Here in these lands, Islam fostered the development of a religious, political, and cultural commonwealth and the creation of a global empire.4
As Islam dominated the gulf, local ruling families whose provinces practised a multitude of religions saw their power eroded by the conquering Umayyad Dynasty who attempted to establish an all- encompassing Islamic Caliphate in their name. Typical of 8th century familial politics, the greatest threat to the caliphate came from its own branch families, the Abbasids, Khalil is and Jihads. Further opposition to Umayyad rule came from the Sunni Sect of Islam. The Sunnis, deeply suspicious of the caliph’s unorthodox ways, placed their support behind the deeply conservative Abbasid Family5, and the idea of the reunification of the Sunni world. The Umayyad’s were in strong favour with the Shias, the minority sect of Islam that had begun to see increasing Sunni influence as a grave threat to its own security and wellbeing. When the Umayyad family succumbed