Empires Equally Divided: Impressive and Depressive.

How welcome would be an accompanying volume featuring photographs, paintings, and drawings!

The author selected 15 cities to represent each century of Islamic Empires.
He begins with Mecca and the Kaaba where non-Muslims are not allowed,
not even Jesus or Buddha, or the early Abyssinan Christians who saved him and his followers - in contrast to Christian churches.

Mohammed, the founder of militant Islam, chose Abraham of the Jewish Old Testament
as his Prophet to follow, rather than Joseph, Noah, Moses or even Jonah...

Abraham who gave his wife to two different kings as he went on to profit,
who forced his son Ishmael into the wilderness with only his mother, bread and water,
and who, rather than offering his own body as a sacrifice, raised his knife to murder his son.

(At this point, kids ask the obvious: "Dad, would you do THAT to me?!?")

Like those in many scenes in The Old Testament, Mohammed was visited by angels and God.

The Army of Islam marches on to massacre Jews, then each other and many Christians, through centuries overflowing
with both beautiful architecture, poetry, and literature combined with the horrors of endless complex and,
ultimately boring, conquests, including African slavery.

Muslims even parallel the First Crusaders with cannibalism.

What fun are men and wars! ( )