Saturday, January 31, 2009

444)Elevating Science, Elevating Democracy: "If we are not practicing good science, we probably aren’t practicing good democracy. And vice versa"

"An institution dedicated to proceeding beyond known limits must be committed to independent thinking. In a university scholars engage both orthodox and unorthodox ideas, seeking truth and understanding wherever they may be found. That process is often facilitated by an independent governance structure, which serves to ensure that the university adheres to its fundamental mission and is not pressured to compromise its work for short-term advantage. For a Muslim university it is appropriate to see learning and knowledge as a continuing acknowledgement of Allah's magnificence"(Aga Khan IV, Speech, 1993, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan)

http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html




"Science is not a monument of received Truth but something that people do to look for truth."

"Arguably science is the most successful human activity of all time."

"If there is anything democracy requires and thrives on, it is the willingness to embrace debate and respect one another and the freedom to shun received wisdom. Science and democracy have always been twins."

January 27, 2009
Essay

Elevating Science, Elevating Democracy

By DENNIS OVERBYE
New York Times

All right, I was weeping too.

To be honest, the restoration of science was the least of it, but when Barack Obama proclaimed during his Inaugural Address that he would “restore science to its rightful place,” you could feel a dark cloud lifting like a sigh from the shoulders of the scientific community in this country.

When the new president went on vowing to harness the sun, the wind and the soil, and to “wield technology’s wonders,” I felt the glow of a spring sunrise washing my cheeks, and I could almost imagine I heard the music of swords being hammered into plowshares.

Wow. My first reaction was to worry that scientists were now in the awkward position of being expected to save the world. As they say, be careful what you wish for.

My second reaction was to wonder what the “rightful place” of science in our society really is.
The answer, I would argue, is On a Pedestal — but not for the reasons you might think.

Forget about penicillin, digital computers and even the Big Bang, passing fads all of them.

The knock on science from its cultural and religious critics is that it is arrogant and materialistic. It tells us wondrous things about nature and how to manipulate it, but not what we should do with this knowledge and power. The Big Bang doesn’t tell us how to live, or whether God loves us, or whether there is any God at all. It provides scant counsel on same-sex marriage or eating meat. It is silent on the desirability of mutual assured destruction as a strategy for deterring nuclear war.

Einstein seemed to echo this thought when he said, “I have never obtained any ethical values from my scientific work.” Science teaches facts, not values, the story goes.

Worse, not only does it not provide any values of its own, say its detractors, it also undermines the ones we already have, devaluing anything it can’t measure, reducing sunsets to wavelengths and romance to jiggly hormones. It destroys myths and robs the universe of its magic and mystery.

So the story goes.

But this is balderdash. Science is not a monument of received Truth but something that people do to look for truth.

That endeavor, which has transformed the world in the last few centuries, does indeed teach values. Those values, among others, are honesty, doubt, respect for evidence, openness, accountability and tolerance and indeed hunger for opposing points of view. These are the unabashedly pragmatic working principles that guide the buzzing, testing, poking, probing, argumentative, gossiping, gadgety, joking, dreaming and tendentious cloud of activity — the writer and biologist Lewis Thomas once likened it to an anthill — that is slowly and thoroughly penetrating every nook and cranny of the world.

Nobody appeared in a cloud of smoke and taught scientists these virtues. This behavior simply evolved because it worked.

It requires no metaphysical commitment to a God or any conception of human origin or nature to join in this game, just the hypothesis that nature can be interrogated and that nature is the final arbiter. Jews, Catholics, Muslims, atheists, Buddhists and Hindus have all been working side by side building the Large Hadron Collider and its detectors these last few years.

And indeed there is no leader, no grand plan, for this hive. It is in many ways utopian anarchy, a virtual community that lives as much on the Internet and in airport coffee shops as in any one place or time. Or at least it is as utopian as any community largely dependent on government and corporate financing can be.

Arguably science is the most successful human activity of all time. Which is not to say that life within it is always utopian, as several of my colleagues have pointed out in articles about pharmaceutical industry payments to medical researchers.

But nobody was ever sent to prison for espousing the wrong value for the Hubble constant. There is always room for more data to argue over.

So if you’re going to get gooey about something, that’s not so bad.

It is no coincidence that these are the same qualities that make for democracy and that they arose as a collective behavior about the same time that parliamentary democracies were appearing. If there is anything democracy requires and thrives on, it is the willingness to embrace debate and respect one another and the freedom to shun received wisdom. Science and democracy have always been twins.

