Sorry Sarah, 11th Century, 9th Century....got anything more recent? The fact that Islam has digressed the entire Arab/Islamic world is totally identified if one wishes to walk down the streets of London, Paris, New York then the streets of any Moslem City. If you wish to learn history of Civilization and its decline I'd suggest Oswald Spengler's "Decline of the West". Yes the Mohammedian did have good archetecture that is a fact but was it Arabian or the product of Islam? Was it a product of Persian or Arabian? Did it have anything whatsoever to do with Islam or was influenced by Arabian thought and decorated with Islamic text? Was it influenced by earlier cultures Hamite, Egyptian, Persian, Indian, Jewish, Carthaginian, Spartan, Greek, Roman etc.? I'd argue a bit of all myself...
From what I can tell, and is my opinin, the Muslims have produced nothing of over all worth compared to their great populations specifically when compared to the Civilized, once Judeo/Christian West. For every book printed in the Islamic world there thousands printed in the Western World which suggests either a deliberate dumbind down or just a desire by the masses to keep them unknowledged and indoctrinated with hate and lies by their Religious leaders and power hungry marxist political dictators. The fact that Islam grew through conquest, largely by non-converted Arabs pirates in promise of booty (money, women and articles of wealth), and not "peace" you always seem to overlook. How many of the early "Muslim" accomplishments where the products of their Christian and Jewish dhimmi whose works became recognized by their Moslem rulers? A good example is the life of Maimonides who was the royal doctor, legal advisor, economist, educator etc. in 12th century Egypt or the numerous Jewish advisors in Finance, Economics, Business, Education etc. in most of the Moslem States from Spain to Persia between the 9th to 19th century. If Moslems were as good as you say why was there a need at all to have a Jew, and later 17-20th century Christians, in second position to any given Moslem ruler? I'll even give you a specific ref. Bernard Lewis - "Islam in History", "The Jews of Islam" "The Middle East", "The Crisis of Islam", "Arabs in History", "The Muslim Discovery of Europe", "The Jewish Khazars"- Dunlop, "A History of the Jews and/or Christianity"- Paul Johnson or even better "The Dhimmi"- Baat yeor.
Now every peoples in every faith like to glorify or excentuate ones own accomplishments. That is true of then and today. If you watch AlJazeera or any Moslem media, the Moslems are always blaming others for their own misfortunes especially The Jews, Israel, America, the kufar/Infidel and the country whose infidel citizens you reside today (which your brethren protest to bomb and Islamitize). If you love Islam so much why do you not ask your parents to sell all their assets and return to any of the dozens of Islamic States? Knowing that Islam itself demands Islamic Law World Wide and the millions of Moslems emmigrating from the Islamic World to the Dar Al Harb suggest to me two things: A. The Islamic World is a deprave vile place lacking freedom, peace and true civilized ethical morality (which is the product of Judaism). B. The Moslems themselves are blinded to the realities today by living a double life of deceit, racist arrogance and true ignorance in "progressing" Islamic precepts within their 1400 year War against Dar Al Harb. I love culture especially when it is within its own Dar al Islam environment... This why I feel Kahane was spot on in his book "They Must Go." in that Hindu, Islam, Buddhist, Gnostic, Confucism and even Communism/Socialism has really nothing whatsoever in agreement to, compatable with nor contributary to the Judeo/Christian World. Multi-culturalism/Diversity and all that rubbish are Socialist shams which support Kahane's brilliant thesis.
When all is said and done the world will blame the Jew.....but thank G-d they will work through the Moslems, non-righteous Blacks and G-d wiling Communists first before the righteous Jews. What are your thoughts about peoples like Brigite Gabriel, Walid Shoebat or Joseph Farrah or Marxists like Edward Said, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Saddam Hussein and Yassir Arafat? What are your comments on the deeds and faith practiced by your brethren depicted in mass on Www.MEMRI.Org? Even if 10 percent of the Islamic World are "extremists" (or true Moslems) that represents a major problem for everyone else which I see you and all your "true Muslim" brethren doing very minimal, next to nothing about and quite possibly even assisting the imperialistic intentions of Islam itself via the "extremists" through your organizations like CAIR. Care to comment?
Winston Churchill's quote about Socialism can also be directly applied to Islam: "Socialism (Islam) is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."