KARACHI:
No one attempts to provoke the powerful. In the modern world, the real power isn’t money, it’s science. Unfortunately, the Muslim world as a whole lags behind generations in the field of science and technology. They live in a utopia with a delusional mindset. Protests, boycotts and prayers are the only tools left with them to counter aggression.
In their entire history of the Muslim rule, there was a brief stint of innovation and progress from the 10th to the 12th century when science and philosophy bloomed. Currently, the Ummah keeps referring to that age in nostalgia, as no contribution was made afterwards. Muslim rulers did raise big empires and ruled vast geographical stretches, but remained knowledge-averse. Even the mighty Ottomans refused to accept the printing press — the internet of its time.
The crux of the matter is that the majority of nations that profess themselves as Islamic are democracy-averse too. And this is no coincidence. The ruling elites on purpose keep their public away from learning, especially science. Critical thinking is a byproduct of learning science. Critical thinking leads to questioning. The ruling classes know this fact very well. Thus for their own short-term gains, they keep their subject away from progress, innovation and science. And this is unlikely to change.
Islamic societies are not even aware of what they are missing out on. Their contribution to the world affairs is that they are mere consumers and not innovators or providers. There is no top-ranking academic institution in the entire Islamic world that can produce minds like those by MIT or even IIT. It’s not the numbers that matter, but the educated and enlightened ones among them do.
Bahadar Ali Khan
Toronto, Canada
Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2024.
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