I hope that's not your best argument, I may be mistaken but you seem to have contradicted yourself.
Really how so? Nutmeg liver to a doctor means chronic passive congestion with a gamut of reasons as to why.. to you a lay person it is a pathological state.. a liver wouldn't have a nutmeg prefix unless it is meant to denote something.. I don't think you need much an education for that.. if you were a complete retard, then you wouldn't be held accountable anyway.. that goes for religion as well 'layes 3la almareed haraj'
Every level of education... interesting point.
indeed!
The problem is that once you have a text that is open to interpretation, based upon your own knowledge and expertise, you begin to infer upon it any meanings and intentions that you wish to use in order validate your own perspective of life. I have no issues with Dr. Israr Ahmad, he can accept Freud's work and he can accept Darwin's work, and I'm willing to bet that he would accept any scientific work that followed if it were conducted in a rational and methodical manner. On the other hand you have the Ahmed Deedat, Sheik Ibn Baaz, and to a different extent Zakir Naik. Resolute in their beliefs, which is admirable, but to a point where they are blind deaf and dumb when it comes to any matter of scientific understanding. Rote memorizations of every verse in a single book does not make one an expert on anything else.
We are asked to reach for knowledge from ahel al'3ilm, if it seems arguably outlandish, you are under no obligation to accept or believe what they say, as is noted in chapter 74 in the noble Quran, each soul is held accountable for its own deeds.. it is not a community effort!
As for the level of education of Dr. Deedat, or Dr Naik, or Dr. so and so, they have their doctorate, what do you have to speak with such authority on their expertise?
You seem to be fortunate enough to work in a scientific field and don't see a clash between the two, but to say there are no problems at all speaks volumes of you, not the religion. It is possible that you may be the one who is mistaken.
Show me the clash between the two and then we'll discuss it!
as for theories, well frankly I could theorize as well as the next person. if you don't have an effectual way to substantiate your account to to explain a specific set of phenomena then your effort is as good as the next.. frankly even scientists don't agree on theories, and I have well demonstrated that before with an every day example citing Dr. Sampson theory, you may use the search engine, third from your anatomical right to look for it.
The supreme religious authority of Saudi Arabia. I'm not asking for you to speak or apologize for anyone. There's just a follow up question, was his interpretation of the Qu'ran wrong?
Saudi Arabia is a monarchy and not a body of scholars to consult with as is in the shura system of an Islamic state. And of course his explanation was incorrect! Do you speak Arabic, have you read the Quran in its entirety, do you know what the word de'7'ha means??
I obviously can't answer that question for you. But if you don't mind, how many Islamic scholars are out there, popularizing their religion, with a degree or high level education in a field of theoretical science? How many of them would you yourself admire or agree with on issues concerning religion and science? How many of them are active in their fields?
I have a few favorites, Dr Sala7 Ar'rashid is one.. Dr rashid Ar'rashid is another, Dr. Ahmed Deedat of course, and sheikh el-sha3rawi, although his work was never that popular considering he only spoke Arabic. If you have a problem with their work, you can always not purchase the DVD's or buy their books, they are not exactly best seller on borders!
I don't know of any. Credible Islamic scholars are rare enough.
I wouldn't expect you to know of any!
You brought it up, in any case you're asking the questions but you don't want the answers. I can point to a dozen books and you'll refuse to read them because their written by agnostics, or worse yet atheists. Somehow you seem to believe that our refusal to accept dogma in the absence of evidence colours our political or social views one way or another.
You don't know what sort of books I read, the sort of books interest me, or what sort of books were imposed as a part of my curriculum to state categorically what it is I refuse to read. I have summed it up really well for you just a couple of paragraphs ago.. Anyone with a doctorate can theorize, and set up a study to prove their point.. .. People who are set out to prove something is right, will find a way to make it so-- a hawthorne effect!
You will either fall into two camps, depending on how much research you've done. Either you believe what was written by Gibbon in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire or you'll believe that Christianity and the churches had no power over the people and their vile, inhuman, and godless ways of life.
History is always written by victors!
Muslims have no more ownership over algebra than Christians have over optics or physics, or Mayans on agriculture. Grow up, the Muslim world hasn't translated as many non-Arabic books since 1200AD as, for example, Spain in any given decade over the past century. I'm sure you can find some excuse for that too. Your best chance came in the 9th and 10th centuries when the faylasufs attempted to reconcile Greek philosophy with Islam. Islamic states no more wanted to accept Greek philosophy than any other religious state. Any attempt to reconstruct Islam as a natural religion failed miserably, faylasufs were deemed heretics for their attempts to use natural philosophy to explain Islam in rational terms, and so ended their quest within 4 centuries of revelation.
But, you knew that already.
if you are Muslim and are a scientist under an Islamic state, then you are a Muslim scholar/scientest and such was recorded by history, a little pugilistic atheist isn't going to change recorded history, even if he doesn't wish to open a book and read it proper. If you are a Muslim and abroad you'll be deemed by nationality under your passport or birth certifcate.. American, Czech or whatever.. I hope that was simple enough for you to understand?
All the best wishes,
Faysal
blah blah blah..
cheers
ffspring: posterity 