WI: Islam expands east?

[Aaaaasima]

Let's say Islam decides to expand east instead of the Levant and North Africa. What happens?

 

[JackLumber]

Let's say Islam decides to expand east instead of the Levant and North Africa. What happens?

It did expand east, that's why Iran, central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia are all majority Muslim.

 

[Aaaaasima]

It did expand east, that's why Iran, central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia are all majority Muslim.

But they focus more on the east and barely touch the Levant and North Africa

 

[Cahaya Purnama]

It did expand east, that's why Iran, central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia are all majority Muslim.

Also Western China.

 

[JackLumber]

Also Western China.

Correct

 

[Nataraj]

But they focus more on the east and barely touch the Levant and North Africa

A better way to phrase this is "what if Islam does not expand west?" If the Byzantines are able to decisively defeat the Arab invasion of Egypt, specifically, then that would be a good start. Islam would most likely spread into Roman territory nevertheless, but it would not have the power of an established state behind it to encourage propagation. This might actually be a good thing for the Romans too, given that if the emerging Caliphate leaves well enough alone after having been gut-punched by Rome, they'll have the pressure of the Sassanids relieved.

 

[funnyhat]

Also Western China.

Northwestern China (Xinjiang). Tibet, not so much.

 

[Cahaya Purnama]

Northwestern China (Xinjiang). Tibet, not so much.

Shaanxi, Qingahi, Gansu, Hui, and Western Inner Mongolia. I's basically the former Lanzhou military region.

 

[Mitchell Hundred]

Didn't Islam expand more east than west from the standpoint of Arabia? They did try to make significant inroads in Europe but nothing too permanent.

North Africa aside from Egypt has always been relatively sparsely populated.

 

[Kirook]

A better way to phrase this is "what if Islam does not expand west?" If the Byzantines are able to decisively defeat the Arab invasion of Egypt, specifically, then that would be a good start. Islam would most likely spread into Roman territory nevertheless, but it would not have the power of an established state behind it to encourage propagation. This might actually be a good thing for the Romans too, given that if the emerging Caliphate leaves well enough alone after having been gut-punched by Rome, they'll have the pressure of the Sassanids relieved.

Here is a very well written TL about precisely that:

https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...yzantine-victory-at-hieromyax-yarmouk.404286/

 

[Flocculencio]

Didn't Islam expand more east than west from the standpoint of Arabia? They did try to make significant inroads in Europe but nothing too permanent.

North Africa aside from Egypt has always been relatively sparsely populated.

Yup, while in the West the image of the "typical" Muslim is an Arab (or Arabised Maghrebi) a plurality of Muslims are South Asian (31%).