no use of assigning these things to colonialism.
then why after 60 years literycy is 56% when malaysia it is over 90%.
Problem is with policy of state and nothing else.
Why Does the Muslim World Lag in Science?
- Thread starter A.Rahman
- Start date
no use of assigning these things to colonialism.
then why after 60 years literycy is 56% when malaysia it is over 90%.
Problem is with policy of state and nothing else.
when some one like Abdus Salam come out as ray of hope and he see religion as integral to his scientific work.
Pakistan bigots shows him way out
In 1974, when the Pakistan National Assembly declared Ahmadis to be non-Muslims, he left Pakistan for London in protest.
there should be tolerance for other beliefs.
Pakistan bigots shows him way out
In 1974, when the Pakistan National Assembly declared Ahmadis to be non-Muslims, he left Pakistan for London in protest.
there should be tolerance for other beliefs.
roopesh
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Indias top scientist is a muslim. Many muslims work in IT sector. Muslim community is good at science. But muslim countries are busy either in making money (oil) or in war (pak/afghan). So its a illusion about islam.
niaz
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Hon Members,
I am copying a e-mail from a friend who is very interestd in understanding the reasons as to why Muslims are currently lagging behind in Science. Please don't ask for reference to back the numbers quoted therein.
Quote:
"Seeking Knowledge is a duty on every Muslim." (Bukhari)
Some thoughts:
Extracts of speech by Hafez A.B Mohamed:
Director-General, Al Baraka Bank, South Africa
Demographics:
o World Jewish Population : 14 million
o Distribution : 7m in America
: 5m in Asia
: 2m in Europe
: 100 thousand in Africa
o World Muslim Population: 1.5 billion
o Distribution: I billion in Asia/Mid-East
400 M in Africa
44 M in Europe
6 M in the Americas
o Every fifth human being is a Muslim.
o For every single Hindu there are two Muslims
o For every Buddhist there are two Muslims
o For every Jew there are 107 Muslims
o Yet the 14 million Jews are more powerful than the entire 1.5 billion Muslims
Why?
Here are some of the reasons.
Some Movers of Current History:
o Albert Einstein Jewish
o Sigmund Freud Jewish
o Karl Marx Jewish
o Paul Samuelson Jewish
o Milton Friedman Jewish
Some Medical Milestones:
o Vaccinating Needle: Benjamin Ruben Jewish
o Polio Vaccine Jonas Salk Jewish
o Leukemia Drug Gertrude Elion Jewish
o Hepatitis B Baruch Blumberg Jewish
o Syphilis Drug Paul Ehrlich Jewish
o Neuro muscular Elie Metchnikoff Jewish
o Endocrinology Andrew Schally Jewish
o Cognitive therapy. Aaron Beck Jewish
o Contraceptive Pill Gregory Pincus Jewish
o Understanding of Human Eye G. Wald Jewish
o Embryology. Stanley Cohen Jewish
o Kidney Dialysis Willem Kloffcame Jewish
Nobel Prize Winners:
o In the past 105 years, 14 million Jews have won 180 Nobel prizes
whilst 1.5 billion Muslims have contributed only 3 Nobel winners
Some Inventions that changed History:
o Micro- Processing Chip. Stanley Mezor Jewish
o Nuclear Chain Reactor Leo Sziland Jewish
o Optical Fibre Cable Peter Schultz Jewish
o Traffic Lights Charles Adler Jewish
o Stainless Steel Benno Strauss Jewish
o Sound Movies Isador Kisee Jewish
o Telephone Microphone Emile Berliner Jewish
o Video Tape Recorder Charles Ginsburg Jewish
Some Influential Global Business People:
o Polo Ralph Lauren Jewish
o Coca Cola Jewish
o Levi's Jeans Levi Strauss Jewish
o Starbuck's Howard Schultz Jewish
o Google Sergey Brin Jewish
o Dell Computers Michael Dell Jewish
o Oracle Larry Ellison Jewish
o DKNY Donna Karan Jewish
o Baskin & Robbins Irv Robbins Jewish
o Dunkin Donuts Bill Rosenberg Jewish
Some Influential Intellectuals/Politicians:
