Blair had to hide his faith, to avoid the Protestant militants in Northern Irelands from rejecting the peace process. They would not have trusted an openly Catholic Prime Minister in London.
The arabs played a critical role in fighting in the Crusades. The Turks fought initially but were defeated as the Crusaders passed through their lands.
One the Crusader state was established, the fighting was shared amongst all the Muslim groups in the region. The Kurd Salahuddin’s army consisted mainly of Kurds from his homelands as well as arabs and Egyptians, as well as even many Muslims from further afield.