The right answer is B: From the 9th century onward, the Swahili were best known for their strong ties to the Muslim world. Although various groups intertwined with these coastal people from East Africa (other Bantu speaking tribes, as well as Indonesians and Portuguese, among others), the Middle Eastern Culture had the strongest influence on them, not only from a religious point of view, but also from an educational, social, artistic, linguistic, and even gastronomical point of view. This influence has been so significant that often throughout history Swahili and Muslim have come to mean the same in East Africa.