Alexander the Great invades Arabia

On June 6, 323 BC Alexander gave orders to general Nearchus "to have the fleet ready with all equipment and supplies, and ready to sail on the twenty-third of Daisios, the eighth of June. The following day, though more ill, he insisted again upon arising to attend the sacrifices. Nearchus, later in the day, reported that the fleet was ready, prepared to sail, stocked with provisions and supplies, and the crews standing by awaiting orders. During the day the fever grew worse...at sunset on June 13, 323 BC the conqueror breathed his last".

My question is, how would the world have changed had Alexander lived and the invasion proceeded as scheduled. Imagine the Persian gulf Hellenized and great new cities springing up as colonies of Macedonia. Would Islam never have risen? No Mohammed or Caliphate? The repurcussions of this region having far reaching historical ties to the West cannot be overestimated, especially given the socio-political landscape of the present day.
 
Neither Islam nor Christianity would arise in any recognizable form. That you can be sure of.

Umm, why? The invasion almost certainly wouldn't go into interior Arabia (whats the point?), but instead just sail down the Gulf and take control of all the major ports (or possibly establish some). I doubt any of the cities conquered/founded would grow into anything more than regional trading centers, and the effect on Jews (in Judea) would be minimal. We might see some Hellanistic influences spread into interior Arabia from the coastal ports, although their extent and how long they'd last are open questions.
 
I was thinking that the Greek religious/cultural influence in the region would provide a counter-balance to Islam, (assuming the Hellenistic period survived that long) thus depriving it of the mass appeal it gained and spurred its rapid military expansion.
 
Umm, why? The invasion almost certainly wouldn't go into interior Arabia (whats the point?), but instead just sail down the Gulf and take control of all the major ports (or possibly establish some). I doubt any of the cities conquered/founded would grow into anything more than regional trading centers, and the effect on Jews (in Judea) would be minimal. We might see some Hellanistic influences spread into interior Arabia from the coastal ports, although their extent and how long they'd last are open questions.

323 years of divergence.

If the Norman conquest of England never happened, would English be the official language of India in 2010?
 
Neither Islam nor Christianity would arise in any recognizable form. That you can be sure of.

Well, I have to agree with this. The butterfly effect of this POD would be enormous. Muhammad's ancestor could be killed or enslaved at the face of Macedonian invasion.
I imagine a hellenistic kingdom located at southern Arabia, becoming a trade center between Europe and India.
 
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