Every Day Straight Talk on Islam

Islam Has Always Been a Victim of Western Aggression: A Critical Rebuttal

Islamic apologists often claim that Islam has historically been a victim of relentless Western aggression—portraying Muslims as the oppressed and Western powers as perennial aggressors. While colonialism, crusades, and modern geopolitics involve complex realities and injustices on all sides, this narrative oversimplifies history and ignores over a thousand years of Islamic expansionism, forced conversions, imperialism, and aggression against non-Muslim civilizations.

This post provides a documented counter-narrative grounded in facts, not polemics.

🏛️ 1. Islamic Imperial Expansion Preceded Western Colonialism

➡️ Islamic Conquests Began Immediately After Muhammad’s Death

Between 632 and 732 CE, the Islamic Caliphates conquered vast territories from Spain to India.
The Byzantine and Sassanid empires lost massive swaths of land to Muslim armies.

Source: Hugh Kennedy, The Great Arab Conquests (2007)

"Within a century of Muhammad's death, Muslim forces had conquered more territory than Rome managed in centuries."

➡️ Forced Conversions, Jizya, and Dhimmitude

Non-Muslims were offered three choices: convert, pay jizya (a humiliating tax), or face death.
The dhimmi system institutionalized second-class status for Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and others.

Source: Bat Ye'or, The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians Under Islam (1985)

⚔️ 2. The Crusades Were Largely a Response to Islamic Aggression

The Crusades began in 1095, centuries after Islamic forces conquered Christian territories in the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain.
Jerusalem fell to Muslim armies in 638 CE; Spain was invaded in 711 CE.
The First Crusade was launched in response to Islamic occupation of Christian lands and Muslim attacks on pilgrims.

Source: Thomas Madden, A Concise History of the Crusades (2013)

"The Crusades were not unprovoked attacks on a peaceful Muslim world. They were a belated, defensive reaction."

🌎 3. Western Colonialism Was a Global Phenomenon, Not Anti-Islamic

Western powers colonized the Americas, Africa, Asia, and parts of the Islamic world.
Colonization was driven by economic, strategic, and political motives, not religious hatred of Islam.
Hindu, African, and Buddhist regions suffered equally or more under European imperialism.

Source: Niall Ferguson, Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World (2003)

🤠 4. Muslim Empires Were Also Colonial Powers

The Ottoman Empire (1299–1924) subjugated Christians in the Balkans, Greeks, Armenians, and Arabs.
The Mughal Empire in India (1526–1857) waged jihad, imposed Islamic rule, and built monuments with forced labor.
The Safavid Empire in Persia aggressively persecuted Sunni Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Source: Bernard Lewis, The Muslim Discovery of Europe (1982)

"Islamic empires were no less imperialist than their European counterparts."

🗳️ 5. Modern Islamist Terrorism Isn’t a Reaction—It’s a Continuation

Groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda, Taliban justify violence using Islamic texts and history (e.g., Qur'an 9:29, 8:39).
Their goal is reviving the Caliphate, not merely avenging modern grievances.

Source: Sayyid Qutb, Milestones (1964); Osama bin Laden’s public letters

"Terrorism is not a new response to Western injustice—it is a return to early Islamic methods of expansion."

🕵️‍♂️ 6. The Victimhood Narrative Masks Aggression and Supremacism

Claims of perpetual victimhood ignore:
- Islamic slave raids on European coasts for centuries
- The destruction of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism in Central Asia, and Hindu temples
- Systematic persecution of Apostates, Bahais, Ahmadis, and other sects

Source: Raymond Ibrahim, Sword and Scimitar (2018)

"The grievance narrative is selectively constructed to erase centuries of Islamic conquest and persecution."

✍️ Conclusion: History Must Be Balanced

Islam, like Christianity and Western powers, has a complex and often violent history. To portray it solely as a victim is a distortion that fuels resentment, extremism, and denial of historical responsibility.

No civilization is above criticism. Acknowledging the full scope of Islamic aggression and imperialism is essential for honest dialogue and historical truth.

Suggested Reading:

Ibn Warraq, Why I Am Not a Muslim
Robert Spencer, The History of Jihad
Daniel Pipes, In the Path of God