Foltz on Bentley's 3 Patterns of Conversion

Richard C. Foltz's discussion on the expansion of Islam helps prove Bentley's three patterns of voluntary association, syncretism, and pressure to spread religions. Foltz explains the three patterns though another example, Islam. He says that that "Arab Muslims had strong reason not to want non-Arabs to join the faith"(228) due to economic reasons, yet the domination of Muslim domination in commercial activity led non-Muslims to voluntarily convert. People also converted to Islam due to assimilation like the incorporation of the religion into "succeeding generation[s]"(231) where the converts will have seen the way of "the father's new community" and not "his original one"(231). This suggests that the "new community" is more applicable to the new generations and therefore is accepted more widely. This change of religion from original to improved is the spreading of Islam by assimilation. Lastly "Muslim rule over the western half of the Silk Road"(230) gave them the power to impose their religion on others. Foltz uses the same three patterns as Bentley to describe the spread of Islam.