In A Nutshell:

In exploring the history of the Islamic World from its beginnings in the 7th century to the decline of the Great Islamic Empires around 1600, this unit aims to address some such western misconceptions of Islam, while also providing a comprehensive survey of political, military, and cultural events over the first thousand years of Islamic history. With approximately 1.2 billion Muslims in the world - 22 per cent of the world's population - Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity. In the recent past Christians have generally seen less population growth than Muslims, however, and some estimates show that the number of Muslims in the world is increasing at a faster rate than the world population as a whole. Understanding the origins and history of this major world religion is key to understanding its present and future role in the world.