o Henry Kissinger, US Sec of State Jewish
o Richard Levin, President Yale University Jewish
o Alan Greenspan, US Federal Reserve Jewish
o Joseph Lieberman Jewish
o Madeleine Albright, US Sec of State Jewish
o Casper Weinberger, US Sec of Defense Jewish
o Maxim Litvinov, USSR Foreign Minister Jewish
o David Marshal, Singapore Chief Minister Jewish
o Isaacs Isaacs, Gov-Gen Australia Jewish
o Benjamin Disraeli, British Statesman Jewish
o Yevgeny Primakov, Russian PM Jewish
o Barry Goldwater, US Politician Jewish
o Jorge Sampaio, President Portugal Jewish
o Herb Gray, Canadian Deputy - PM Jewish
o Pierre Mendes, French PM Jewish
o Michael Howard, British Home Sec. Jewish
o Bruno Kriesky, Austrian Chancellor Jewish
o Robert Rubin, US Sec of Treasury Jewish
Global Media Influential People:
o Wolf Blitzer, CNN Jewish
o Barbara Walters ABC News Jewish
o Eugene Meyer , Washington Post Jewish
o Henry Grunwald, Time Magazine Jewish
o Katherine Graham , Washington Post Jewish
o Joseph Lelyeld, New York Times Jewish
o Max Frankel, New York Times Jewish
Some Global Philanthropists:
o George Soros Jewish
o Walter Annenberg Jewish
Why are they powerful?
Why are Muslims powerless?
Here's one reason. We have lost the capacity to produce knowledge.
o In the entire Muslim World (57 Muslim Countries) there are only 500 universities.
o In USA alone, 5,758 universities.
o In India alone, 8,407 universities.
o Not one university in the entire Islamic World features in the Top 500 Ranking Universities of the World.
o Literacy in the Christian World 90%.
o Literacy in the Muslim World 40%.
o 15 Christian majority-countries, literacy rate 100%.
o Muslim majority - countries , None.
o 98% in Christian countries completed primary school.
o Only 50% in Muslim countries completed primary school.
o 40% in Christian countries attended university.
o In Muslim countries a dismal 2% attended.
o Muslim majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims.
o The USA has 5000 per million.
o The Christian world 1000 technicians per million.
o Entire Arab World only 50 technicians per million.
o Muslim World spends on research/development 0.2% of GDP.
o Christian World spends 5 % of GDP.
A Conclusion.
o The Muslim World lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.
Another way of testing the degree of knowledge is the degree of diffusing knowledge.
o Pakistan 23 daily newspapers per 1000 citizens.
o Singapore 460 per 1000 citizens.
o In UK book titles per million is 2000.
o In Egypt book titles per million is only 17.
A Conclusion.
o The Muslim World is failing to diffuse knowledge.
Applying Knowledge is another such test.
o Exports of high tech products from Pakistan is 0.9% of its exports.
o In Saudi Arabia is 0.2%
o Kuwait, Morocco and Algeria 0.3%.
o Singapore alone is 68%.
The Muslim World is failing to apply knowledge.
So what do YOU conclude?
No need to tell, the figures speak for themselves very loudly, if we are unable to listen.
My Advice:
Please educate yourself and your children.
Always promote education, don't compromise on it.
Don't ignore your children's slightest misguidance from education.
And please, for God's Sake, don't use your personal contacts or sources to promote your children in
their education; if they fail, let them and make them learn to pass; b/c if they can't do it now, they can't ever).
We are World's biggest and strongest nation, all we need is to identify and explore our own selves.
Our victory is with our knowledge, our creativity, our literacy...And nothing else.
Please Muslims....Wake up... It's not too late.
Un Quote
I am copying a e-mail from a friend who is very interestd in understanding the reasons as to why Muslims are currently lagging behind in Science. Please don't ask for reference to back the numbers quoted therein.
