this is somewhat of a caricature, which often happens in history - you set these sides off against each other, and they tale on exaggerated representations. the caliphs did their share of repressing things, too. in fact, there was also a deep ethnic conflict at play, in that the decadent scientists were almost all kurds (of iranian ancestry), and the conservative/populist backlash was overwhelmingly semitic. and, this was largely the same dynamic that overthrew the persian empire in the first - indeed the sumerian empire, in the years leading up to sargon. that is a pattern of history in this part of the world, these periodic conservative semitic uprisings against the decadent invaders from the north, west or east. for that reason, i like to consider this more of a persian or even sumerian (via babylon) renaissance, rather than an islamic golden age. and, i don't think it's a coincidence that it's sole lasting influence is in astronomy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60JboffOhaw