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I find many differences in the interpretation of historical events between the film "Islam: Empire of Faith," and Hodgson's The Venture of Islam text. I also think that both the film and the text have similar messages, though their makers have chosen to show the messages differently. The film runs more like a work of fiction, a tale from out of One Thousand Arabian Nights perhaps, than a traditional PBS film. I almost forgot to …

…depict the Islamic Empire of Muhammad's time as one that brought the Middle East out of the Dark Ages, as an empire that brought people together in one new religion for a renewed purpose of life. I believe the filmmakers wanted to show that Islam was not all about war and jihad, but also about the dawning of a new scientific and artistic era during a time in which Europe was still plunged into despair.