Today that dynamic is most clearly and perhaps crucially tested in China. As I pondered Mr. Obama’s words, I thought of Xu Liangying, an elderly Chinese physicist and Einstein scholar I met a couple of years ago, who has spent most of his life under house arrest for upholding Einstein’s maxim that there is no science without freedom of speech.

The converse might also be true. The habit of questioning that you learn in physics is invaluable in the rest of society. As Fang Lizhi, Dr. Xu’s fellow dissident whose writings helped spark the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations and who now teaches at the University of Arizona, said in 1985, “Physics is more than a basis for technology; it is a cornerstone of modern thought.”
If we are not practicing good science, we probably aren’t practicing good democracy. And vice versa.

Science and democracy have been the watchwords of Chinese political aspirations for more than a century. When the Communist Party took power it sought to appropriate at least the scientific side of the equation. Here, for example, is what Hu Yaobang, the party’s general secretary, said in 1980. “Science is what it is simply because it can break down fetishes and superstitions and is bold in explorations and because it opposes following the beaten path and dares to destroy outmoded conventions and bad customs.”

Brave words that have yet to be allowed to come true in China. Mr. Hu was purged, and in fact it was to mourn his death that students first began assembling in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Dr. Fang got in trouble initially because he favored the Big Bang, but that was against Marxist orthodoxy that the universe was infinitely unfolding. Marxism, it might be remembered, was once promoted as a scientific theory, but some subjects were off-limits.

But once you can’t talk about one subject, the origin of the universe, for example, sooner or later other subjects are going to be off-limits, like global warming, birth control and abortion, or evolution, the subject of yet another dustup in Texas last week.

There is no democracy in China, and some would argue that despite that nation’s vast resources and potential, there will not be vigorous science there either until the Chinese leaders take seriously what Mao proclaimed back in 1955 and then cynically withdrew: Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend.

In the meantime I look forward to Mr. Obama’s cultivation of our own wild and beautiful garden.


Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

443)Pervez Hoodbhoy, World-Renowned Physics Professor, Disciple Of 1979 Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, Laments The Saudi-isation of Pakistan

The Saudi-isation of Pakistan

A stern, unyielding version of Islam is replacing the kinder, gentler Islam of the Sufis in Pakistan.

By Pervez Hoodbhoy
Newsline
January 2009

The common belief in Pakistan is that Islamic radicalism is a problem only in FATA, and that madrassas are the only institutions serving as jihad factories. This is a serious misconception. Extremism is breeding at a ferocious rate in public and private schools within Pakistan’s towns and cities. Left unchallenged, this education will produce a generation incapable of co-existing with anyone except strictly their own kind. The mindset it creates may eventually lead to Pakistan’s demise as a nation state.

For 20 years or more, a few of us have been desperately sending out SOS messages, warning of terrible times to come. In fact, I am surprised at how rapidly these dire predictions have come true.

A full-scale war is being fought in FATA, Swat and other “wild” areas of Pakistan, resulting in thousands of deaths. It is only a matter of time before this fighting shifts to Peshawar and Islamabad (which has already been a witness to the Lal Masjid episode) and engulfs Lahore and Karachi as well. The suicide bomber and the masked abductor have crippled Pakistan’s urban life and shattered its national economy.

Soldiers, policemen, factory and hospital workers, mourners at funerals and ordinary people praying in mosques have all been reduced to globs of flesh and fragments of bones. But, perhaps paradoxically, in spite of the fact that the dead bodies and shattered lives are almost all Muslim ones, few Pakistanis speak out against these atrocities. Nor do they approve of the army operation against the cruel perpetrators of these acts because they believe that they are Islamic warriors fighting for Islam and against American occupation. Political leaders like Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have no words of solace for those who have suffered at the hands of Islamic extremists. Their tears are reserved exclusively for the victims of Predator drones, even if they are those who committed grave crimes against their own people. Terrorism, by definition, is an act only the Americans can commit.

What explains Pakistan’s collective masochism? To understand this, one needs to study the drastic social and cultural transformations that have rendered this country so completely different from what it was in earlier times.

For three decades, deep tectonic forces have been silently tearing Pakistan away from the Indian subcontinent and driving it towards the Arabian peninsula. This continental drift is not physical but cultural, driven by a belief that Pakistan must exchange its South Asian identity for an Arab-Muslim one. Grain by grain, the desert sands of Saudi Arabia are replacing the rich soil that had nurtured a magnificent Muslim culture in India for a thousand years. This culture produced Mughul architecture, the Taj Mahal, the poetry of Asadullah Khan Ghalib, and much more. Now a stern, unyielding version of Islam (Wahhabism) is replacing the kinder, gentler Islam of the Sufis and saints who had walked on this land for hundreds of years.

