Aladin Sane's reading lamp

As so much of our confusion arose due to insufficient mansplaining, I'll attempt to set the record straight (pronouns it, its and it's) regarding matters pertainent and consequential, i.e. how the Mideast has become viewed in the Midwest.
It all started when Richard Burton (1984, Cleopatra, Equus, On the Waterfront, Apocalypse Now), famed fencing duelist fluent in 1000 languages, stole stories of flying Persian carpets from his friend John Payne (author, er, translater of "The Book of a Thousand Knights and One Night"). These stories include Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves.
Things got confused as Arabs once conquored Persia and drove out its Zoroastrianist worshipers of the dog (fox) star Sirius (coiners of the phrase "Be Sirius"). The astral plane, er, plain, er zeplin, or what have you, remains far off.
Zoroaster, of ancient Persia about 4000 years ago, spoke of moral dualism between good and evil, his teachings laying a foundation for the 'Abrahamic faiths' whose hatreds yet guide our days (and modern knights). In the 7th century CE, the rise of Islam and the ensuing Muslim conquests caused a decline of Zoroastrianism; many adherents relocated to the Indian subcontinent, where some became progenitors of today's Parsis. Once numbering in the millions, the total Zoroastrian population is now between 110,000 and 120,000, most residing in India (50,000–60,000, most in Mumbai), Iran (15,000–25,000, mostly in remote hamleta), or North America (22,000 in California, New York and Texas).
It was from the great exodus that stateless Aryans (Persians) became brown-skinned people with a red third eye (the blind one) and also that Europeans were able to become more successul barbarians, trading stories and legends and eventually meet the Dogan people of Mali and attribute to them origin on a planet orbiting the Dark Star Sirius B, but that's another story. Like the one about Richard Burton "discovering" Lake Victoria (Ukerewe, Nam Lolwe, 'Nnalubaale or Nyanza to those that led the explorers to their 'discovery')... Let's get back to Iran ("Iran so far away, couldn't get away")...
Some of the refugees from Persia went on further east to manage, as Brahmin Hindus, ritual for Buddhists in Angkor, Ayudhaya and KrunThep. How this relates to Branch Dravidians and the Zorro Ranch remains Classified, but when Heroika Kirk replaces Trusti Scabbord, a Hindu without a third eye, as Adult in the Room, matters may well become more muddied.
In the mid 700s, non-Arab Islamic converts in Persia, resentful over being relegated to lower social standing, replaced the Umayyads with the Abbasids, descendants of Muhammad's Uncle Abbas... these folk hold thr Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, as his successor (Imam). Sunnis say it was Abu Bakr... There's a further matter of Hidden Imans, but let's leave it as a split was made, wars were fought, masses died but enduring enmity didn't - Islam is no more united than other religions. Persia became Iran, Semites became confused with Semites, friends became enemies and enemies friends, and fortunately most of us understand that our betters have what the rest of us do not and will do whatever they can with that.

History's fiction, but the discipline of Iranian soldiers (or Cuban ones) is not, and I, for one, am not betting on my "betters"!