  ::::I'm not trying to underestimate Islamic achievments - yes the west were barbarians in the 7th century compared to the east but the article itself states that having the Golden age attached with the rise of Islam is a misleading cncept, particularly if one ignores the contributions of Middle Eastern Christians - notably Syrian Christians and Iraqi christians - one of the (many) reasons why Islam is tolerent of the monotheistic faiths is that many individuals who contributed to science were Jewish, Christian or Zoroastrian. Enough Political Incorretness from me now.  