Thank you guys - it sounds very much like the kind of flap we have here also.
It sounds as if he chose his words poorly - obviously Arabs contributed to the advance of civilization (anyone who studies Math knows that). But - another side of the argument is - anything recently? It is a fact that the greater Muslim (Arab) community has shunned the outside world and has preferred living in the 7th century. This is a generality of course but it applies to a vast majority.

Kathleen