Islamic science.

Dr. Sanity neatly summarizes the mechanism by which Muslim scientific inquiry became permanently parked in the Wal Mart parking lot one thouuuuuusand three hunnnnndred years ago:

Since the 7th century and the rise of Mohammed, in fact, little original work in medicine--or psychiatry-- was produced in the Arab world because the Koran was seen as the authority for all knowledge. No schools for higher learning existed unless they taught the Koran. This is still the case over thirteen hundred years later.

The quote she provides about the Quaranic psychiatrist blowing on a thread (sic) to diagnose mental illness is a classic, right up there with what we posted earlier about the renowned Saudi religious leader with novel views about Mother Earth (We Are Not Making This Up Dept. - I).

"Quranic Psychiatry." Dr. Sanity, 12/7/05.