It should be noted that before Islam (and to a greatly reduced extent after) there was a soup of related sects (Nestorian Christianity, monophysite Christianity, Manicheanism, Mandaeanism, Zoroastrianism, etc..) which flung themselves across the globe and paved the way for Islam's spread. To the objective eye of the Chinese Emperor, all of these sects were one ("the Persian religion"), and they were vigorously persecuted there to maintain traditional Chinese homogeneity. Other peoples without a strongly rooted high Culture obviously found the Persian religion irrestistible.
Incidentally, I recently discovered that I'd been pronouncing Monophysite Christianity incorrectly.
I hate when you see a word a ton in print but have never heard it spoken.
Poll
