whatabastor, I wanted to find out about Islam and to understand why Islam has such a strong influence on 1.2 billion people. That is why I have done a lot of research about Islam, but I have not studied Islam in isolation because it is one of the important cultures of our universe, I have also attempted to understand Islam's inaction with Hinduism, Christianity, even Communism and Capitalism. I doubt if I will ever stop learning something new each day. But I am still doing research in all religions and cultures. I could one day write a book.
Believe me when I tell you I began by researching, my own roots, and then "British Colonial History" then WWII. All this captivated my imagination, and one thing led to the next. I am still learning and hence I am here.
If you are going back to the colonial history, plz do not be like one of those euro-self-bashers. Make sure to at least study the pre-colonial as well to get a good idea how the colonial take-overs started.