a pretty balanced article…
Re: Islam and Science
Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, for example, has three mosques on campus, with a fourth planned, but no bookshop. Rote learning rather than critical thinking is the hallmark of higher education in many countries. The Saudi government supports books for Islamic schools such as “The Unchallengeable Miracles of the Qur’an: The Facts That Can’t Be Denied By Science” suggesting an inherent conflict between belief and reason.
Re: Islam and Science
Read half the article. Web browser kept getting shut down.
Anyway looks like publications are increasing from Islamic countries. IMO this trend will continue IFF religion is separated from governance.
Re: Islam and Science
Nice article, thanks for sharing. The universities and research in Pakistan has also increased and improved during the past 10 years or so. NUST, GIK, LUMS, FAST, AKU are all doing good work.
Re: Islam and Science
Sorry I think I closed the thread by mistake
Re: Islam and Science
Sorry I think I closed the thread by mistake
Could that be a message or sign from above?
Re: Islam and Science
Nice article, thanks for sharing. The universities and research in Pakistan has also increased and improved during the past 10 years or so. NUST, GIK, LUMS, FAST, AKU are all doing good work.
yeah the article is very well balanced ...not just the criticism but also summarizing the progress made by muslim countries ..
another interetsing aspect...it is pretty obvious that rest of the world sees Muslims countries as one "block".... as one "group"...otherwise why address all Muslim countries in one article...these countries have nothing in common except islam..you will never see Hinduism and science or christian world and science...i am not upset or anything...just pointing out an interesting aspect
Re: Islam and Science
^^
I completely agree, but my perspective is that this has been done partly due to the attitude of some of the muslims themselves. I remember when Saddam was sentenced to death, there were huge protests in part of South India. I can state numerous examples but the fact is that it would take a lot more from the moderates to change this perspective.
That said, I agree with the article on many points. Islam at one point in time was the fountain of knowledge. Its contribution to science is unquestionable. I think that there are cycles wherin different civilizations become the champion of progress and innovation. That said, I believe lot more needs to be done for innovation and technology to really progress in the Islamic world. I do not want to make a sweeping statement, but an average Muslim in the Islamic countries would rather spend more time on arguing on which version of Islam is the right path than on scientific innovation.
Re: Islam and Science
officially the Science academies of most of the muslim countries (including Pakistan) have agreed to teach evolution instead of creationism in science classes. Moreover many proven scientific facts which clash with popular understanding of religions are taught as valid science in these countries. Vatican and many muslim religious scholars believe the scriptures are not book of science and should not be taken from their literal meaning. These are books of guidance and must be taken in spiritual sense instead of literal scientific sense.
Re: Islam and Science
^^
Islam at one point in time was the fountain of knowledge. Its contribution to science is unquestionable.
with all due respect, not sure what is validity of this statement.....how come islam was fountain of knowledge? was Islam teaching jaber bin hayyan chemistry or was islam inducting knowledge into Al‑Razi, Al‑Kindī, or Al‑Farabi on their respective subjects ? of course not....but yes islam never stopped one from gaining knowledge and from thinking.... but to state* "Islam at one point in time was the fountain of knowledge. Its contribution to science is unquestionable"* suggests that somehow today we are so behind in science because we are not following islam or something.....Muslims love this type of thought process...
and if you keep thinking like this, you start deviating from path to find the truth...remember the number 1 rule to discover something ... to innovate something ... to create a game-changer concept ... is to challenge status quo, to think unbiased, and to break shackles. That does not mean you need to be atheist but you definitely need to think freely .... and I am not talking about scientific inventions only.....it applies to the subject of social science as well, where Muslims are centuries behind
Re: Islam and Science
Read half the article. Web browser kept getting shut down.
Anyway looks like publications are increasing from Islamic countries. IMO this trend will continue IFF religion is separated from governance.
There's no such correlation with the increase in publications. The simple fact is non-ideological: you do the work, you eventually see the results. We in the Muslim world abandoned doing any meaningful work in the field of Science, and that is slowly changing. It really is as simple as that...regardless of the length of your beard.
Re: Islam and Science
That said, I agree with the article on many points. Islam at one point in time was the fountain of knowledge. Its contribution to science is unquestionable. I think that there are cycles wherin different civilizations become the champion of progress and innovation. That said, I believe lot more needs to be done for innovation and technology to really progress in the Islamic world. I do not want to make a sweeping statement, but an average Muslim in the Islamic countries would rather spend more time on arguing on which version of Islam is the right path than on scientific innovation.
Like phoenix said, Islam didn't contribute to science, it was just a more tolerant civilization, for that period. Compared to today the Islamic Golden Age is pretty close minded so let's not pretend that the religion inspired technology. The religion inspired tolerance, which is sad given the state of the Muslim world today. European Enlightenment, while blasphemous to many, is undeniably linked with the progress shown in the Western world.
Re: Islam and Science
Nice article - The author has made very vaild points.. The west in general is usually anware of islamic worlds contribution to science and technology. About time muslim world wakes up.
Below is a speech from someone important, if muslims could do it then they can do it now.
Carleton S. (Carly) Fiorina
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Hewlett-Packard Company
MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS
SEPTEMBER 26, 2001
Speach on leadership qualities......
It was a long speech - her closing points
There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world.
It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds and ethnic origins.
One of its languages became the universal language of much of the world, the bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands. Its armies were made up of people of many nationalities, and its military protection allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had never been known. The reach of this civilization’s commerce extended from Latin America to China, and everywhere in between.
And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration.
Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too steeped in fear to think of such things.
When other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge alive, and passed it on to others.
While modern Western civilization shares many of these traits, the civilization I’m talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800 to 1600, which included the Ottoman Empire and the courts of Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo, and enlightened rulers like Suleiman the Magnificent.
Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Arab mathematicians. Sufi poet-philosophers like Rumi challenged our notions of self and truth. Leaders like Suleiman contributed to our notions of tolerance and civic leadership.
And perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: It was leadership based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed the full capabilities of a very diverse population–that included Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.
This kind of enlightened leadership — leadership that nurtured culture, sustainability, diversity and courage — led to 800 years of invention and prosperity.
In dark and serious times like this, we must affirm our commitment to building societies and institutions that aspire to this kind of greatness. More than ever, we must focus on the importance of leadership– bold acts of leadership and decidedly personal acts of leadership.
With that, I’d like to open up the conversation and see what we, collectively, believe about the role of leadership.