Mohammmad: two-bit brigand or colonial pawn?

[ramana]

Two refs on Dr Patricia Crone



Wiki article on Patricia Crone

In their book Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World, Crone and her associate Michael Cook, working at SOAS at the time, provided an analysis of early Islamic history by looking at the only surviving contemporary accounts of the rise of Islam, written in Armenian, Greek, Aramaic and Syriac by witnesses. They argued that Islam, as represented by contemporary, Non-Muslim sources, was in essence a tribal rebellion against the Byzantine and Persian empires with deep roots in Judaism, and that Arabs and Jews were allies in these conquering communities.[5]



In her book Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam, Crone argues that the importance of the pre-Islamic Meccan trade has been grossly exaggerated. She also suggests that while Muhammad never traveled much beyond the Hijaz, internal evidence in the Qur'an such as its description of Muhammad's polytheist opponents as olive growers, might indicate that the events surrounding the prophet took place near to the Mediterranean milieu.[5]

and



And What do We Actually know About Muhammad



Among the Believers