Islam another invented religion by postflavian Arab rulers?

[iben]

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/03/video-robert-spencer-on-did-muhammad-exist-christian-persecution-and-more

I just watched this video of Robert Spencer, who argues that Islam was invented by the rulers of the newly created Arabian empire to create cohesion. He mentions the very same techniques used in fashioning Christianity! Examples include postdating history in texts, antisemitism, etc. I´ll have to read his book Did Muhammad Exist?.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/did-muhammad-exist-robert-spencer/1137975736?ean=9781642938531

Here is another video on a different platform:

 

[Jerry Russell]

Hello Iben,

Thanks for visiting!

I agree that Mohammud was some sort of synthetic, fictional character. Furthermore, the "newly created Arabian empire" was very likely a re-invention of the older Sasanian (Persian) empire.

Joe Atwill and I did a podcast on origins of Islam, July 7, 2017. I was basically recapping work by Emmet Scott and Toth Gyula. Both of these authors have very interesting perspectives, and there’s some work to be done to tie up loose ends, but I think they must be on the right track. Also see these two threads in the discussion forum:

https://postflaviana.org/community/index.php?threads/muhammad-from-becca-not-mecca.2419/

https://postflaviana.org/community/index.php?threads/the-phantom-time-hypothesis-for-the-7th-to-10th-centuries.1531/

When it comes to Robert Spencer, I am concerned that he doesn't seem to know the difference between fanatical Islamic fundamentalism, vs. more modern, reformed versions of the religion. Also, while he is critical of Islam, he is far less critical and objective about Christian, Catholic or Jewish fundamentalism.

As a result of those biases, his work often seems to support American and Zionist interventionist foreign policy in the Middle East, which I personally find abhorrent.