Science and Technology in the Muslim world

Hari ini, saya telah membina 2 lagi blog khas untuk saya memuatkan koleksi kata-kata hikmah (quotes) yang selama ini saya kumpul dan juga koleksi berita-berita mengenai alam sekitar (sejak tahun 2004). Ketika saya membuka semula fail2 lama berita-berita tersebut untuk dimuatkan dalam blog tersebut, saya menjumpai satu artikel yang tidak khusus berkisar kepada alam sekitar, tetapi sains dan teknologi secara umum. Oleh itu, saya merasakan eloklah kiranya saya menitipkan rencana itu di laman ini. Moga2 mendapat suntikan inovasi kepada kita semua.

Tarikh : 111204
Sumber : Malaysia Today
Tajuk : Science and Technology in the Muslim world

To progress, we must make science come alive in our community. Instead of degrading it, we must embrace a culture of learning that will provide us with the wherewithal to innovate rather than imitate, to invent rather than copy. The science we must seek to embrace must not be the totalitarian version, which has no place for faith, but a humanistic version which encompasses our reinvigorated traditions and adheres to our religious precepts.

Not for us the science that has no scruples in building the atomic bomb; instead let us adapt the science that cured the world of polio, which provides food for our hungry and shelter for our homeless, which elevates rather than denigrates the dignity of man.In order for science and technology to advance we must allocate enough material resources towards it, and invest in our human resources. Expenditure on education and research must be expanded. The goal is to create a scientific culture, where not only in schools, but throughout the community, there is awareness about the importance of science and technology. Research institutions should be set up and there should be greater collaboration among existing Muslim institutions in all Muslim countries.The cultural environment must be suitable.

Sure, one can cite examples of great strides made in science and technology even under totalitarian regimes but these are exceptions to the rule. By and large, a political environment dominated by dictatorial tendencies stifles intellectual growth in general and progress in science and technology in particular.There is the need for governments to prioritize expenditure for education, training and research. But priorities must not be founded on extravagance or ostentation.

Therefore, investments in areas which contribute directly towards uplifting the overall standard of living of the people must take precedence over those merely for pride and prestige. There is no justification in allowing governments to splurge precious sums of money only to indulge in delusions of grandeur. At the same time, in our endeavour to reenergize and to focus on the scientific culture, we must not lose sight of the humanistic and moral dimension of man. Although some degree of specialization is necessary, we must not allow, in the words of Ortega y Gasset, the barbarism of specialization to dehumanize the human personality. Our education system must not lead to the training of specialists in narrow fields such that they have no knowledge or understanding of matters outside their disciplines.

Nevertheless, science must not be all about utility and technology. Some of the greatest developments in science started from mere curiosity, born out of inquiring minds in an environment where intellectual pursuits were encouraged and facilitated. Our societies must be imbued with the pleasure of knowledge the ladhdhzat al-ma rifah. This is the underlying principle of the Islamic approach to knowledge which is to look at the universe and its various phenomena as the ayatullah - the signs of God. This will inspire a love for nature and bring about harmony between man and his environment. Such an approach demands a holistic view of science and technology as well as the development of human resources.

The ummah must be provided with the opportunity to actualize their full potential in the learning of the sciences. This will require large investments in constructing the facilities and providing the amenities for them as they pursue the quest for knowledge which will enrich them as individuals even as it enriches the societies in which they live, study and work.Such investment in human resources demands that governments formulate long-term strategies rather than be concerned solely with short-term returns. It requires complementarity rather than competition among Muslim countries as they help each other in funding and setting up research and training institutions that require large sums to operate. This is particularly relevant in the Information Age, where progress is often exponential.

Failure to master the tools of information technology will mean continual serfdom to the innovation and advances of the successful economies of the West. In this regard, chauvinistic and inward-looking policies must be replaced by a spirit of cooperation and trust. Reviving the glory of Islamic civi]ization demands sacrifice from all if the ummah are once agam to occupy centre stage in global affairs instead of being consigned to the periphery.

More than a hundred years ago, Jamaluddin al- Afghani wrote: Those who forbid science and knowledge in the belief that they are safeguarding the Islamic religion are really the enemies of that religion. The Islamic religion is the closest of religions to science and knowledge a and there is no incompatibility between science and religion and the foundation of the Islamic faith.Let us not delude ourselves, however, into thinking that the advancement of a scientific culture can be achieved without ensuring a stable political environment, a robust economy and a vision of leadership characterized by strategic thinking and action-oriented policies.

Particularly in our desire to infuse Islamic values in the community, we must not be blinked in our outlook, consumed by jingoistic tendencies, and overlook the fact that Islam enjoins tolerance for the adherents of other religions who live among us. Furthermore, a strategic alliance should be forged between Muslim and non-Muslim nations, between the East and the West in the pursuit of knowledge, for indeed this is the essence of the divine light that issues forth from the olive tree that is neither of the East nor of the West.