Flutterby™! : What Went Wrong

I'd heard the NPR interview with Bernard Lewis, so on the plane flight out I read What Went Wrong: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response. Interesting book, compiled from three lectures, which proposes that the political situation in the middle east stems directly form the historical applications of Islam. Among other things, Lewis points out htat Judaism and Christianity stem from myths with unrealized rewards (Moses dying before entering the promised land, the crucifixion), where Mohammed was victorious in his own life, and while the jews were scattered and Christians actively send out missionaries, Islam has strongly encouraged Muslims to live in Islamic states.