Page 9 - Pakistan Link - July 16, 2021

OPINION JULY 16, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P9

Signs from Allah: History, Science and Faith in Islam

189. Why Did the Scientific Revolution Not Take Place in the Islamic World? - 7

n By Prof Nazeer Ahmed Member, State Knowledge Commis-
Concord, CA sion, Bangalore; and Chairman, De-
lixus Group)
urope used its technological
and scientific advantage to HAJIRA FROM P6
Ecolonize much of Asia and in seeking the welfare of society.
Africa. India was the first great She proved that a woman could
Asian civilization be positive even in the worst ad-
to fall to the West versarial conditions. She demon-
(1757-1947). By the strated beyond doubt that if she
end of the nine- can raise a child all by herself she
teenth century most can also build a nation and a civi-
of the Islamic world lization. So Hajira is Hajira because
with the exception God honored her by institutional-
of the core Ottoman Empire and izing her leadership in the form of
the Iranian heartland had been Hajj.
colonized. There was resistance
to the European onslaught, for KINGDOM FROM P4
instance, from Tippu Sultan of leased list also includes white-collar
Mysore, who built a navy to pa- jobs such as those in law and the
trol the Arabian Sea and rockets provision of legal advice, real es-
to defend his kingdom. But these tate, customs and clearance, cinema,
efforts were too little, too late. By driving schools, as well as technol-
the end of the eighteenth century, Laureates in science, and all of them encourage the pursuit of the natural and studies of the soul (tasawwuf) ogy and engineering professions.
the resistance had ended and the were educated and worked at uni- sciences in conformance with the into basic Islamic education. As the To get Saudi men and women
scientific and technological sway versities in America or Europe. Less Qur’an. This is within the reach of Qur’an states: “Soon shall We show into the workforce, an agenda of
of the west was unchallenged both than one percent of the names that the current generation of intellectu- them Our Signs, on the horizon as social reforms is also being pur-
on land and on sea. appear in the data- well as within sued to support the larger project of
The European powers dis- base of the United their own Selves, transforming Saudis into workers.
mantled the educational infrastruc- States Patents and It was only in the latter half of the until they have Last month, the kingdom decreed
ture of the colonized lands which Trademarks Office certainty that it is that women could live alone and
had grown over many centuries, are Muslim and nineteenth century that the Islamic the Truth”. independently without the presence
thereby injecting a discontinuity in a similar trend is • E n - of a male guardian. Saudi women,
the intellectual development of the observable in the world woke up to the need to learn courage a culture many of whom are better educated
colonized people. The zawiyas and respectable scien- of reason and ra- than their male counterparts, have
madrassas which had provided the tific journals of the the natural sciences from the West. In tional discourse. already been permitted to drive and
educational foundation of the Mus- world. Literacy in India, the Aligarh Muslim University Use technology recently even to perform Haj with
lim world were either marginalized Muslim lands is to diffuse this cul- other female travelers rather than
or disappeared. Their place was tak- among the lowest ture in society. with a male guardian. There is no
in the world. For was founded by Syed Ahmed Khan (d
en up by government schools run by • E n - doubt that all of this is directed at
the colonial authorities whose pur- instance, only 47 1898). It was patterned after European courage science making women part of this newly
pose was to educate the native popu- percent of women education in pri- envisioned workforce.
lation to man the lower echelons of in Kashmir are lit- schools and its intent was to educate mary and sec- Sadly, what is good for Saudi
administrative bureaucracies in the erate which means ondary schools. women, long neglected and left to
colonized lands. Science and tech- more than half of Indian Muslims in the sciences, arts and • E s - suffer under misogynist laws and
nology, which at best were flickering them cannot even tablish Centers directives, is not very good for Paki-
in the old institutions, died out. The read and write their technologies of the West. In the Ottoman of Excellence stani workers. A look at remittances,
science and technology gap between own name. What wherein scholars which make up a significant percent-
a colonizing Europe and a colonized is more alarming Empire, a determined effort was made and seekers of age of Pakistan’s GDP, reveals that
Afro-Asia increased. is that the educa- knowledge meet Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia
tion gap between to cultivate science and technology and learn. send back billions of dollars. A great
A Challenging Future Muslim countries • P r o - number of the nearly 2m Pakistani
It was only in the latter half of and the emerging through the Tanzeemat, and technical vide societal rec- workers in the kingdom, it appears,
