Alright, this reminds me of the joke in Star Track, you've got the WASP, Scot, Oriental, Black, Frenchman etc., but why are there never any Arabs/ Muslims?
So how's this theory, between now and the start of the origina,l a big cataclysmic event takes place that blasts the Arabs off the globe. In doing so takes down the power grid, and transportation sector is demolished. Survivors are forced to return to local for a few generations until we climb back out of the hole.