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The accident of geography limited the spread of Islam to a relatively narrow east-west corridor--10/40 band. It is a rectangular geographic band spanning from 10° to 40° North latitude. It stretches horizontally across North Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, extending from the North Africa Atlantic Coast all the way to Bay of Bengal. And then resurfaces in Oceania (Malaysia. Indonesia, and the southern Philippines). This is largest concentrations of the world's Muslim and Hindu populations. It is also referenced in missionary and demographic studies to as 'The Resistant Belt' or the 'Unreached Corridor' because it represents areas with the lowest Christian populations. Islam was limited to this relatively narrow corridor by a range of largely geographic factors. It was unable to spread north into Europe because of Christianity. One might call this a religious block, but geography was involved. The richer agricultural harvests of Europe gave the Europeans the economic punch to defend themselves. (Throughout history, agriculture invented in the 10-40 box was the world's primary wealth creator. This began to change in the 19th century because of the Industrial Revolution.) The Sahara Desert limited the spread of Islam into central Africa. The land mass of Asia does not extend much further south than the equator. And while Islam spread further north into Central Asia, the land east of the Urals is far less productive than that west of the Urals. Further east, the power of China and the Buddhist states of Southeast Asia stopped further penetration beyond Bengal. (There were also Hindu civilizations.) Again you might call this a religious block, but the rich agricultural harvests of Southeast Asia gave states there the economic punch to defend themselves. This is important because the countries of the 10/40 Muslim band/box share one catastrophic feature. It is the global area most affected by climate change. The area today is suffering dangerously rising temperatures and severe water shortages reaching drought conditions. These are environmental conditions, but the countries in the band/box are doing next to nothings to adapt to the dangerous. In fact the Muslim countries to varying degrees are pursuing policies, making conditions worse. The only country addressing the water issue is tiny Israel. And if that was not bad enough, the various Muslim majority countries in the 10/40 band/box have adopted a range of policies, many tied to Islamic doctrine, that are actually worsening the situation--actually committing national suicide. Oil resources in some of he countrysides has brought some level of modern life, but even in the oil states, this has proved a mixed blessing. The oil revenue in the oil states tends to be poorly shared. Only in tiny Israel, is there a flourishing economy without oil and the country's propriety is widely shared, including among the Palestinian minority. Much of the 10-40 box is Arab, but non Arab areas in the East share many of the same problems.
The accident of geography limited the spread of Islam to a relatively narrow east-west corridor--10/40 band. It is a rectangular geographic band spanning from 10° to 40° North latitude. It stretches horizontally across North Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, extending from the North Africa Atlantic Coast all the way to Bay of Bengal. Central Asia is a large Muslim area, but an area with relatively small populations. This is largest concentrations of the world's Muslim as well as Hindu populations. There is also an Oceanic Muslim isolate that needs to be considered. Muslim Arab traders skirted the Buddhist/Hind state in Southeast Asia and brought Islam to Oceania. And thus Islam resurfaced then resurfaces in Oceania (Malaysia. Indonesia, and the southern Philippines). his occurred just before the arrival of Europeans and Christianity. The great majority of Muslims live in the 10-40 box, but Indonesia is he most populace Muslim majority country. The Oceanic isolate does not face the arid conditions of the 10-40 box, but there are major problems here as well.
The Muslim 10-40 box was first noted by Christian missionary groups which became very active in the 19th century. It was referenced in missionary and demographic studies to as 'The Resistant Belt' or the 'Unreached Corridor' because it represents areas with the lowest Christian populations. Christianity was spread beyond Europe to the Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa, and there were some limited in Asia. And while there were existing Christian minorities in the 10-40 box, missionary activity was impossible because of Islamic religious tenants. Apostasy under Shartia law is publishable by death. Even when the civil authorities did not act, family members conducted rarely published honor killings or extra-juridical violence enforced the ban. Christians and Jews were able to practice their faiths discretely, but proselyting and missionary work was strictly prohibited. .
Islam was limited to this relatively narrow corridor by a range of largely geographic factors. It was unable to spread north into Europe because of Christianity. In the East, the Byzantine Empire for centuries barred the way. But Constantinople fell (1453). By this time, however, the European Christian kingdoms had developed the strength to defend themselves. Even before Constantinople fell, the Renaissance was transforming Christian Europe giving rise to universities, secular learning, science, and the printing press. While the Ottomans and the wider Muslim world became locked in a static theocratic world view. The military prowess of the Ottomans twice carried Islam to the gates of Vienna (1529 and 1683). But gradually technological and economic backwardness reduced the Ottomans to he 'Sick man of Europe. In the West, the Muslim onslaught was stopped by Frankish warlord Charles Martel at Tours in France (732). But for several centuries, Muslims caliphates controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula. The Christian Reconquista was not complete until he fall of Grenada (1492). One might call this a religious block, but geography was involved. The richer agricultural harvests of Europe gave the Europeans the economic punch to defend themselves. (Throughout history, agriculture invented in the 10-40 box was the world's primary wealth creator. This only began to change in the 19th century because of the Industrial Revolution.) The Sahara Desert limited the spread of Islam into central Africa. The land mass of Asia does not extend much further south than the equator. And while Islam spread further north into Central Asia, the land east of the Urals is far less productive than that west of the Urals limiting population. Further east, the power of China and the Buddhist states of Southeast Asia stopped further expansion beyond Bengal. (There were also Hindu civilizations.) Again you might call this a religious block, but the rich agricultural harvests of Southeast Asia gave states there the economic punch to defend themselves.
A consideration of the 10-40 box is important because the countries of the 10/40 Muslim band/box share one catastrophic feature. It is the global area most affected by climate change--meaning precipitation. The area today is suffering dangerously rising temperatures and severe water shortages reaching drought conditions. Tragically the area of the lowest world precipitation levels fits almost neatly into the Muslim 10-40 box. This is the area where agriculture was invented as part of he Neolithic Revolution (about 10,000 BP). A warm climate was at he time an asset. But rising the temperatures are now impacting precipitation and agriculture with falling precipitation is the definition of disaster. And in most of these countries, agriculture continues to be a very important part of the modern economy. Much of 20-40 box is the Sahara Desert where very few people live, but the 10-40 box includes major Muslim majority countries, especially Egypt, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. It also includes important countries like Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, Nigeria (slightly outside the box) Saudi Arabia, Syria, and many smaller countries including economically important oil states like the Gulf states. India within the 10-40 box is not a Muslim majority country, but has the world's second largest Muslim population. Temperature and precipitation are world-wide environmental conditions beyond the scope of mankind to control, but the countries in the band/box are doing next to nothings to adapt or mitigate to the dangerous environmental changes. In fact the Muslim countries to varying degrees are pursuing policies, actually making conditions worse. The only country seriously addressing the water issue is tiny Israel.
And if that was not bad enough, the various Muslim majority countries in the 10/40 band/box have adopted a range of policies, many tied to Islamic doctrine, that are actually worsening the situation--actually committing national suicide. Oil resources in some of he countrysides has brought some level of modern life, but even in the oil states, this has proved a mixed blessing. The oil revenue in the oil states tends to be poorly shared. Only in tiny Israel, is there a flourishing economy without oil and the country's prosperity is widely shared, including among the Palestinian minority. Much of the 10-40 box is Arab, but non-Arab areas in the east share many of the same problems. Amazingly, the Muslim Mullahs running Iran actually told water-parched Iranians that they needed to pray harder. Even within the rest of Muslim 10-40 box, the governmental response is not as medieval, but only slightly less misguided.
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