the nineteenth century that the Is- those of China and universities were established in Istanbul ognition and fi- will now be returning home, if they
economies such as
lamic world woke up to the need to nancial support are not already here. Even if some
learn the natural sciences from the India is increasing. and other major cities. Some of the for those who manage to cling to their pre-nitaqat
West. In India, the Aligarh Muslim War, physical dis- pursue science jobs it will only be the case until a
University was founded by Syed location, extrem- gifted students from these universities and technology. trained Saudi worker can be found
Ahmed Khan (d 1898). It was pat- ism and neglect • Tr a i n to do whatever they do. It can be
terned after European schools and have all taken their went on to study in Europe and acquire the religious es- concluded that the process of elimi-
its intent was to educate Indian toll. Meanwhile, the tablishment, the nating them has already begun.
Muslims in the sciences, arts and Muslims continue more advanced training in science and a’lims and the The government of Pakistan,
technologies of the West. In the Ot- to be bogged down mullahs, in the enriched as it is by the money sent
toman Empire, a determined effort with arguments technology. The trend continues to this basics of science home by Pakistanis working in Saudi
was made to cultivate science and over haram, bida’, and technology. Arabia, must step in. The prime min-
technology through the Tanzeemat, shirk and kufr, hi- day; the few notable Muslim scientists • Estab- ister’s last visit to Saudi Arabia did
and technical universities were es- jab, beards and ha- and engineers have been primarily lish peace and not seem to produce any welcome
tablished in Istanbul and other ma- lal meat. stability in the news, not even some momentary
jor cities. Some of the gifted students Education is products of American and European land. exception for Pakistani workers that
from these universities went on to valued only for its The current would soften the blow of the even-
study in Europe and acquire more monetary benefits. universities bleak situation is tual drying up of jobs. Where will
advanced training in science and Extremism has tak- a challenge and these Pakistani workers, once up-
technology. The trend continues to en its toll. In Paki- an opportunity rooted, go? How will the shortfall in
this day; the few notable Muslim stan, women and for Islamic civili- remittances be made up? These are
scientists and engineers have been girls are attacked for going to school. als. An attempt in this direction has zation. Islam is a great civilization. all open questions for which the gov-
primarily products of American and Religion has been hijacked by pro- been made by this writer and it has It has faced many challenges in its ernment of Pakistan does not seem
European universities. fessional mullahs. The term a’lim is been published in the Encyclopedia long history and has renewed itself to have a satisfactory answer.
However, in the global pic- reserved for one who has studied of Islamic History, historyofislam. time and again to emerge stronger Pakistan too needs to prepare
ture, the Islamic world continues to in a madrasa. Knowledge has been com. and more resilient. Our hope is that for the economy of the future. Travel
lag behind the West in science and compartmentalized into religious Natural Science is a part of the it will once again rise up to the cur- restrictions based on health rea-
technology. Not a single institution and secular. Scholarship in the sci- Shariah. Nature, history and the soul rent challenge, renew itself and will sons or in the case of the kingdom,
of higher learning in Muslim coun- ences is not valued. The ignorant offer “Signs” from God. The Qur’an march forward with the light of a transforming economy, are here to
tries is listed among the top 100 sci- mullahs look down upon the natu- urges humankind, time and again, to knowledge. stay. The world’s increased reliance
ence institutions of the world. Of ral sciences as secular and debasing. observe, ponder over and learn from “Indeed, with every difficulty on the automated and virtual sectors
the nine hundred Nobel Laureates these Signs. This profound guidance there is relief”. (The Qur’an, 94:6) means that data analysis and man-
since the Nobel Prize was estab- Is renewal possible? offers the possibility of reconcilia- (The author is Director, World agement jobs, most of which will be
lished, only nine have been Muslim. A revival of natural sciences tion between faith and reason. Ac- Organization for Resource Develop- remote, will proliferate. Pakistani
Of these nine, six Noble prizes were in the Islamic world requires, at the commodate the natural sciences ment and Education, Washington, workers should be trained to take
awarded for promoting peace. There minimum, the following: (science and technology), histori- DC; Director, American Institute advantage of this emerging market.
have been only three Muslim Noble • Develop a framework to cal sciences (sociology and history) of Islamic History and Culture, CA; KINGDOM, P24
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