Research Paper on:
The Straight Path by John Esposito

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
politics and law. By discussing Islamic history within a cultural context, Esposito provides insight into why the Muslim world developed as it did. By offering a means to understand  Islamic history, Esposito also aids his readers in understanding the Islamic world of the present. Esposito naturally begins his text with Muhammad and the creation of the Quran, then  sketching the history of the Islamic world during the medieval period. In offering this overview, Esposito also gently correct several Western stereotypes. For example, Esposito points out that Islam has  historically been respectful of other faiths and has eschewed the concept of forced conversions, which is something that cannot be said of Christianity throughout the medieval and early modern eras.  In fact, Muslim rule following the great Islamic conquests of the Middle Ages, for many of the conquered peoples, offered more freedom than they have previously experienced. Therefore, many Jews  and Christians in these regions helped the Muslims authorities in consolidating their power. Substantiating this point, Esposito contrasts the massacre of the population of Jerusalem, which occurred in 1099 when  Crusaders conquered the city, with the magnanimous handling of Jerusalems inhabitants when the Muslims conquered the city in 638 and 1187. Esposito also points out that the  West has had trouble reconciling Muhammad as a spiritual leader and also as a military conqueror. He explains this seeming dichotomy by putting Muhammad life within a cultural context.  According to Esposito, warfare was a common practice of the Arab tribes in the Middle East at that time. There was the common Semitic belief that there was divine sanction  for battle against the enemies of God. This belief was also held by Jews, as well as Arabs, Esposito argues that behavior that does not shock Westerners in regards to