Islam: The Frontier Age - Part I (Remastered)

Islam, founded by Mohammed in the 7th century, presents a religion of outward conformity rather than inward transformation. In this lecture, R.J. Rushdoony contrasts the heart-centered faith of Christianity with the external duties of Islam—prayers, fasting, pilgrimage, and jihad—emphasizing how such a framework fosters statism and stagnation rather than liberty and character. He traces the historical rise of Islam through conquest and its dependence on captives for vitality, culminating in its military peak and eventual decline. The turning point came in 1565 during the Siege of Malta, when the vastly outnumbered Knights of Malta, led by the indomitable La Valette, withstood the full might of the Ottoman Empire. This dramatic stand not only broke the back of Islamic military expansion but marked a decisive moment in Christendom’s resistance to externalist, statist religion.