Islam's 1,400-year history has made an important contribution to world civilization. In its nascent state, it miraculously brought the mighty Christian Byzantine and Zoroastrian Persian empires to their knees. In the span of a generation, the Islamic world became one of the largest empires in history. Despite the stereotype of Islam being spread with the sword, it was mainly adopted and practiced peacefully. Islam recognizes the fundamental importance of the individual's right to religious self-determination. Islam's aversion to compulsion and its affirmation of the individual's right to choose are clearly stated in the Quran.
Nevertheless, a transformation has occurred in the Muslim world that has led to a decline in Islamic civilization. This book summarizes the major historical factors that have contributed to this decline, leading to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and proposes a three-step process of conflict resolution between Islam and the West. Internal problems, especially doctrinal struggles, were primarily responsible for Islam's downfall. In addition, disorder and intolerance followed from the devastating conquests by Christian Crusaders and Mongol hordes, and more recently from the imperialism and colonization of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.