In the 7th Century, Islam was founded in Mecca, by Muhammad in Arabia. After Muhammad’s death, Islam spread throughout Asia and Africa. The rise in Muslims continued between twelve hundred B.C. to fifteen hundred B.C. Islam spread in many various ways and had an important effect on social and gender distinctions in the area. Peaceful missionaries reached the locals, converting them to the Islamic beliefs and way of life, without force. Islamic faith also grew through interactions through trade. Merchants saw how better life was, and how many advantages the Muslim merchants had. Finally, there was the brutal method, where conversion was forced by the Islamic armies, who would loot the town and destroy all other places of worship, and force the citizens into being Muslim. Slavery was much different than the traditional ideas that come to mind when the topic comes up. Slaves were not required to perform hard physical labor. They were more a measure of wealth, and were often given as gifts. In many instances military slaves achieved high command posts. They had life better then in many places, but they were still very low on the social scale. Tropical Islamic women were the most liberated of the Muslim females. They did not have to cover their faces, and could hold conversations with men. Stricter Islamic males who visited the area, especially Ibn Battuta, were offended by the freedoms tropical women were afforded, though the females were still more restricted the most modern females of today. The spread of Islam and the effect it had on the social and gender distinctions were very significant to the times. The methods in which it spread helped bring about the social changes of slavery and harsher restrictions of women....
