Q- Why did the Muslims attack foreign lands specially in the Past?

ANS-It is true that Holy Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) was an Arab so were most of his early followers and they later attacked Persia, Roman Empire and some other empires but they never did it to capture a piece of land or force the people to embrace Islam.

The Muslims attacked those Empires who were inflicting troubles on their own people.Muslims always went to liberate the poor people.The very best example is that of Spain where Muslim forces landed only when the Governor of Ceuta (which was a Spanish colony on the Northern tip coast of Morocco just as it is today), Count Julian, asked the Muslim Governor of North Africa to help liberate the poor people of Spain from their cruel King. And it is the Quran which asks the Muslims to fight in defense and for the liberation of the troubled people.

"And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?- Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!"
(Al-Quran 4:75)

Muslims attacked Spain, liberated the people, established a just rule and made Spain a centre of learning and civilization but never forced the people to embrace Islam.
After 800 years Muslim rulers became negligent and they were overthrown by the
christian Crusaders.Even at that time Christians were in majority.Had the Muslims wished to force the Christians to change their religion 800 yrs were quite enough for this purpose.

But when the Christians came they either killed the Muslims or forced them change their religion.Thats why there are very less native Muslims in Spain today.
So, you see who is the real culprit !

Exactly the same is true for Indian sub-continent.

And if you compare the general condition of the masses before Islam in Iran,Turkey,Egypt,Northern Africa,Central Asia and Spain with that after the arrival of Muslims, then you will definitely find a manifest positive change.

The points mentioned above are quite enough to prove that Muslim attacked only to liberate the oppressed people from their cruel masters. And the marked change in the condition of the masses after the arrival of Muslims substantiates our point. We Muslims do tolerate the peaceful and peace-loving non-Muslims around us and so is every Muslim Government supposed to do. But we Muslims do not tolerate oppression anywhere in the world, may be it be by anyone or against anyone.

Christians attacking Muslim lands;

And now let me ask; were those not Christians who attacked the Muslims lands and killed Muslims without any discrimination of the combatant and the civilian. Are these American and British and other Coalition members not Christians who are attacking Muslim lands with excuses every sane person knows to be nothing but absurdities. Can the world forget U.S. President George W. Bush declaring the 'CRUSADE' against Muslims of Afghanistan? Can we forget U.S. tanks entering Fallujah each with a 'Cross; on its barrel? What was that? Surely they have also brought huge change in the life of the masses in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia etc but only for the worse.

Hindus attacking Muslim lands;

Is it not a fact that officially secular state of India with majority of Hindus has made the Kashmiris to live with it for past half century against their will. Is not an attack on foreign land?

Buddhists attacking Muslim lands;

Is it not a fact that the Buddhist majority state of Myanmar (Burma) has been dealing with Muslims of Arakan with iron hands and has forced them to live with them for last 250 years though geographically, culturally and religiously there is no similarity between the two.

Jews attacking Muslim lands;

And the tale of the fanatical Jews capturing the Holy Land of Palestine, displacing its inhabitants and creating an illegitimate state of Israel needs not to be repeated.

So what we find is;

These are the Muslims who have been suffering the most at the hands of others. When Muslims ruled they gave the world peace and justice. And the same we will deliver whence we return to power, for ALLAH says;

"Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns;"
(Al-Quran 3:140)

INDEED ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST !!