the new Islamic state in a way con-trary to Mohammed’s original intentions. What was so different, and how did the Abbasid family react to that disparity?
After the Umayyad dynasty was overthrown one of the princes escaped to al-Andalus. Describe where al-Andalus was, and how its capitol, Cordoba, was more advanced than the rest of western Europe.
The kingdoms in west Africa were strongly influenced by Islam, but the indigenous people often maintained their traditional religions. How were the positions of Mus-lims different from those of non-Muslims? How was their general behavior different from non-Muslims?
