Destiny Disrupted

Destiny Disrupted is an easy to read history of the Muslim world. It starts with the pre-Muslim Arabia, goes through the life of Muhammad, the spread of Islam after his death and the conflicts within the religion. While Islam of today is often seen as ultra-conservative and stifling of free thought, many people in the early times converted because of the freedoms that it offered. Islamic rulers tended to grant greater religious freedom than other rulers. They were also more advanced in technology and science than Europe of the day.

How did this great society eventually fall so far behind the Europeans? Did government lose its traditional values? Or did the religious leaders become too attached to "tradition" thus impeding the innovation that was needed to succeed?