Quote:
"Seeking Knowledge is a duty on every Muslim." (Bukhari)
Some thoughts:
Extracts of speech by Hafez A.B Mohamed:
Director-General, Al Baraka Bank, South Africa
Demographics:
o World Jewish Population : 14 million
o Distribution : 7m in America
: 5m in Asia
: 2m in Europe
: 100 thousand in Africa
o World Muslim Population: 1.5 billion
o Distribution: I billion in Asia/Mid-East
400 M in Africa
44 M in Europe
6 M in the Americas
o Every fifth human being is a Muslim.
o For every single Hindu there are two Muslims
o For every Buddhist there are two Muslims
o For every Jew there are 107 Muslims
o Yet the 14 million Jews are more powerful than the entire 1.5 billion Muslims
Why?
Here are some of the reasons.
Some Movers of Current History:
o Albert Einstein Jewish
o Sigmund Freud Jewish
o Karl Marx Jewish
o Paul Samuelson Jewish
o Milton Friedman Jewish
Some Medical Milestones:
o Vaccinating Needle: Benjamin Ruben Jewish
o Polio Vaccine Jonas Salk Jewish
o Leukemia Drug Gertrude Elion Jewish
o Hepatitis B Baruch Blumberg Jewish
o Syphilis Drug Paul Ehrlich Jewish
o Neuro muscular Elie Metchnikoff Jewish
o Endocrinology Andrew Schally Jewish
o Cognitive therapy. Aaron Beck Jewish
o Contraceptive Pill Gregory Pincus Jewish
o Understanding of Human Eye G. Wald Jewish
o Embryology. Stanley Cohen Jewish
o Kidney Dialysis Willem Kloffcame Jewish
Nobel Prize Winners:
o In the past 105 years, 14 million Jews have won 180 Nobel prizes
whilst 1.5 billion Muslims have contributed only 3 Nobel winners
Some Inventions that changed History:
o Micro- Processing Chip. Stanley Mezor Jewish
o Nuclear Chain Reactor Leo Sziland Jewish
o Optical Fibre Cable Peter Schultz Jewish
o Traffic Lights Charles Adler Jewish
o Stainless Steel Benno Strauss Jewish
o Sound Movies Isador Kisee Jewish
o Telephone Microphone Emile Berliner Jewish
o Video Tape Recorder Charles Ginsburg Jewish
Some Influential Global Business People:
o Polo Ralph Lauren Jewish
o Coca Cola Jewish
o Levi's Jeans Levi Strauss Jewish
o Starbuck's Howard Schultz Jewish
o Google Sergey Brin Jewish
o Dell Computers Michael Dell Jewish
o Oracle Larry Ellison Jewish
o DKNY Donna Karan Jewish
o Baskin & Robbins Irv Robbins Jewish
o Dunkin Donuts Bill Rosenberg Jewish
Some Influential Intellectuals/Politicians:
o Henry Kissinger, US Sec of State Jewish
o Richard Levin, President Yale University Jewish
o Alan Greenspan, US Federal Reserve Jewish
o Joseph Lieberman Jewish
o Madeleine Albright, US Sec of State Jewish
o Casper Weinberger, US Sec of Defense Jewish
o Maxim Litvinov, USSR Foreign Minister Jewish
o David Marshal, Singapore Chief Minister Jewish
o Isaacs Isaacs, Gov-Gen Australia Jewish
o Benjamin Disraeli, British Statesman Jewish
o Yevgeny Primakov, Russian PM Jewish
o Barry Goldwater, US Politician Jewish
o Jorge Sampaio, President Portugal Jewish
o Herb Gray, Canadian Deputy - PM Jewish
o Pierre Mendes, French PM Jewish
o Michael Howard, British Home Sec. Jewish
o Bruno Kriesky, Austrian Chancellor Jewish
o Robert Rubin, US Sec of Treasury Jewish
Global Media Influential People:
o Wolf Blitzer, CNN Jewish
o Barbara Walters ABC News Jewish
o Eugene Meyer , Washington Post Jewish
o Henry Grunwald, Time Magazine Jewish
o Katherine Graham , Washington Post Jewish
o Joseph Lelyeld, New York Times Jewish
o Max Frankel, New York Times Jewish
Some Global Philanthropists:
o George Soros Jewish
o Walter Annenberg Jewish
Why are they powerful?
