“Early on and for a long time, Arab ethnicity was privileged in the Islamic world, and this was especially true during the period of Conquest. This was despite Mohammed saying truly, the Arab has no superiority over the non Arab, nor the non Arab over the Arab, nor the black over the white, nor the white over the black, except in Piety. But their amazingly Rapid and Far Reaching Conquest granted the Arabs huge prestige that lasted until the 18th century. Now, from the beginning, being a Muslim meant being part of a Political Community, because unlike Jesus or the Buddha, Muhammad was also a Political Leader in addition to being a Religious One. But at least to an extent, the tight connection between political and religious identity really ended with the Assassination of the 4th rightly guided Caliph Ali. The Caliphate was just an Empire. But as the empire grew and became more Diverse, it became Impossible to hold it together as a Political Unit.”