Re: Shaykh Wang Zi-Ping (Kung Fu Martial Arts)
Until around just before 1800, the Muslim world was not particularly disadvantaged in education. Europe did not have broad education either, and the education that most people received was in liberal arts - languages, philosophy, law, religion, etc. Scientific development at the time in Europe was not far off from Muslim Central Asia’s peak in 1300-1400.
The industrial revolution around 1800 changed everything in Europe. The education needed for mass engineering became formalised, which led to improved scientific knowledge, and it all cascaded from there.
Most of Muslim India was weak or colonised by then and did not have an industrial base, which meant that modern education was not prioritised. The backwardness of the Muslim population thus resulted from them being stuck with the education system needed for governing an agrarian society, completely unsuited to the modern industrial world.