Originally Posted by Ustwo

You know this had not struck me prior to writing this but Mohammed was a crafty guy. He set up a system which guaranteed warriors had a motive for conquest, and a very basic, instinctive motive. Let me explain....

1. 'Casual' sex was made difficult among young men (and women but thats not an issue).
2. The Koran specifically allows for captured slave girls.
3. The Koran states multiple, multiple, multiple times that faithful Muslims will find unspoiled women awaiting them in heaven.
4. Polygamy means that men at the lower rungs on the social ladder may have no wife at all.
5. You MUST fight non-believers, you must never trust them, and if they are stronger than you, you wait until you can beat them. Any horror you inflict upon them is Allah's will.
6. To retreat from non-believers is sinful. Fight and die!

This is really an amazingly simple but effective system. War and conquest is what leads to you being able to have sex, either with captured slave girls, or virgins in heaven. I'm glad I decided to respond to this as I had not seen the genius of the original design until now. Its the exploitation of instinct and religious fervor, and explains how the early Islamic invasions were so successful.