Homework for 10/12 - DUE 10/14

The following TWO assignments will be due in-class on Thursday 10/14. The first assignment asks you to use your map and timeline to answer a few questions, while the second assignment asks you to read a primary source document entitled "The Pact of Umar" which set forth the relationship between Muslim conquerors and the dhimmi in the conquered lands.

Assignment #1: Spread of Islam (Political + Religious):
With your completed Map/Timeline, please answer the following questions:
1. What influences might play a role in a decision to convert (social, political, or economic)?
2. Is it more challenging for individuals to join a faith when it appears to be a minority faith or when its members form the majority?
3. In what important way was the conquest of territory by Muslims different from the spread of Islam?
4. How many centuries do historians think it took from the time Islam was introduced until it became the religion of the majority population in Egypt, Syria, Iran, and Spain?
5. To which regions did Islam spread mainly as a result of trade and travel?

Assignment #2: The Pact of Umar Primary Source
Read the primary source here
1. What is the purpose of the “Pact of Umar”?
2. Who is the letter from, and who is it to?
3. What do the dhimmi receive for accepting the “Pact of Umar”?
4. During what period does the “Pact of Umar” come from? (Muhammad, 4 Rightly Guided Caliphs, Umayyads, Abbasids)
5. Why would the Umayyads agree with the following statement: “We shall not teach the Qur'an to our children.”
6. This document is a primary source What are primary sources? i. What do you think the best thing is about using primary sources to evaluate history? ii. What potential problems are there with using primary sources to evaluate history? iii. What are some things that you could look for within a primary source to assess its validity? 7. After these questions are answered, visit these two websites and read a little about primary sources:
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/psources/analyze.html and
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/psources/types.html

BOTH ARE DUE THURSDAY IN CLASS