Why are Muslims powerless?
Here's one reason. We have lost the capacity to produce knowledge.
o In the entire Muslim World (57 Muslim Countries) there are only 500 universities.
o In USA alone, 5,758 universities.
o In India alone, 8,407 universities.
o Not one university in the entire Islamic World features in the Top 500 Ranking Universities of the World.
o Literacy in the Christian World 90%.
o Literacy in the Muslim World 40%.
o 15 Christian majority-countries, literacy rate 100%.
o Muslim majority - countries , None.
o 98% in Christian countries completed primary school.
o Only 50% in Muslim countries completed primary school.
o 40% in Christian countries attended university.
o In Muslim countries a dismal 2% attended.
o Muslim majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims.
o The USA has 5000 per million.
o The Christian world 1000 technicians per million.
o Entire Arab World only 50 technicians per million.
o Muslim World spends on research/development 0.2% of GDP.
o Christian World spends 5 % of GDP.
A Conclusion.
o The Muslim World lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.
Another way of testing the degree of knowledge is the degree of diffusing knowledge.
o Pakistan 23 daily newspapers per 1000 citizens.
o Singapore 460 per 1000 citizens.
o In UK book titles per million is 2000.
o In Egypt book titles per million is only 17.
A Conclusion.
o The Muslim World is failing to diffuse knowledge.
Applying Knowledge is another such test.
o Exports of high tech products from Pakistan is 0.9% of its exports.
o In Saudi Arabia is 0.2%
o Kuwait, Morocco and Algeria 0.3%.
o Singapore alone is 68%.
The Muslim World is failing to apply knowledge.
So what do YOU conclude?
No need to tell, the figures speak for themselves very loudly, if we are unable to listen.
My Advice:
Please educate yourself and your children.
Always promote education, don't compromise on it.
Don't ignore your children's slightest misguidance from education.
And please, for God's Sake, don't use your personal contacts or sources to promote your children in
their education; if they fail, let them and make them learn to pass; b/c if they can't do it now, they can't ever).
We are World's biggest and strongest nation, all we need is to identify and explore our own selves.
Our victory is with our knowledge, our creativity, our literacy...And nothing else.
Please Muslims....Wake up... It's not too late.
Un Quote
Last edited:
Silverfalcon
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Muslim world has the worlds richest scientific history. We just dont have any information about our great scientists.
thanks to the Zionist education system that is bestowed upon this world.
Ibn Sina Doctor of all Doctors
El Zehrawi Father of Surgery
Ibn Batutta Worlds greatest traveler
Jabir Ibn hayyan Father of Chemistry
Al Kindi Pioneer of environmental science
Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī He was considered the first geologist and first anthropologist of this world !
Muhammad Ibn Musa Father of Algebra and Algorithms
and this is just the beginning of the list, there are thousands of more examples. Mash Allah Muslims are the worlds greatest scientists.
So the statement that muslim world lacks in science is pure B.S
And i agree that muslims of today are not as strong and united and have forgotten there values.
Starting steps would be to .
1) Stop following the western media.
2) Throw away the current education system. ( which teaches us nothing but to be materialistic and lies )
3) Follow the 5 pillars of Islam.
thanks to the Zionist education system that is bestowed upon this world.
Ibn Sina Doctor of all Doctors
El Zehrawi Father of Surgery
Ibn Batutta Worlds greatest traveler
Jabir Ibn hayyan Father of Chemistry
Al Kindi Pioneer of environmental science
Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī He was considered the first geologist and first anthropologist of this world !
Muhammad Ibn Musa Father of Algebra and Algorithms
and this is just the beginning of the list, there are thousands of more examples. Mash Allah Muslims are the worlds greatest scientists.
So the statement that muslim world lacks in science is pure B.S
And i agree that muslims of today are not as strong and united and have forgotten there values.
Starting steps would be to .
1) Stop following the western media.
2) Throw away the current education system. ( which teaches us nothing but to be materialistic and lies )
3) Follow the 5 pillars of Islam.
