Rating: 
Summary: Dumb, dumb, dumb!
Review: Since this video was created by an Islamic charitable organization currently being investigated by the U.S. gov't, I decided to watch it.
It's very a amateurish production. The copyright is 1995 but the graphics look like something from 1985. The interviews are rather dull. Hakeem Olajuwon, basketball player, tells us in a monotone voice that Islam is the answer to America's problems --- however he does not elaborate on exactly what America's problems are or how Islam will solve them. A Catholic nun who converted to Islam talks about women's rights in Islam. She tells us that when she walks down the street in her headscarf, "nobody bothers me!" (as if men bothering women has anything to do with what women are wearing -- it certainly doesn't in Saudi Arabia where women are forced to cover up from head to toe in black tent-like garments, and yet the police still have to round up groups of men and flog them for harrassing women). She also says that "30 years ago" women in the West decided to demand their rights (although the first Women's Rights Convention in America was in Seneca Falls, NY, 1848) while Islamic women were given rights many centuries ago. This too is a fallacy considering that Jesus placed no special restrictions upon Christian women, but Mohammad placed many, many restrictions upon Muslim women. She seems a little confused about the distinction between rights given by a religion and rights given by a government entity. Take a look at the daily lives of women in Islamic countries versus women in Western countries and you can easily see who has rights and who doesn't. John Esposito also gives an interview although nothing he said was particularly memorable. An Islamic cleric halting admits that "there are some problems in Islamic nations." The entire video comes off as a "why my religion is better than your religion" sermon --- and fails miserably. It probably would not be too difficult to find a better video on Islam.
Rating: 
Summary: fabulous view of the most misunderstood religion right now
Review: in light of current wars and events worldwide today, i recommend this to everyone. this is a great documentary on islam. it is long and in depth and covers all the history of the entire middle east, who conquered what and when, to the modern day rulers and the formation of the regions based on the past. it also covers a good deal of who muhammad was, and why he was driven from mecca, what he revealed, why he was followed by some and fought by others, who are the shiites and sunnis and how did this division come about, etc etc etc, very thorough and in depth, a fabulously put together documentary very wide range of coverage overall.
Rating:
Summary: History of Islamic Civilization!
Review: A great source of knowledge for those who want to learn about the history of Islamic civilizations.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, could have been better
Review: "Islam-Empire of Faith" provides a decent history of the birth and spread of Islam, but some glaring omissions make the program somewhat disappointing. The first episode covers the life and career of Muhammed, as it should, but only a brief mention is made of the split in Islam that occurred after his death. The followers of Muhammed couldn't decide who should lead the people: a blood relative or the most capable person. So Islam split into two factions, the Shia and the Sunni. As I don't know much about the differences, I was hoping this program would go into more details, but it doesn't. A definite missed opportunity.
The 2nd episode covers the spread of Islam throughout the Middle East and North Africa, but does not mention that these were conquests of people and lands. If one did not know better, one might think this was a peaceful conversion of towns and cities to the Islamic empire, but this is not so. It was a military conquest, just like any other.
Also, the Muslims are held up as the great thinkers of their time, and for the most part they were, but there are some black eyes here too. A Muslim was responsible for the destruction of the Great Library in Alexandria, which housed treasures that will never be recovered again. A great literary loss.
One issue the program does cover is that the "spark" that caused the Crusades actually began with a Muslim. The "mayor" of Jerusalem ordered the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the early 1100s, and it was this act that created the mistrust between Christian and Muslim. By the end of the century the 1st crusade had begun, in part because Christians had the excuse that they couldn't allow their holy places to remain under the rule of people who did not respect them.
The program does a wonderful job of bringing to light the positive Islamic contributions in many areas - art, architecture, astronomy, science, medicine, etc. There is no question the Muslims did much to advance world civilization. But, as with everything else, there are usually a few negatives that go along with the positives. This program could have been a bit more balanced in telling that story.
Three stars. Excellent cinematography and fine narration by Ben Kingsley.
