Islam is not a simple religion

We are told about “Muslim civilization”, “Muslim culture” or “Arab-Muslim” civilization / culture. It all goes well beyond the simple spirituality, and includes laws that govern manners, trade, politics, knowledge, culture … So if the so called muslim countries are retarded politically /economically /culturally, it is legitimate to wonder about the role that this religion holds in this retardation.
The picture above shows Mekka in the 20th century, before the West discovered oil on holy muslim ground. We can imagine how this place of holiness looked like in the golden age of Islam, in 9th century.