New York Times stand up! Kristof's column asks why the Middle East fell so far behind in the last 800 years after thriving intellectually, culturally, and financially until about 1200 AD. He cites a new book which posits that secondary Muslim practices may have upset the balance. For example, unlike in the West, where large estates were passed down to the family's eldest son, wealth and land was distributed more equally among Muslim families, hence making vast accumulations of wealth, and consequent large investments in technology, less likely.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/opinion/06kristof.html?_r=1&bl
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