Rating:
Summary: Quite good and quite biased
Review: First the good. This DVD is incredibly beautiful and Kingsley's voice is absolutely marvelous, he should narrate more documentaries. The grand sweep of Islamic history is presented in a succinct and eloquent manner, with accompanying visuals that are captivating. The story begins in the 6th century CE with the message of Muhammad's strict monotheism. Struggling to gain a foothold in Arabia, he eventually is victorious, conquers Mecca and gains thousands of followers. In one of the most spectacular rises of civilization in the history of man, Islam spreads its faith for thousands of miles from Western Europe to Central Asia. Muhammad's message is simple and profound, he unites the various Arab tribes into one cohesive group under the banner of one God, smashing idols and reciting God's words along the way. Muhammad co-opted one of the greatest innovations of man: the immense power of monotheism and its ability to unite disparate groups of people under a common polity and society. The new Arabic empire spreads rapidly throughout the peninsula, the Levant, Egypt, the Maghrib, Spain, Persia. There is absolutely no doubt that Islamic civilization during the Middle Ages was spectacular, rich, and more advanced than European civilization. They preserved Greek philosophy and expanded upon it, developed geometry and discovered trigonometry, and adapted Indian numerals to a decimal system, greatly advancing mathematics. Art and architecture under the empire was simply stunning, breathtakingly beautiful. Muslims also developed an anatomy that was used for centuries afterward by Europe, discovered inoculation and formed the precursor to modern hospitals. The Islamic empire was so rich and powerful it became a great threat to Christian Europe, who responded with the Crusades. Over one hundred years of conflict ensues in the Levant, until Saladin re-conquers and ends the Crusading campaigns. The account of the Crusades is short, and not historically complete. It is also quite biased in its presentation of details. The rise and spread of the Ottoman Empire is narrated in the third installment. Their power, spread into Europe, their great architecture, and their antagonism with the Iranian Safavid Empire are all included. By far the best part of this DVD is its telling of the life of Suleyman the Magnificent. He was certainly an extraordinary ruler and he receives his due attention in this documentary. Now the bad. This production is quite biased, sometimes subtly in its choice of pictures, other times not so subtly in its choice of language. What you will not hear about is the gruesome nature of the Arabic conquest. While, according to this documentary the Muslims were led by a noble faith in God, the truth is many people were slaughtered in the conquests. Many thousands of Zoroastrian Persians were slaughtered; the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) were allowed to maintain their faith, but were subject to a special Muslim toll tax that did not apply to Muslims. They also were not allowed to proselytize, and their legal testimony was not as valid as their Muslim overlords. Many people were given only three options: conversion, death, or slavery. All peoples have conquered and slaughtered the Other; neither Muslims nor Christians are exempt from such behavior. Nonetheless, some Christians received more toleration than they had had under the Byzantine Empire. But the fact of the matter is that modern religious toleration was birthed in the European Enlightenment, not in the Middle East or West Asia. Muslims did develop much philosophy and learning, however many of the scholars working in Cordoba and Baghdad were Jews and Christians, albeit studying in peaceful cooperation with the Muslims. Paper was discovered via Chinese slaves brought into the empire, and the slave trade formed an integral part of the economy of the Muslim lands. Although Muslims did not invent slavery, which has been around since the dawn of civilization, they did innovate the African slave trade. Several times we hear about Europe "languishing in the Dark Ages". No serious historian uses the term Dark Ages anymore, as the past decades have revealed a much more complex and intellectually interesting history. The term has been abandoned for the more appropriate Middle Ages, being as it is the bridge between the ancient and modern worlds. A great oversight is its short shrift of Iran. Iran is one of the centers of Islamic civilization, the center of Shiism, and a complex and interesting culture. The glory of the Safavid Empire and the beauty of its capital Isfahan are briefly mentioned, but there is no word on Shah Abbas, Iran's ruler at the height of this empire. Also, this DVD focuses on politics, not religion. You will not gain a deep understanding of the myriad forms of Islamic faith in this documentary, certainly a key point of interest for some individuals. The Sufi dervishes were only very briefly mentioned, which is a shame because Sufism is a fascinating expression of Islamic mysticism, looked at with great suspicion by more conservative Muslims. Neither will you hear much detail about the schism between the Sunni and Shiites. The roots of this split are told, but the theological differences are not discussed. It was the development of Shiism that was a great impetus for the conversion of the Zoroastrian Persians to Islam, as it incorporated Zoroastrian ideas, merging the Saoshyant with the Hidden Imam to be revealed in later times. So, it's biased, but extremely beautiful and informative. This could have been a four or five star documentary, but because of its political correctness it gets three.
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