Islam: Empire of Faith

This is a very good documentary and shows the more fair image of Islam not commonly seen in the West, of a religion that was flourished in culture, science, and art. It also shows its more violent parts in history. Nevertheless, I find that it ends all too abruptly and it fails to comment on any contemporary issues about Islam, which I guess would have made this documentary too long.

If you are interested in Islam, find yourself a copy of this and watch as it is entertaining and informative.

Especially at this time, it is necessary for Western audiences to learn more about Islam.

The story structure is okay, in that it has a logical easy to follow flow. It uses maps which are helpful.

However, this documentary completely buries the atrocities Muhammad and his followers committed. Everything is spun to make Mahammad appear like a perfect humanitarian. When it claimed that citizens of its conquered cities converted to Islam willingingly, and that the threat of death for refusing had no impact on their decision to convert, I could not bear it anymore and stopped watching in disgust.

The photography is so good. It's too bad they didn't hire a historian to put the development of the progress of Islam in a more understanding theme. It jumps around so much that it distracts from the presentation. Nonetheless, it is a documentary one would want to see more than once.

Islam Empire of Faith is about the political side of the religion of Islam. Great leaders of every nation and period practiced some form of religion, but many of these pseudo documentaries tend to bring the religion to the forefront rather than the politics of the era. Case in point, Americans wouldn't call Franklin Delano Roosevelt a great Christian leader. FDR is simply a great leader that practiced Christianity. I was hoping to learn more about the religion itself. In the end, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe in the same God, but kill each other in the name of that same God. I don't think that this is really what God had intended so it must be the people who pervert the religion; it is more a sin to conquer in the name of God than it is righteous. Most religions would have you believe that their spread is bloodless, but this is rarely the case. Changing people's beliefs is the hardest thing to accomplish without exercising some kind of force. It is always good to get every side of historical events, so this definitely has some value.

This is the first documentary that is fair to Islam and the Muslims. It is strongly recommended for anyone who lives in the West, particularly in the USA, and is skeptical of the propaganda that is constantly spread by the current U.S. administration and certain special-interest think tanks and groups.

If you are curious about Islam, and one of those who listen with a critical ear, this is a movie for you to watch. It is a first rate production that describes the faith accurately and recounts history as it was. It is also well crafted, with a beautiful cinematography, an excellent narration and a stunning display of art and architecture. Yes, it is missing a few things, but I don't believe anyone could have done a better job in trying to recount 1400 years of history in two hours.