Powerclown,
I think that you need to differentiate "colonialism" and "invasion" and "hostile expansionism". In my opinion, these are all mutually exclusive terms.
Colonialism is economic and political dominance of a formerly sovereign nation without the benefit of an invading army. The classic examples that I point to are the British domination of India, the Great Powers' adventures in China c. 1870-1920 and the French and British territories in North American c.1600-1750. All of these examples have several things in common - the stage was set for later military expansion by traders, economic dominance led to military dominance not vice versa and the domination was absolute in the intended areas. Colonization is the generally understood terms both historically and politically has more to do with exploiting the resources of one country for another country's benefit. That's obviously a very simplistic way of looking at the issue, but it's a good enough nutshell for this discussion I think.
Invasion is something completely different. Classic examples - French and later British gains in Eqypt c. 1770-1920, the British subjugation of the Zulus and later the Boers in South Africa, the Spanish siezure of Mexico by Cortez et al. Here the military led the way for the traders to follow.
To address your specific questions:
Quote:
Was it colonialism when muslims invaded Spain and established a Caliphate on the Iberian pennsula? [I]No, it pretty obvious this was an invasion for territory[I]
Was it colonialism when the the muslims defeated the Byzantine armies thus taking over what is today Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Jerusalem?again, this is a military struggle between two powers, not the colonization of one by the other.
Was the muslim conquest of North Africa in 698 (and resulting Caliphate) considered colonialism? This is a tougher nut to crack, but I think that this was more of a religious invasion similar to the Hundred Years war in Europe 1000 years later. You could certainly argue that there was a colonial aspect to it, but I think that it was more of an invasion than anything else considering the spread of the Arabic language that followed with it.
Was muslim exapansion to the shores of the Indus River in India considered colonialism? When turkish muslims invaded and conquered India in 1192? Again, I think that this was a religion expanding into new areas. The people doing the "invading" were often the folks from the other side of the river or the next valley over, not foreigners, although there were certainly some among the leaders.
Was the muslim conquest of Sicily in 820 considered colonialism?Again, I think that this was an invasion since it was a military maneuver.
Was muslim dominance of China's commercial maritime interests during the Song dynasty considered colonial interference?Considering that this was the Song Dynasty's heyday, I would call this trade among equals. Do you have examples in either direction?
Was the invasion and establishment of an Islamic Caliphate in Egypt by Saladin considered hostile expansionism? Wasn't this just a seizure of power by an individual? There was already an Islamic Caliphate in Egypt prior to Saladin, but he just had himself appointed caliph. Would this just fall under the definition of bloodless coup?
When Saladin temporarily captured Jerusalem from the Crusaders was it considered terrorism?I think that we can safely exclude things done on the battlefield and its aftermath as terrorism. Do you consider the Soviet sacking of Berlin terrorism? What about the Allied bombing of Dresden? The Crusaders' sacking of Constantinople? This may have been a war crime, but it's difficult to accuse soldiers of terrorism.
Was it colonialism when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, which until then had been a Christian city for more than a thousand years? Again, you're confusing colonialism and invasion.
Was the muslim occupation of southern Italy in 1480, or the incursions into Vienna in 1529 considered colonialism?Clearly an invasion
Was the subjugation of the Hindus and establishment of the muslim Mughal Empire in India in 1601 considered colonialism?Invasion
Was the muslim invasion of Sudan in 1820 considered colonialism?Flat out invasion
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I think that I see where you're going with this, but you need to define your terms better. Colonialism is a relatively late arrival in the political spectrum, and it had to wait until there were nations strong enough to impose their economic will on an area without reverting to military incurrsion. The US and Britain colonized Hawaii, but the US invaded Cuba. Panama might have been considered a US colony in the early 1900's, but there was never an outright seizure of territory, although annexation of the canal zone was a foregone conclusion. The Islamic world is ethnically heterogenous, so the spread of the religion involved violence in many cases, although certainly not all.