Apostasy from Christianity to Islam fueled the gradual Islamisation of Christian provinces

Evidence

Yet, in its near-obsession with sordid detail, the West had not lost the capacity to generalise. The comprehensive contrast between the religion of indulgence and that of asceticism and sacrifice was crucial. It had wide application. Among Christians living under Muslim rule apostasy, both for fleshly and for worldly reasons, must have been a considerable temptation, and presumably contributed to the gradual Islamisation of Christian provinces. The criticism of it as a ‘broad way’ of perdition was bound to develop almost as soon as the Islamic state was first founded, and to have flourished wherever Islamic government obtained. In so far as this is not said inimically, Muslims may agree, may even claim, that their religion rejects some forms, at least, of asceticism: ‘no monasticism in Islam’. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 849

Categorization

• XREF: The claim that conversion under Muslim rule was driven by fleshly and worldly temptation, not merely force, parallels ‘Things Fall Apart’ (Achebe)‘s exploration of conversion motives, and the broader theme of why colonized/subjected peoples abandon ancestral religions. — connects to: Medieval Christians under Muslim rule found apostasy tempting for worldly gain