An illusion of harmony:

The Muslim world attracts much attention today because of the strength of its insistently traditional if not overtly fundamentalist religiosity-which all too frequently breaks out in violence. Less well known is how the world of Islam is not just a place of social turmoil, but a scientific disaster area. Though modern Muslims have become painfully aware of falling behind in economic and military power, leaving Islamic nations vulnerable to colonialism, and though they have long identified science and technology as keys to Western ascendancy, they have thus far achieved little success in their efforts to import science and appropriate it to achieve Muslim ends.