How Islamic Scientific History Can Combat Today's Extremists
How ironic, I
thought to myself as I stood there looking at the display honouring her
contributions to religious instruction as well as political and natural sciences
education: more than a millennium later some ignorant souls who claim to share
her religion want to deny women an education and employment. Have these
individuals even heard about Fatima al Fihri?
The truth is that secularism played a large role in the advancement of science in Islam. Because religion was seen as a tool in life -- not the objective, as it is often preached today -- people were free to create, imagine, and dream without the imposition of artificial boundaries. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars conducted research side by side and thus both Islam and humanity were enriched. – Sultan Sooud Al QassemiPhoto: Abu al Qasim al Zahrawi
The truth is that secularism played a large role in the advancement of science in Islam. Because religion was seen as a tool in life -- not the objective, as it is often preached today -- people were free to create, imagine, and dream without the imposition of artificial boundaries. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars conducted research side by side and thus both Islam and humanity were enriched. – Sultan Sooud Al QassemiPhoto: Abu al Qasim al Zahrawi
By Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi
A British boy of South Asian descent, about eight
or nine years old, was pressing the buttons of an interactive display at a new
exhibition in London. "Yassin, Zak, come over, you ought to check this out," he
called out to his classmates.
The exhibition, "1001 Inventions: Discover the
Muslim Heritage in Our World," was created with children in mind. The
interactive displays are large and colourful, with cartoon-like characters
guiding visitors as they explore the history behind some of Muslims' greatest
inventions.
With the support of the Saudi Arabia-based Jameel
Foundation, the "1001 Inventions" exhibition is being held at London's Science
Museum until summer.
There are displays describing well-known Islamic
contributions to science in the fields of mathematics and astronomy, but there
are also interesting facts about a number of unsung heroines in the field. One
example is Fatima al Fihri, a ninth-century Muslim woman who inherited a vast
sum of money from her merchant father and spent it all on building al Qarawiyin,
a university and mosque complex that still stands in Fez, Morocco. It is
considered to be the oldest university in the world, not just the Islamic
world.
How ironic, I thought to myself as I stood there
looking at the display honouring her contributions to religious instruction as
well as political and natural sciences education: more than a millennium later
some ignorant souls who claim to share her religion want to deny women an
education and employment. Have these individuals even heard about Fatima al
Fihri?
The truth is that secularism played a large role
in the advancement of science in Islam. Because religion was seen as a tool in
life -- not the objective, as it is often preached today -- people were free to
create, imagine, and dream without the imposition of artificial boundaries.
Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars conducted research side by side and thus
both Islam and humanity were enriched.
The displays at "1001 Inventions" very much
resemble the exhibition on the ground floor of the Sharjah Museum of Islamic
Civilisation, where the interactive and child-friendly displays include buttons,
screens, and levers. The idea is that children can combine entertainment and
learning by pressing, pulling, and rotating the controls to create action in the
displays. It is a model quite unlike the adult-orientated but equally
fascinating Islamic Arts Museum in Qatar.
What a powerful tool education can be, especially
at such a young age. It instils pride for one's culture, and understanding and
respect for others. Imagine the magnitude of the message that such an exhibition
would have in countries where Islam is wrongly used to justify crimes against
women, which continues to happen in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Saudi
Arabia, among others.
Allowing children to see the great deeds and
creations of Muslims who dared to dream denies the evil and the ignorant the
opportunity to indoctrinate them.
Inside the hall in London, a teacher called out
to two pupils, Michael and Chelsea, telling them to hurry up before a short film
began; the story of "1001 Inventions" and the Library of Secrets, starring the
Oscar-award winning actor Ben Kingsley, unfolded.
After being approached by three children, the
librarian, played by Kingsley, is transformed into Abu Alez al Jazari, the
mathematician and inventor who is considered one of the fathers of modern
mechanical engineering. The children ask him about the so-called Dark Ages, and
al Jazari responds: "Never was a period of history so poorly
named."
Al Jazari introduces them to characters such as
Abbas Ibn Firnas, the Berber mathematician known for his early attempt at
flight, and Abu al Qasim al Zahrawi, a tenth-century doctor who was one of the
most prominent pioneers of surgery of his time. Al Zahrawi is credited with
inventing numerous surgical tools as well as using catgut sutures to stitch
internal wounds, a technique used in hospitals
today.
His name, I thought to myself, is eerily similar
to that of another doctor, Ayman al Zawahiri. But whereas the former contributed
to the advancement of humanity and saved countless lives across the centuries,
the second became a cave-dwelling terrorist. The movie concludes with al Jazari
telling the students as they are about to leave the library: "Remember, spread
the word."
No one, adolescent or adult, who has been
educated about the scientific history of the Muslim world would be an easy
target for the brainwashing of the doom mongers. I hope that the Jameel
Foundation takes the "1001 Inventions" exhibition across the world, even to
Kabul, where children and adults could learn about Islam away from the
indoctrination of the ignorant.
This exhibition, unlike many others, does not
include priceless or rare artefacts. Instead, it is made up of panels,
projection screens, and child-friendly gadgets that resemble the original
inventions. The show could be easily transported across the world and appeal to
any child, regardless of background.
It is not only Zak, Yassin, Michael, and Chelsea
in Britain who need enlightening about the many contributions of Muslim
scientists. Spreading the word to the forsaken children of Kabul, Baghdad, and
Quetta, who have a much greater need of this valuable knowledge, would arm them
with moderation and protect their minds.
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi is a
non-resident fellow at the Dubai School of Government.
Source: Global Arab Network,
London
10:18 PM
Sultan Shahin
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