Well, the topic of the thread gives a hint!
You may laugh and I feel good if my posts at least served the purpose of entertaining someone.
On a serious note, you may like to see the contents of that entire post and give a more thorough response than that. Would be good to know what you find wrong in my assertion that the spread of Islam was a ruse for Arab imperialism like the spread of rule of law or their culture was for Europeans.
That's actually an interesting interpretation, but it would naturally not find many takers among muslims.
The rise of Islam may be considered as Arab imperialism while it still expanding outside Arabia.
Once it had established itself in neighbouring regions and overpowered the native cultures, like Iran, North Africa, through Afghanistan into Central Asia and east into Hindustan, Arabs were no longer the standard bearers of the new religion.
Increasingly the Turks, Mongols, Afghans and other Central-Asian tribes who adopted Islam were responsible for its rapid expansion.
Considering that it has changed very little in the 1400 years of its existence, Islam remains true to its Arabic origins. All muslims pay homage to Mecca, they must learn Arabic, wear the typically Arab garb (the all-covering garments originally meant to protect against the heat and sandstorms of the desert).
However, a large portion of the development of Islamic culture occured in Iran. The Iranians were master builders and craftsmen, and unless I'm badly mistaken, the typical design of the mosque was developed in Iran. The Iranians built domes like no other people on earth, and its safe to assume that the Islamic dome was first conceived in Iran.
Also, the fact that Islam has supplanted the indigenous cultures in non-Arab lands, means that the muslims in these parts consider the arrival of Islam as the beginning of their way of life (i.e. a positive thing). They have forgotten obviously, the destruction which had to necessarily take place in order to create the new order. History, as we know now, is usually written by the victors.
In places like India, Spain etc., where the Islamic conquerors did not manage to convert the majority to their faith, these conquerors are portrayed negatively as destructive fundamentalists who tried to wipe out their way of life.
Both viewpoints are correct, obviously. Whether Mehmud of Ghazni was a villain or a hero depends on what your identity is.
The reality is that he was a conquerer, motivated partly by his greed for wealth and power, and partly by his zeal to establish his worldview(i.e. religion) as far and wide as he possibly could.