[strela]

Quick, how many rifles were developed by Muslims? How many planes? How many grenades? How many books, other than Mohammed stories? How many antibiotics? How many disease cures? How many operas? How many symphonies? How many DNA sequences? How many satellites?

Hmmm ... kind of difficult to design and build planes, grenades, satellites, space shuttles, etc. without algebra, isn't it? Algebra was invented in the Middle East, and they call 'em "Arabic numerals" for a reason. It wouldn't be much of a modern world without disciplines such as astronomy, optics, geology. botany, and medicine either. Seminal work in each of those disciplines was done in the Middle East. Let's go even farther back - how many of these wonderful inventions would have been invented in the US if somebody hadn't had an astrolabe and a magnetized needle to navigate the ships that brought our ancestors here in the first place? My history books say that the astrolabe and the concept of the magnetized needle (better known as a compass) were also invented in the Middle East (the magnetized needle came via Arabia from China).

And, in the case of the IQ of some of the posters in this thread, the Arabic invention of the concept of the number 0 is quite fitting.

[Don Myers]

Time for a history lesson. The Muslims enslaved, forcefully converted, or killed the Arabs. These inventions were done by the Arabs, not Muslims. The Muslim religion is a new religion.

[swarthyguy]

The Arabs got the zero from India.

[monday]

"Hmmm ... kind of difficult to design and build planes, grenades, satellites, space shuttles, etc. without algebra, isn't it? Algebra was invented in the Middle East, and they call 'em "Arabic numerals" for a reason. It wouldn't be much of a modern world without disciplines such as astronomy, optics, geology. botany, and medicine either. Seminal work in each of those disciplines was done in the Middle East. Let's go even farther back - how many of these wonderful inventions would have been invented in the US if somebody hadn't had an astrolabe and a magnetized needle to navigate the ships that brought our ancestors here in the first place? My history books say that the astrolabe and the concept of the magnetized needle (better known as a compass) were also invented in the Middle East (the magnetized needle came via Arabia from China). "

Yes brilliant. So what seems to be the problem now? Pehaps they are too busy feeling sorry for themselves?