It is difficult to think of a worse example than Islam or a religon generally for "uniting people". Any attempt to unite people is inherently exclusionary. Tha

It is difficult to think of a worse example than Islam or a religon generally for "uniting people". Any attempt to unite people is inherently exclusionary. That is not problematic in itself but, inevitably, some people equate unity with superiority. It is a fine line. What has improved (this is contentious) is: decline of religion, increased in shared interest, more diverse identities (i.e. people identify in more than one way), and more knowledge about people who are different with the internet/media/etc. Nationalism is, however, still understated as a cause of strife (I am in the UK so that perhaps colours my perspective).