The problem is that there is now a worrying trend in the Muslim world with so-called imams preaching hate and anti-science messages that are unacceptable. It is leading to a lot of unnecessary tensions and chaos in the Middle East between Sunnis and Shias, for instance. This is a rather recent trend, but it is there and it is not getting better.
From one PhD dissertation which has gained popularity on various websites, you are now talking about a 'worrying trend' in the Muslim world and linking this to the chaos in the Middle East? If you knew anything about the Middle East, you would know it has very little to do with supposed anti-science messages and more about political turmoil and socio-economic challenges. Before its 2011 revolution, Tunisia's spending on research and development had been steadily climbing since 2000, according to
UNESCO's Science Report. According to the same report, places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia have 'seen phenomenal growth in the volume of scientific publications over the past decade.'
I just advocate for moderation in the sense that everyone can practice Islam to his or her level of comfort, but don't try to impose your views onto others as it doesn't work and leads to lots of societal problems and tensions.
What does the dissertation have to do with imposing views onto others?
Likewise, don't deny obvious scientific evidence and facts just because you think it might be "too Western" and go against the Quran,
I asked you this earlier but you didn't answer. Who has mentioned the Qur'an as a reason to reject scientific knowledge?
You are making numerous generalisations and conclusions from one piece of news. As Futuwwa pointed out above, you have no interest in this issue other than forwarding your own agenda-driven narrative.
If you really have an interest in science in the Muslim world, why don't you broaden your search? In Tunisia itself, there is
Mourad Zghal, a professor at the Engineering School of Communication of Tunis, who has joined the ranks of the world's most prominent optics scientists: he has been named a Fellow of
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. His mentor, Zohra Ben Lakhdar, was herself a recipient of the prestigious 2005 L'Oreal-UNESCO award for Women in Science.
Students from marginalized areas of Tunisia are finding a way to solve social problems and even to curb violence by using digital tools. [
source]
The
Youth Science Association of Tunisia (AJST) , is a Tunisian association that has set targets for the popularization of science, the dissemination of scientific culture among young people and the organization of various scientific camps.
Looking elsewhere in the Muslim world, here are
10 Malaysian Scientists Whose Research Is Making The World A Better Place.
Below are further examples:
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Genetics:
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Medicine:
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Mathematics:
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- An Iranian mathematician became the first ever female winner of the celebrated Fields Medal. In a landmark hailed as "long overdue", Prof Maryam Mirzakhani was recognized for her work on complex geometry.
- Kazakhstani Muslim scientist proves the existence of a solution to Navier Stokes Equation which is deemed one of the hardest in the world.
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Engineering:
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Education:
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According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), four Muslim countries were ranked in the top 20 destinations all over the world for international students.
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Space:
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- The European space probes Rosetta and Philae didn't only have Egyptian names to commemorate the Egyptian Civilization’s contributions to humanity, but four Egyptian scientists have also worked in this historic space mission.
- Egyptian students were ranked internationally among the top 20 teams of space engineering youth groups that participated at the University Rover Challenge (URC), in USA. In 2016, Bangladesh and Egypt are among the teams advancing to the semi-finals.
- A young female Kazakh inventor Nazifa Baktybayeva has been working on a real in-orbit satellite that will allow Kazakhstani students to conduct research based on materials obtained from space. This invention wasn't Nazifa's first one as in 2012 she created a model of a Venusian spacecraft that was fabricated using parts of her own old computer, headphones, a DVD disk, an umbrella and even a hanger and she calculated the craft's trajectory.
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In addition, here is a list of
14 exciting and celebrated nanotechnologists from the Muslim world:
- Dr. Mostefa El-Sayed [Nano-scale Scientist], Regents’ Professor and Julius Brown Chair, Georgia Institute of Technology, Zewail Prize, #17 on Thomson Reuters, Top 100 Chemists of the Decade
- Dr. Ibrahim Elfadel [Designer of Nano-scale Tools], Professor, Masdar Institute, Winner of Six Invention Achievement Awards, an IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Award and a Research Division Award
- Dr. Muhammad Al-Sayah [Supra-molecular Chemist], Professor, American University of Sharjah and winner of Comstech Award
- Prof. Ali Khademhosseini [Biologically inspired Engineer], Assoc. Prof., Harvard Medical School, President Obama’s Early Career Award
- Dr. AbdolReza Simchi [Nanostructures & Biomaterials], Assoc. Prof., Sharif University, Khwarzimi International Award
- Munir Nayfeh [Quantum Nanotechnologist], Professor, University of Illinois (UIUC), Award for Single Atom Detection
- Sharifah Bee Abd Hamid [Catalyst and nanomaterials], Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Malaysia
- Dr. Aghil Yousefi Koma [Designer of Micro-vehicles], Professor, University of Tehran
- Resit Turan [The Solarizer], Director, Center for Solar Energy, Research & Applications, Metu, Turkey
- Muhammad Mustafa Hussain [Integrated nanotechnologist], Associate Professor, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Halimaton Hamdan [Synthesizer of Nanostructures], Director, National Nanotechnology Directorate, Mosti, Malaysia
- Prof. Uda Hashim, Director [Micro-electronic Systems Engineer], Institute of Nano Electronic Engg, Malaysia
- Dr. Irfan S. Ahmed [Bionanotechnologist], Executive Director, Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, University of Illinois (UIUC)
- Prof. Ali Eftekhari [Electrochemist & Nanoscientist], Avicenna Institute of Technology (USA)
List from: http://muslim-science.com/14-most-exciting-nanotechnologists-from-the-muslim-world/
In terms of the future, there are grassroots efforts across the Muslim world to stimulate curiosity about science among students of all ages, operating without much government support. Eminent international experts have called for
comprehensive reforms to universities of the Muslim World seeking to transform societies though scientific excellence.
Let's not become blinded by one PhD dissertation and use that to make sweeping generalisations about trends in the Muslim world.