Science And Islam [repost]

Islam and Christianity share remarkable similarities and differences. Both are relatively recent religions, with Christianity taking hold in Northern Europe at about the same time that Islam took hold in the Persian world, although Christianity appeared on the scene six centuries before Islam. Through the years, Islam and Christianity and the civilizations they created have influenced each other to greater and lesser extents in terms of arts, sciences, culture, and medicine. The Crusades produced the most violent confrontation of the two worlds, but it is also important to note the effect of Christian missionaries on Islam, as well as Islamic science and literature on the West.