Silverfalcon
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- Dec 1, 2008
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^^^
By throwing away the current education system i mean, to make our own one, which includes all the achievements of Muslims, and one which does not teaches us to be materialistic.
We are muslims and our values mean everything to us, without our values we are just like one of the others.
By throwing away the current education system i mean, to make our own one, which includes all the achievements of Muslims, and one which does not teaches us to be materialistic.
We are muslims and our values mean everything to us, without our values we are just like one of the others.
Vinod2070
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Perhaps that is what is required now for your own good!
But let me tell you, there was never a time when Muslims were not materialistic. Most of the names of the scientists that you talked of were not religious people, they were in conflict with the Mullah class in many instances. Islam was as much responsible for their achievements as Christianity and the Church was for Galileo's and Copernicus' discoveries.
You want to go back to the "Islamic roots", you may. Just don't assume you will find a scientific nirvana there. Not going to happen!
TruthSeeker
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And, while women have not in the past been very important to technical progress, they are increasingly contributing in many scientific fields in the West. Muslims are in danger of not only not using the brains of their men, but, also, of totally discarding half of their 1.5 billion brains, i.e., their women's brains. See the thread on girls schools in Swat under the WoT forum.......There is no such thing as "Islamic" science or "Christian" science or "Hindu" science, etc. Science requires the dispassionate, rational discovery of how nature works. Religion has nothing to offer this process.
Flintlock
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**Applause**
PAFAce
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Who the hell said the Taliban follow proper Islam? Who the hell said women are not allowed to learn in Islam? TruthSeeker, in the words of Elvis 'a little less CNN, a little more research please.'
Islam does not directly make you a genius scientist. Islam, however, encourages you, unlike almost any other religion, to search for the 'truth'. That is what science is.
Vinod, I like how you chose Galileo and Copernicus, who at some point were shunned by the church, as examples and completely ignored scientists/mathematicians such as Newton, Faraday, Einstein, Cantour etc. All deeply spiritual, if not outright religious.
If you are interested in debating religion and science, there are much better people than me. Maybe you should start by visiting your local Masjid.
Islam does not directly make you a genius scientist. Islam, however, encourages you, unlike almost any other religion, to search for the 'truth'. That is what science is.
Vinod, I like how you chose Galileo and Copernicus, who at some point were shunned by the church, as examples and completely ignored scientists/mathematicians such as Newton, Faraday, Einstein, Cantour etc. All deeply spiritual, if not outright religious.
If you are interested in debating religion and science, there are much better people than me. Maybe you should start by visiting your local Masjid.
first follow the existing system properly, when you have made enough progress then automatically everything will fall in place. your present generation will have to adapt everything western steadfastly and completely reject any religious dogma, then your future generations will be in a position(materially and intellectually) to herald the islamic education with scientific thinking.
niaz
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Hon Sir,
No one is denying that Muslims were great scientists. All the examples you have given are pre 14th century; that is more than 500 hundred years ago. Kindly read my post again, the question is where we are now? Just look around you. Which of the modern inventions, starting with electricity, motor car, sewing machine, radio, aeroplane, railways, penicillin . were invented by the Muslims.
Must we always remain in the time warp? Regret to say but your ideas are typical of those who deny the reality. I sincerely hope Muslims will wake up soon.
RabzonKhan
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Imran Khan vs Charles Darwin
By Irfan Husain
January 17, 2009
THIS year will see a large number of celebrations at campuses and scientific institutions around the world to mark the 200th year of the birth of Charles Darwin, and the 150th year of the publication of his seminal work.
Widely regarded as one of the three most influential thinkers of the 19th century, together with Freud and Marx, Darwin has had a stronger impact on our thinking than the other two giants of the era. Since its publication in 1859, his explanation of how life evolved on the planet has been subjected to rigorous criticism and analysis. Generations of scientists have tested it in the field and in the laboratory. And to date, it remains the only scientific explanation of how life on Earth has developed over the millennia.
Many religious people have viewed the Darwinian theory of evolution as an attack on their faith. Others have reconciled belief in a supernatural being controlling events in the universe with a scientific theory that pulls together a vast plethora of evidence. Whatever ones position on the truth of Darwins revolutionary exposition, it would take a foolhardy person to dismiss it as a half-baked theory as Imran Khan has done recently.
