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A Pakistani reader has taken issue with the HBC page "Islam: Faith and Reason". He tells us that the information in our page diverges far from "Truth". As we are quite willing to subject our work and scholarship to debate and scruity, we are pleased to present his objections to this page and consider them. One comment that struck us, is that our reader writes that the HBC page is "out of line with Truth". This of course means that he believes that he and Islam are in possession of "Truth". That is something we at HBC would never say. We never prentend to be in "possession of Truth". Our HBC website is in part an academic quest to learn more about the world in whivh we live. But we certainly do not say that the positions we take are "Truth". That is part of our problem with Islam as we begin to study it, it seems to teach its followeres that they are uniquely because of the Koran in possession of Truth. And nothing could be futher from a scientific mind-set to think that any individual or people uniquely possess Truth.
Our reader writes, "I want the source for your information on the HBC page "Islam: Faith and Reason". This is so out of line from Truth that I literally have no idea from where to start my argument from. Islamic Civilization entangled in debate b/w faith and reason? Islam chose the path of faith? Ghazali confirmed the choice? The result was anti-intellectual outlook? What on earth are you talking about? Destruction of Philosophy the most significant Islamic text after Koran? Islam deciding to pursue modern science? I am literally pulling my hair out? For God's sake, what on earth are you talking about? From where did you get these load of rubbish? It only goes to show how a western man is sooo terribly out of line when it comes to understanding Islam. Islam vs Science? Come on.. Its like one of those statements 'Muhammad founded Islam'. There are more than 600 explicit verses in Quran on Modern Science. People like Prof. Keith Moore (embryology) and Maurice Bucaille (scientists of today) embraced Islam after reading these scientific verses in Quran. Prof. Keith Moore is one of the worlds most prominent scientists in the fields of anatomy and embryology and is the author of the book entitled 'The Developing Human', which has been translated into 8 languages. In 1981, during the 7th Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, he said: "It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This prove to me that Muhammad must have been the messenger of God." When asked: "Does this mean that you believe that quran is the word of God?" he replied: "I find no difficulty in accepting this," and consequently embraced Islam. George Sarton point out this fact to the western world: "The miracle of Arabic Science, using the word miracle as a symbol of our inability to explain achievements which were almost incredible...unparalled in the history of the
world." Please, for God's sake - what are you writing on Islam?"
One comment that struck us, is that our reader writes that the HBC page is "out of line with Truth". This of course means that he believes that he and Islam are in possession of "Truth". That is something we at HBC would never say. We never prentend to be in "possession of Truth". Our HBC website is in part an academic quest to learn more about the world in which we live. But we certainly do not say that the positions we take are "Truth". That is part of our problem with Islam as we begin to study it, it seems to teach its followeres that they are in possession of Truth. And nothing could be futher from a scientific mind-set to think that any individual or group possess Truth.
Now as to the question of sources. One of the historians that I have drawn on heavily is William H. McNeill and his land mark study, The Rise of the West: A History of the Humman Community. This is an impressive scholary work. I t received the National Book Award for history (1964). The book when published was favorably reviewed by a towering figure among historians--Arnold Toynbee. Another important historian, H.R. Trevor Roper, reviewd the book in the Mew York Times Book Review. McNeill was a professor of history at the University of Chicago.
We mention several historical figures including important Islamic scholars. These figures can be looked up on the internet or other reference sources. We would be glad to load any corrections about their books and writings that readers may care to present.
Now do not get me wrong. I certainly do not say Muslims can not be scientists. As you can name some respected Muslim scientists. In many of these cases you will find that they have either studied or live in the West. What does that tell you? This is another question I hope you will not gloss over. Is it really intelectually satisfying to you that by naming a few Muslim scientists that this proves that science in the Muslim world is healthy and making great discoveries? Our Pakistani's comments sound very much like the Christian fundamentalists who name a few scientists to disprove the massive body of scientific evidence supporting evolution. Amother examples of similarities between Christianity and Islam. As to Christianity, however, this has now become a minority view.
Now quite frankly I am a practical person. Let us say for sake of debate that Islam does not give precedene to Faith (which seems a strange position for our Pakistani reader to take based on his previous e-mails) and does not impede scientific study. The question then becomes, why then in our modern world have virtually all great scientific discoveries come from the West? What major scientific dicovery have come from the Muslim world? What major diseases have been cured by doctors and scientists from the Muslim world? I hope you will not gloss oer and answer these questions. The basic question is if as you say Islam does not discourage
science and scientific inquiry, where all the great discoveries, after all Muslim countries are a large part of the world populatiom. Where are the Nobel prize awards? Why do young people in Muslim countries who want to be scientists come to the West to study? Why do young people in non-Muslim country not come to the Muslim world to study science? Name important scientific institutes in the Muslim world that have conducted ground breaking scientific work. The statistics are oerwealming and here I do not mean just a comarison between the Muslim world and the West. Scientists in tiny Israel obtain more patents, publish more scirntific articles, and make more scientific discoveries than the entire Muslim world combined. If Islam encourages science where is all the resulting science? Take aby major scientific field and the major discoveries have come from the West. One area HBC has looked at is disease. Western science has cured many major diseases, saving millions of people, including Muslims. What disease has been cured by scientists in the Muslim world. The same story holds for every other scientific discipline. Our Pakistani reader has provided his insights to this question.
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