[UberVernunft]

Look up the etymology of the word "algebra" and the word "zero" along with words like "azimuth" - vitally important concepts in the development of Western science and mathematics. Also take a look at your keyboard and note the lack of Roman numerals on the top row.

No doubt Islamic culture at that time period was quite advanced. Unfortunately that time has long passed.

[garbanzo]

The point was that Western civilization was open to ideas from outside the West and that's why the West has succeeded. The Chinese had movable type presses, the Muslims had algebra - but they didn't do anything with it in large part because they thought no one else on earth had anything to teach them and they were the center of the world. And both civilizations crashed to the ground.