[nik-]

Ok, I'm just suggesting it's another in a long line of excuses for a culture that is stuck in the 1200's

"They were a cultural and scientific haven ... but then Reconquista"

"They were a cultural and scientific haven ... but then Mongols"

"... Sykes Piqot" "... Iraq"

It's always the fault of the west, or someone else? It's never a failing of the culture which is impeded by a religious framework that stifles equality and advancement?

Cultures all over the world have progressed under adverse conditions and don't get the free pass the Middle East does.