[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: Science and Islam

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
Science and Islam
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1181582767.shtml


   The latest issue of Discover magazine featured this article by Todd
   Pitock, "Science and Islam" on the front cover.

   "Science and Islam" focused on the problems caused by mixing the
   poltiical philosophy of Islamism with scientific research. It was the
   most enlightening article that I've read on the subject of the
   problems of mixing faith, politics and science. Unfortunately, I
   wasn't able to find it on the Discover Magazine site or through
   Google, so, unless someone out there is a better Googler than I,
   you'll just have to find a hard copy.

   Here are some paragraphs that express the most salient obeservations:

     The Islamic world looms large in the history of science, and there
     were long periods when Cairo...was a leading star in the Arabic
     universe of learning. Islam is in many ways more tolerant of
     scientific study than is Christian fundamentalism. It does not, for
     example, argue that the world is only 6,000 years old. Cloning
     research that does not invovlve people is becoming more widely
     accepted. In recent times, though, knowledge in Egypt has waned.
     And who is accountable for the decline?

     El-Naggar [Islamic fundamentalist and member of the Geological
     Society of London...ed.] has no doubts. "We are not behind because
     of Islam." He says. "We are behind because of what the Americans
     and the British have done to us."

     The evil West is a common refrain with El-Naggar, who,
     paradoxically, often appears in a suit and tieâ¦he says that he
     grieves for western colleagues who spend all their time studying
     their areas of specialization but neglect their souls; it sets his
     teeth on edge how the west has "legalized" homosexuality. "You are
     bringing man far below the level of animals, "he laments, "As a
     scientist, I see the danger coming from the West, not the East"

     El Naggar even sees moral meaning in the earthquake that triggered
     the 2005 tsunami and washed away nearly a quarter of a million
     lives. Plate tectonics and global warming be damned; God had
     expressed his wrath over the sins of the West. Why, then had God
     punished Southeast Asia rather than Los Angeles or the coast of
     Florida? Because the lands that were hit had tolerated the immoral
     behavior of tourists.

   So, how did this faith-based bigot become a member of the Geological
   Society of London? One possiblity:

     Critics are quick to point out that Islamic scientists tend to use
     each other as sources, creating an illusion that the work has been
     validated by research.

   On the bad methodology of Islamist scientists:

     Soltan, who got his doctorate in the University of Northern
     Illinois [says] "Their methodology is bad" Soltan explains that
     Islamic scientists start with a conclusion(the Koran says the body
     has 360 joints) and then work toward proving that conclusion. To
     reach the necessary answer they will, in this instance, count
     things that some orthopedists might not call a joint. "Theyâre sure
     about everything, about how the universe was created, who created
     it, and they just need to control nature rather than interpret it,"
     Soltan adds. "But the driving force behind any scientific pursuit
     is that the truth is still out there."

   An Egyptian scientist proves that Soltan's 'bad methodology' theory is
   correct here:

     â¦Badewy, who specialized in solar energy conversion while working
     for Siemans in Germany in the 1980s, does not consider himself an
     "Islamic scientist" like El-Naggar. He is a scientist who happens
     to be devout, one who sees science and religion as discrete
     pursuits.

     "Islam has no problems with science," he says. "As long as what you
     do does not harm people, it is permitted. You can study what you
     want, you can say what you want."

     What about, say, evolutionary biology or Darwinism? I ask.
     (Evolution is taught in Egyptian schools, although it is banned in
     Saudi Arabia and Sudan). "If youâre asking if Adam came from a
     monkey, no," Badawy responds. "Man did not come from a monkey. If I
     am religious, if I agree with Islam, then I have to respect all of
     the ideas of Islam. And one of those ideas is the creation of the
     human from Adam and Eve. If I am a scientist, I have to believe
     that."

     But from the point of view of a scientist, is it not just a story?
     I ask. He tells me that if I were writing an article saying that
     Adam and Eve is a big lie, it will not be accepted until I can
     prove it.

     "Nobody can just write what he thinks without proof. But we have
     real proof that the story of Adam as the first man is true."

     "What proof?"

     He stares at me with disbelief. "It's written in the Koran."

   Jordan's Prince El Hassan bin Talal explains why the rise of political
   Islam is causing so much harm:

     The Koran says, "Read," but it does not even say "Read the Koran"
     Just 'Read'" says Prince El Hassan bin Talalâ¦The 60
     year-old-prince, who speaks classical Arabic and Oxford English and
     has studied biblical Hebrew, can tick off a whole list of things
     that are wrong with Jordan, from Western governments and
     non-governmental organizations that come proposing solutions
     without having identified the causes of the problems to a culture
     that does not value reading. He is bookish himself; during our 40
     minute plus interview, he refers to Kierkegaard, Karen Armstrong's
     A History of God and What Price Tolerance, a 1939 book by his
     wifeâs relative Syud Hossain.

     He is also candid, calling suicide bombers "social rejects" and
     questioning the validity of those who would take the Muslim world
     back to the times of the Prophet Muhammad. "Are we talking Islam or
     Islamism?" he asks, pointing out the difference between the
     religion and those extremists who use the religion to advance their
     own agendas. "The danger [posed by Islamists] is not only to
     Christians but also to Islam itself. The real problem is not the
     Arab-Israel issue, but the rise of Islamism."

   If you want to read more about how the combination of backwards
   methodology, politics and faith produces bad science, go get a copy of
   Discover Magazine (or send me link to the article).

   Also for more information about how politics and dogma tend to dumb
   science down, read the following article about the persecution of
   climate change dissenter [1]Henrik Svensmark.

References

   1. http://www.amazon.com/Chilling-Stars-Theory-Climate-Change/dp/1840468157