Before the time of Muhammed most of the Hejaz was Jewish, most of the civilized regions surrounding the Hejaz were inhabited by Christians of varying types, often Nestorian. Other peoples farther out were adherents of Zorastrianism or Hinduism. Some were practicing traditional polytheistic faiths. The breathtaking hypocrisy of the Islamists is revealed by there having imposed their power and faith over these communities by violence, genocide, threats, enslavement and colonization followed by the claim that once a territory has passed under Islamic control the clock stops and it can never go back.