Despite possessing 70 per cent of world energy resources and 40 per cent natural resources, the gross domestic product (GDP) of all member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is less than that of Japan.
This was stated by Chairperson HEC Javaid Laghari while talking to Education Attachés of OIC member states, who called on him at the HEC headquarters here on Friday.
Laghari said that the contribution of OIC member states to world GDP was only eight per cent while 40 per cent of the population of these countries lived below poverty level.
He said only a paltry sum of 0.81 per cent of GDP is spent on research and development.
He also talked about some success stories of the OIC countries in higher education saying Qatar has doubled its spending on research from 0.8 per cent to a 2.8 per cent of GDP while Turkey’s research spending increased by 10 per cent between 2005 and 2010. “Research work is on the rise in Muslim countries and by 2018, Iran will stand at number four, Malaysia at 13, Turkey 18, Pakistan 27, and Egypt 40 in worldwide scientific publication work.”
ED HEC, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, said that “Vice Chancellors Forum” of OIC member states will be held in Islamabad from 23 to 24 September this year.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 15th, 2013.
COMMENTS (17)
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@Riaz Ahmad
@vasan: "People like you want Allah to put food every time you open your mouths."
Don't know about @vasan, but I don't want Allah to feed me, never. My complain is why did he created me and send to this wretched world. On top of it he didn't even ask, if I really wanted to be born at all.
@ashar
@Np: "And they run the government through one department, inquisition. Right."
Without inquisition, half of the humanity today would have been inside black tents, while the other half spreading message of love and peace, taliban style.
@Np:
Christianity did have a system to run the government. In fact for much of the Middle Ages the Church was the supreme government that had enormous control on the daily lives of its adherents in Europe.
And they run the government through one department, inquisition. Right.
@Ahmed Christianity did have a system to run the government. In fact for much of the Middle Ages the Church was the supreme government that had enormous control on the daily lives of its adherents in Europe. Then the Renaissance and Enlightenment came, and rational thought and Europe progressed.
@A.Khan
Christianity doesn't have a system to run the government, law or econom, Islam does. As it has only teachings(not the original teachings) for day to day affairs so it is followed that way. In the sense it is meant to. So should Islam be.
@vasan: Why should Allah protect backward and corrupt to the core morons; Allah punishes them instead, and that is precisely what is happening; except people like you have been rendered blind by dishonesty and corruption to notice the obvious. People like you want Allah to put food every time you open your mouths.
This is what happens to corrupt societies and civilisations. If a none Muslim country had the mineral resources and wealth of Saudi Arabia, by now it would have been a super power; Saudi Arabia is not a country, it is a PLC owned by Saudi royal family; this PLC has no human rights, it is an open prison for women, where women are kept in the prison of home, if they are to go out, they must be escorted by a prison guard in the form of husband, brother, father or son.
@Javaid Iqbal: The secret is that they have eliminated or reduced the practice of religion i.e. Christianity in their day to day lives.
@Optimist
"-Why this obsession with 'Muslim world'?
Because these countries are members of an EXCLUSIVE club called OIC, whose membership is limited to countries who swear by Islam. Simple. Isn't it.
TWO things:
What has the 'Muslim world' got to do with it. It's just a group of countries who share the same belief and nothing more. No wonder HEC is in the current state that it is.
Secondly, there is Just ONE nobel laureate amongst Muslims ,just one, Ahmed Zawil.
It is pivotal when scholars (like me) will struggle to survive and the government contributes more problems by enforcing brutal tax system. Our education system is undoubtedly the corruptest one. Students in Public sector universities lack educational endowment while in Private sector, universities try to force students to pay tuition fees not the education.
Unfortunately we always try to find the secret of Western prosperity in their dance clubs and banks, but the secret is their libraries and laboratories. HEC is doing great work with the limited funds it is allocated and the constant attempts to hijack it by bringing it under education ministry are shameful. Research leads to novel solutions which leads to new companies, which in turn leads to hiring, profits and taxes. A lot of things we import, we could export them if loans are given to right people. Pakistan has great universities and hard working bright students. If government takes positive interest, there is no doubt they will be among the world's best in not too distant future. Basic education is a right but not higher education, the political interference in admissions there should be curtailed. Quota system is fine but its misuse should be curtailed as well.
Utterly shameful on these countries, esp the OPEC. Anyway, Allah will protect them and shower prosperity on them, isnt it.
@ SM
It already has.
We may be lacking in GDP growth and scientific research but our population is growing faster than any other country. We are dreaming to take over the world based upon our population growth.
soon,even India will surpass the GDP of all the Islamic nations put together.
"Despite possessing 70 per cent of world energy resources and 40 per cent natural resources, the gross domestic product (GDP) of all member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is less than that of Japan"
Also less than GDP of India in ppp terms.
~Why this obsession with 'Muslim world'. . Every country is unique. No need to compare countries like Senegal with countries like Turkey just because they pray same God!!