Titled Why the West craves materialism and why the East sticks to religion, the essay is dated Nov 8, 2008, and was sent to me via email by a reader. In this article, the politician and ex-cricketer describes his personal journey from the westernised, secular outlook of his youth to his present faith-based worldview.
In a sense, Imran Khans view of Darwins life work captures the essence of our backwardness. By rejecting a vast body of scientific research and analysis as half-baked, he exposes his own ignorance. He is, of course, entitled to his own opinion on any subject under the sun. But as he is a role model for many young Pakistanis, he has a duty to choose his words with greater care. He may refuse to accept the consensus behind Darwinian theory in the international scientific community, but to dismiss it out of hand risks influencing impressionable young minds into following him.
As it is, there is not a single world-class university or research institute in the Muslim world. The reason for this is not hard to find. By refusing to accept and internalise the rational method of empirical research and analysis, we discourage and suppress scientific and objective scholarship.
In Imran Khans mind, as in many others, reason is a western monopoly. So anyone using rational analysis as a tool is dismissed as western, a pejorative term deployed to undermine any argument. Unfortunately, this widespread trend has had profound significance over the centuries. By ceding scientific research and progress to the West, Muslims find themselves in their current predicament. By contrast, countries like China, Japan and Korea have made tremendous progress by accepting reason as the basis of their education and public discourse. So when Imran Khan says the East sticks to religion in the title of his essay, he is effectively ignoring well over half the East.
I have long admired Imran Khan for his cricketing prowess, as well as for the fine work he has done in creating Pakistans first cancer hospital. So as a fan, it has saddened me to see him in the constant company of right-wingers like ex-ISI chief Hamid Gul and Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami. On TV talk shows, where he is a frequent guest, he has been voicing the most extreme views. Let me hasten to say that I would defend his right to his opinions, but as a hero to millions of young Pakistanis, I would ask that these views be based on logic and facts.
Imran Khan has complained in his article that Pakistans secular elites do not study Islam, and hence they are seduced by western thinking. Im afraid this is based on the arrogant assumption that simply because people dress in a certain way, they are ignorant of their own culture, history and religion. According to him, Pakistan is polarised between this group who react strongly to anyone trying to impose Islam on society, and religious extremists. Personally speaking, I dont want any belief or dogma imposed on society. As a secularist, I think everybody should be free to believe in any faith. And in the distinguished company of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, I feel that religion should have nothing to do with the business of the state.
So why is it that today, only Muslim nations seem to deny the validity of the scientific method? It is true that many evangelical Christians reject Darwinian theory as well, and push creationism as the explanation for the development of life on earth. Recently, this extreme position has been replaced by something called Intelligent Design. But among educated people, it would be difficult to find many who close their eyes to the insights contained in Darwins groundbreaking research, even though many of these ideas were developed by Wallace, a contemporary of Darwins.
In his important book Muslims and Science published nearly 20 years ago, Pervez Hoodbhoy made the point that the entire output of scientific papers written in the Muslim world every year did not equal those produced in Israel alone. This remains true two decades later. And the reason for this imbalance lies in the position reflected in Imran Khans views about Darwin.
If we do not encourage the young to think and reason for themselves, how can we expect them to discover anything new? The essence of scientific enquiry lies in curiosity about how the world works, how matter was formed, and how life came into being. Perhaps curiosity about the universe is what sets mankind apart from the animal kingdom.
But if, as Darwin was in the Galapagos Isles, we are struck with wonder when we see something for which we have no explanation, then we have taken a step towards discovering more about our universe, and ultimately, about ourselves.
By Irfan Husain
January 17, 2009
THIS year will see a large number of celebrations at campuses and scientific institutions around the world to mark the 200th year of the birth of Charles Darwin, and the 150th year of the publication of his seminal work.
Widely regarded as one of the three most influential thinkers of the 19th century, together with Freud and Marx, Darwin has had a stronger impact on our thinking than the other two giants of the era. Since its publication in 1859, his explanation of how life evolved on the planet has been subjected to rigorous criticism and analysis. Generations of scientists have tested it in the field and in the laboratory. And to date, it remains the only scientific explanation of how life on Earth has developed over the millennia.
