Islam has touched many different cultures, influenced them and contributed to development in the Mediterranean world and beyond. The explanation of how Islam influenced others is mentioned in detail in Peter Stearns' book “Cultures in Motion: Mapping Key Contacts and Their Footprints in World History”. The ideas of Islam were something that appealed to many different people and cultures in different ways and brought changes to those they came into contact with. The spread of Islam was increased due to the multitude of nearby areas. One of the ways Islam spread to Europe was through military conquest where their ideas spread and people took the ideas they liked. These military conquests did not occur to convert others to their beliefs, but rather to protect their own faith which was being targeted. Since the Middle East is the center of trade with areas such as Asia, Africa, and Europe, many of the ideas of Islam spread to these areas through the method of trade. Islam spread to Africa in two ways. One way was the method by which Islam spread more widely, through trade. The other way was through the influence Islam had on the ruler, Mansa Musa is a good example of this. He had become famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca where he demonstrated his wealth. Asia was another territory that had contact with those of Islam. A good majority of Asia was Buddhist, but Islam was one of the few to penetrate deeply enough into the area to have an impact. Islam spread to Asia in two ways that differ from those used in other areas. The first way was through force. The second was through persuasion. Islam also spread to Southeast Asia. This was one of the last areas to be affected by Islam. Contact was made via trading ships from Arabia. This had two effects, one was their influence and impact on the culture. The other was to place a good number of people who are still there today. The influence and impact of the ideas and beliefs of Islam have been so great that even now “Indonesia is one of the largest Muslim nations in the world” (Cultures in Motion: Mapping Key Contacts and Their Footprints in History world). India was also another area touched by the ideas of Islam. The beliefs were very different where those in India believed in the religion of Hinduism and the religious ideas that Islam had opposed to what the Hindus believed. Rather than welcoming religious ideas, those in India shared their knowledge of science and mathematics with those who were Muslims. The influence of Islam in India has not been based on beliefs, but rather on logical and rational academic knowledge. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the textbook "Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past," Jerry Bentley and Herbert Ziegler talk about this period in Asia as a time of great expansion. The authors talk about the rise of the Yuan Dynasty and many other factors that also show this period of expansion and change. We don't just talk about the rise of the Mongols, but also about other smaller, lesser-known empires. The Yuan dynasty was founded by Kublai Khan when he became emperor. He then expanded his kingdom into Persia during his period of rule. As a nomadic people, trade was something very important and crucial as trade routes were protected during this dynasty. As pointed out many times, through trade ideas spread to new places and this was just one.