Muslim World: Why is science missing

by Abbas Adil

Many of the world’s museums have a lot to show how advanced science and technology once was in the Muslim Middle East. Earlier this month, while visiting some London museums, I was fascinated with the scientific and technological relics of the Muslim past displayed there. Paradoxically, Muslim have little prideful to show from their present.

Western, Japanese, Russian and Chinese civilizations have made huge strides in the advancement of science and technology. Consequently, they are no more merely agricultural and basic services societies. In contrast, the Muslim civilization – all Muslim countries from East Asia to West Africa clubbed together – lags far behind. Other civilizations often perceive Muslims of being culturally or intellectually unequipped for competitiveness in science and technology. But is that so?

In 2000s, one American university produced more scientific papers than 17 Arabic-speaking countries combined. The world’s 1.6 billion Muslims have produced only two Nobel laureates in chemistry and physics. The 57 countries in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) spend just 0.81% of their GDP on research and development.

Qatar’s capital Doha hosted a very interesting exhibition last year – called “1001 Inventions.” It displayed the 1001 inventions that emanated from the Muslim Middle East between 8th and 15th centuries in an attempt to dispel the perception that Muslims have made little or no contribution to science and technology. This event ignited intense debate among many Muslims about why that culture of scientific curiosity vanished and remains a challenge to revive.

It is hard to find a single convincing answer to why that golden Muslim era actually vanished. Was that success because of the rulers of that era? Was it about the political and religious space available that encouraged critical thought and research? Had it something to do with an inclusive cosmopolitan culture wherein thinkers and researchers from diverse ethnicities and religious beliefs were able to come together and innovate? Or was it the inspiration from the Holy Quran exhorting the humanity to thinking and knowledge? Or it was the critical learning culture of the religious madrasas of that era?

Something has happened in between that Muslims generally – particularly their religious madrasa system – began to see intellectual freedom and a culture of asking heterodox scientific questions as antithesis to religion. Science began to be treated as a secular Western construct.

Today, many people blame what they call Islam’s innate aversion to science as a reason for Muslims’ backwardness in science and technology. Many others see the culture of rote learning – a contrast to critical thinking – in Muslims’ religious and mainstream education institutions as the root cause of the rot.

Some Muslim thinkers also see the general Muslim disinterest in scientific and technological innovation something to do with the evolution of the madrasa system in the Muslim world during the second half of the 20th century. They cite their curriculum and the learning methodology – mainly the rot learning – as being unhelpful in promoting critical learning. Even as some madrasas today cite their “adoption of technology” as a proof of their being open to science that is mostly limited to use of computers and Internet in their teaching methodologies.

When we look at Muslim history we learn about the Abbasid caliphs who spent good money on education. Muslim scholars of that era did much to preserve the intellectual heritage of ancient Greece; which centuries later helped spark Europe’s scientific revolution. That Muslim era did not seek to destroy or condemn exchange and use of Greek knowledge.

When it comes to certain sciences – mainly biological sciences like the Darwin’s evolution theory – most Muslims, like many Christians, see those in direct contradiction with the revealed word of God. Many Muslim biologists, however, have managed to reconcile their faith and their work. For instance, Fatimah Jackson, a biological anthropologist who converted to Islam, says “Science describes how things change; Islam, in a larger sense, explains why”.

Science and technology are important because it is innovation – if used responsibly – that will help meet humanity’s, including Muslims’ – ever-increasing human needs of food, livelihoods and healthcare in future. When 200 years from now the oil resources of most of the Muslims countries would be gone, they must have embraced responsible science and technology to remain competitive. Muslim civilization cannot remain a farming and basic services society for good.

Thankfully, some steps are already being taken in the right direction. Countries like Turkey, Qatar, UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia and even Saudi Arabia are making good investment in promoting science and technology. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, which opened in 2009, has a $20 billion endowment which if utilized thoughtfully could significantly advance scientific and technological innovation among Muslim countries.

Robert Briffault, in his book The Making of Humanity, asserts that the very existence of science, as it is understood in the modern sense, is rooted in the scientific thought and knowledge that emerged from Muslim Middle East. About 1,000 years ago Abu Rayhan al-Birūni wrote, “For the good cannot be brought forth, and evil cannot be avoided, except by knowledge.”

Muslims and their religious, social, political, economic and educational institutions need to revive that spirit of curiosity that once drove scientific inquiry. Such a change will be more meaningful if Muslim religious teachers and the madrasas approach science and technology with the same spirit as the likes of al-Biruni did.

The Holy Quran, in one of its verses sums it up all – He has taught you what you did not know. (Verse 239 Surah Al-Baqara)

The columnist is a development economics professional, based in Cairo. Views expressed are personal.

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