By as early as the 10th century, the trade winds were bringing a new cultural force from India and the Middle East: Islam. It spread slowly, and relatively peacefully: converting to Islam meant access to a vast trade network throughout the Muslim world and escape from the inflexible caste system of Hindu-Buddhist Srivijaya. By the 17th century, the new religion was well-established throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, southern Thailand and the Philippine island of Mindanao. This period is also marked by the waning influence of Hinduism. While the ancient religion still echoed through the arts, Theravada Buddhism, which spread from Sri Lanka, had become the dominant faith throughout most of the kingdoms of continental Southeast Asia.