Response from Neenah:
Color prejudice is certainly a HUGE factor! However, no matter what his color was, he is likely to be overlooked in the West now because he has a Muslim name.

Overcoming that barrier might facilitate more harmonious relations now between Christians and Muslims.
During The Golden Age of Islam (750-1258), Muslims, Christians, and Jews and others collaborated in The Translation Movement for centuries.

It's time now to restore that kind of cooperation rather than endless war.