Islamists translated Aristotle, which then made him accessible to Jewish scholars, who then made him available to Thomas Aquinis.

Turkey, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, all Muslim countries, all had female presidents.

Only 20% of the world Muslim population is Arab; most live in Africa or Asia.

Ramadan is the 9th lunar month.

Most Muslims are Sunni; the Shiites have a long history of being persecuted or oppressed. In Kargula in modern Iraq, the Shiites' leader Hussein was killed by a large body of Sunnis, creating a long martyr complex.

Shiites believe that the passing of the leadership of the faith following Mohammed's death should have passed to Ali, a cousin of Mohammed, that the transition should have been hereditary. Ali lived from 600–661, and was the cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed, fourth muslim caliph and, through a rift with other early muslim leaders, the spiritual founder of the Shiite sect;

Zaccat means cleansing and is an obligatory alms-giving equal to 2.5% of one's assets per year.