It just get�s better! The cartoon thing

??   Maju's correct, Byzantium most influenced the Renaissance, as far as I knew.

the killer of van gogh declared today that the prophet Mohamed preached the violence. Our friend Bush was heard tolding that islam mean "peace"; arab linguists told us that islam mean "submission", not "peace", and historian told us that Mohamed indeed preached and did practise violence in it's more cruel forms.

Who's right? Who's lying?

True.

eastern culteres yes, islam more disputable: yes, through arab translations get the westerners the new knowledge, but they was just transmitters. Take aristotle philosophy, that of avicena and averroes, and conclude that they put nothing new to that old philosophy; they just commented it, with a sort of adulation for the "absolute master". Have to note too, that they are "islamic" in the same sens voltaire is "christian".

Yes, but west was not exactly the best choosen place to compare with. All the knowledge was from persian and bizantyne origin. Ethnically but more important, ideologically.

It seems that you don't care for the arguments of others: i explained why your thesis is false: the west, at 1200, the moment of first translations from arabian, was already expanding intelectually for 3 centuries!!! All what these transl. has given to them, was Aristotle. But without him, there was abelard with his new ideas, was Eriugena, both of them with liberating worldviews. The arabs had Aristotle, the bizantyne had Aristotle, but nothing errupted there intelectually!!! NOTHING. 

You are correct to a degree that some important cultural/scientific contributions have been made by "Islamic" culture.  But their antecedents in the Levant and Mesopotamia and Persia, who laid the basis for those, were using medicinal elements, and making astronomical observations and writing philosophy long before there were Moslems.

The algebra only goes so far.

Most of Renaissance influences came from Byzantium. There the only role that Islam played was that of scaring the refugees westward.

Never said muslims birthed western culture. Most classical knowledge in the west was destroyed during the dark ages because it didn't conform with the gospel. It was mainly through contact with eastern cultures that what knowledge that remained of classical times was regained.

Islam was years ahead of Europe in medicine, science, math, literature...

No contact with Islam no Age of Enlightenment, no Renaissance.

There was also much more than conflict going on between our cultures at that time.

I'm not Muslim by the way, I just believe in giving credit where credit is due.

Just read my signature:

"There was a time when religion ruled the world. It is known as the Dark Ages." - Ruth Hurmence Green

But mind you, this is applicable not just to Islam but to all religions.

These cartoons were published in a local Danish paper. Only a handful of people would have seen it, but now thanks to all the fuss Muslims have created everyone in world have seen them. On top of that it has helped the rest of world realize what kind fear people in the Muslim countries have to leave under and why many of these countries are listed as 99% hardcore believers in Islam. If someone in Denmark can get this kind of reaction imagine what it would take to question  Islam in a Islamic country

Voyager seems to agree that this conflict between Islam and the "West" has been ongoing for many centuries.  The current turmoil is only another incarnation.  Churchill's comments (in Victorian manor) speaks to observations of a century ago.  We could go on forever of course.

I appreciate that there are many who do not want the situation to be what it seems, and that criticism and even ostracism can come of holding opinions that are not considered "correct" in contemporary circumstances.

However, The differences that manifest themselves do appear to be more beyond accomodation and amity than reconcileable with them.  The two ancient and proseletyzing faiths and the differing civilizations they have founded, and that have so often clashed in the past, are only comfortable with each other when there is a tense coexistence.  They are not coexisting well these days.