A Critical But Missing Piece: Educating Our Professional Military on the History of Islam

Abstract

The article discusses the need for professional 21st-century U.S. military officers to have some basic knowledge of the history of the Islamic world. It presents an overview of facts which ought to be covered in a college-level course, from the time of the Prophet Mohammed in the 6th century to the collapse of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 13th century. Distinctions between Sunnis and Shiites, and the legacy of the Mongol conquests are also mentioned.