Muslims, Science and the Nobel Prize

During the early years of Islam, many muslims pursued science and wrote great papers, theses and books which served as the foundation for modern science. Unfortunately, when the spirit of inquiry, broad-mindedness and pursuit of knowledge as a sacred duty was replaced by irrational lack of tolerance, the decline of the muslims started, and it is us muslims' fault.... we did not adhere to the great teachings and fell to in-fighting instead, laying the way open for outsiders to profit from our weaknesses. Yes, we have been manipulated and exploited by the powers that be, but only because we are dense enough to not to follow the great wisdom between us, the Holy Book, the Prophet's practice,the history of the Caliphate and the muslim rulers who followed and ruled over a great empire, honesty, fairness and justice for all, the openess of thought and the importance of the pursuit of education, the tolerance and the understanding, and all those attributes that make any nation great.
And as a non-muslim friend noted, back in those days there was no Nobel Prize otherwise many muslim names would have adorned the list!