Many religious people have viewed the Darwinian theory of evolution as an attack on their faith. Others have reconciled belief in a supernatural being controlling events in the universe with a scientific theory that pulls together a vast plethora of evidence. Whatever ones position on the truth of Darwins revolutionary exposition, it would take a foolhardy person to dismiss it as a half-baked theory as Imran Khan has done recently.
Titled Why the West craves materialism and why the East sticks to religion, the essay is dated Nov 8, 2008, and was sent to me via email by a reader. In this article, the politician and ex-cricketer describes his personal journey from the westernised, secular outlook of his youth to his present faith-based worldview.
In a sense, Imran Khans view of Darwins life work captures the essence of our backwardness. By rejecting a vast body of scientific research and analysis as half-baked, he exposes his own ignorance. He is, of course, entitled to his own opinion on any subject under the sun. But as he is a role model for many young Pakistanis, he has a duty to choose his words with greater care. He may refuse to accept the consensus behind Darwinian theory in the international scientific community, but to dismiss it out of hand risks influencing impressionable young minds into following him.
As it is, there is not a single world-class university or research institute in the Muslim world. The reason for this is not hard to find. By refusing to accept and internalise the rational method of empirical research and analysis, we discourage and suppress scientific and objective scholarship.
In Imran Khans mind, as in many others, reason is a western monopoly. So anyone using rational analysis as a tool is dismissed as western, a pejorative term deployed to undermine any argument. Unfortunately, this widespread trend has had profound significance over the centuries. By ceding scientific research and progress to the West, Muslims find themselves in their current predicament. By contrast, countries like China, Japan and Korea have made tremendous progress by accepting reason as the basis of their education and public discourse. So when Imran Khan says the East sticks to religion in the title of his essay, he is effectively ignoring well over half the East.
I have long admired Imran Khan for his cricketing prowess, as well as for the fine work he has done in creating Pakistans first cancer hospital. So as a fan, it has saddened me to see him in the constant company of right-wingers like ex-ISI chief Hamid Gul and Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami. On TV talk shows, where he is a frequent guest, he has been voicing the most extreme views. Let me hasten to say that I would defend his right to his opinions, but as a hero to millions of young Pakistanis, I would ask that these views be based on logic and facts.
Imran Khan has complained in his article that Pakistans secular elites do not study Islam, and hence they are seduced by western thinking. Im afraid this is based on the arrogant assumption that simply because people dress in a certain way, they are ignorant of their own culture, history and religion. According to him, Pakistan is polarised between this group who react strongly to anyone trying to impose Islam on society, and religious extremists. Personally speaking, I dont want any belief or dogma imposed on society. As a secularist, I think everybody should be free to believe in any faith. And in the distinguished company of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, I feel that religion should have nothing to do with the business of the state.
So why is it that today, only Muslim nations seem to deny the validity of the scientific method? It is true that many evangelical Christians reject Darwinian theory as well, and push creationism as the explanation for the development of life on earth. Recently, this extreme position has been replaced by something called Intelligent Design. But among educated people, it would be difficult to find many who close their eyes to the insights contained in Darwins groundbreaking research, even though many of these ideas were developed by Wallace, a contemporary of Darwins.
In his important book Muslims and Science published nearly 20 years ago, Pervez Hoodbhoy made the point that the entire output of scientific papers written in the Muslim world every year did not equal those produced in Israel alone. This remains true two decades later. And the reason for this imbalance lies in the position reflected in Imran Khans views about Darwin.
If we do not encourage the young to think and reason for themselves, how can we expect them to discover anything new? The essence of scientific enquiry lies in curiosity about how the world works, how matter was formed, and how life came into being. Perhaps curiosity about the universe is what sets mankind apart from the animal kingdom.
But if, as Darwin was in the Galapagos Isles, we are struck with wonder when we see something for which we have no explanation, then we have taken a step towards discovering more about our universe, and ultimately, about ourselves.
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