One of the traditional hallmarks of western science is its basis in Christian faith. God is good, and rational and unchanging. Therefore, we can study God's creation and use consistent methods to achieve consistent results.
Whether constants are truly constant may be a fair question, but the belief that nature is inherently consistent has helped us built the modern world.
Islam, on the other hand, believes that Allah is unbound by such petty concerns. If a human expects water to boil at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level, then this is "shackling Allah" and is not a good idea. Allah does what Allah wants to do. Of course the Arab world has done some work in science (but most of "their work" was actually taken from the Greeks or from Indians (or Chaldeans). But this notion that the world of Allah is unpredictable has not helped the Muslims.
There is a book on this called "The Closing of the Muslim Mind". The 11th century was the tipping point for any sort of advancement in the muslim world, that's when they determined that science was anti-allah and they condemned themselves into eons of crawling in the dirt for scraps until their oil gave them the funds to start exporting their backwards and dangerous philosophy of anti-rational obedience or death. If they are allowed to triumph and western science and technology falls under their boot it will make the 500 year dark ages look like a short and hopeful period.