Once home to cities like Baghdad, Córdoba, and Damascus, the Islamic world led global science, trade, and innovation. Today, many Muslim-majority nations lag behind economically despite vast resources, with persistent patterns of instability, weak institutions, and limited innovation.
Historical forces, institutional structures, and long-term economic constraints shaped this trajectory, locking in systems that resisted adaptation. The result is a complex legacy still influencing growth, governance, and opportunity across much of the modern Muslim world.
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