3. The Rapid Spread of Islam An article in Reader's Digest %u2018Almanac', year book 1986, gave the statistics of the increase of percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century from 1934 to 1984. This article also appeared in %u2018The Plain Truth' magazine. At the top was Islam, which increased by 235%, and Christianity had increased only by 47%. May one ask, %u201CWhich war took place in this century which converted millions of people to Islam?%u201DIndonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. Similarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. May one ask, "Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia, and to the East coast of Africa ?"Today the fastest growing religion in America and in Europe is Islam. Which sword is forcing people in the West to accept Islam in such large numbers? Indeed, it is the sword of the intellect; the sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The Glorious Qur'an says:"Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious." [Al-Qur'an 16:125]