This change is by design. Twenty-five years ago, the Pakistani state used Islam as an instrument of state policy. Prayers in government departments were deemed compulsory, floggings were carried out publicly, punishments were meted out to those who did not fast in Ramadan, selection for academic posts in universities required that the candidate demonstrate a knowledge of Islamic teachings and jihad was declared essential for every Muslim. Today, government intervention is no longer needed because of a spontaneous groundswell of Islamic zeal. The notion of an Islamic state – still in an amorphous and diffused form – is more popular now than ever before as people look desperately for miracles to rescue a failing state.

Villages have changed drastically; this transformation has been driven, in part, by Pakistani workers returning from Arab countries. Many village mosques are now giant madrassas that propagate hard-line Salafi and Deobandi beliefs through oversized loudspeakers. They are bitterly opposed to Barelvis, Shias and other sects, who they do not regard as Muslims. The Punjabis, who were far more liberal towards women than the Pukhtuns, are now beginning to take a line resembling that of the Taliban. Hanafi law has begun to prevail over tradition and civil law, as is evident from the recent decisions of the Lahore High Court.

In Pakistan’s lower-middle and middle classes lurks a grim and humourless Saudi-inspired revivalist movement that frowns on any and every expression of joy and pleasure. Lacking any positive connection to culture and knowledge, it seeks to eliminate “corruption” by regulating cultural life and seizing control of the education system.

“Classical music is on its last legs in Pakistan; the sarangi and vichitraveena are completely dead,” laments Mohammad Shehzad, a music aficionado. Indeed, teaching music in public universities is violently opposed by students of the Islami Jamaat-e-Talaba at Punjab University. So the university has been forced to hold its music classes elsewhere. Religious fundamentalists consider music haram or un-Islamic. Kathak dancing, once popular with the Muslim elite of India, has few teachers left. Pakistan produces no feature films of any consequence. Nevertheless, the Pakistani elite, disconnected from the rest of the population, live their lives in comfort through their vicarious proximity to the West. Alcoholism is a chronic problem of the super rich of Lahore – a curious irony for this deeply religious country.

Islamisation of the state and the polity was supposed to have been in the interest of the ruling class – a classic strategy for preserving it from the wrath of the working class. But the amazing success of the state is turning out to be its own undoing. Today, it is under attack from religious militants, and rival Islamic groups battle each other with heavy weapons. Ironically, the same army – whose men were recruited under the banner of jihad, and which saw itself as the fighting arm of Islam – today stands accused of betrayal and is almost daily targeted by Islamist suicide bombers.

Pakistan’s self-inflicted suffering comes from an education system that, like Saudi Arabia’s system, provides an ideological foundation for violence and future jihadists. It demands that Islam be understood as a complete code of life, and creates in the mind of a school-going child a sense of siege and embattlement by stressing that Islam is under threat everywhere.

On the previous page, the reader can view the government-approved curriculum. This is the basic road map for transmitting values and knowledge to the young. By an act of parliament passed in 1976, all government and private schools (except for O-level schools) are required to follow this curriculum. It was prepared by the curriculum wing of the federal ministry of education, government of Pakistan. It sounds like a blueprint for a religious fascist state.

Alongside are scanned pictures from an illustrated primer for the Urdu alphabet. The masthead states that it has been prepared by Iqra Publishers, Rawalpindi, along “Islamic lines.” Although not an officially approved textbook, it is being used currently by some regular schools, as well as madrassas associated with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), an Islamic political party that had allied itself with General Musharraf. These picture scans have been taken from a child’s book, hence the scribbles.

The world of the Pakistani schoolchild remained largely unchanged, even after September 11, 2001, the event that led to Pakistan’s timely desertion of the Taliban and the slackening of the Kashmir jihad. Indeed, for all his hypocritical talk of “enlightened moderation,” General Musharraf’s educational curriculum was far from enlightening. It was a slightly toned down version of the curriculum that existed under Nawaz Sharif which, in turn, was identical to that under Benazir Bhutto who had inherited it from General Zia-ul-Haq. Fearful of taking on the powerful religious forces, every incumbent government has refused to take a position on the curriculum and thus quietly allowed young minds to be moulded by fanatics. What may happen a generation later has always been a secondary issue for a government challenged on so many fronts.

The promotion of militarism in Pakistan’s so-called “secular” public schools, colleges and universities had a profound effect upon young minds. Militant jihad became part of the culture on college and university campuses. Armed groups flourished, they invited students for jihad in Kashmir and Afghanistan, set up offices throughout the country, collected funds at Friday prayers and declared a war which knew no borders. Pre-9/11, my university was ablaze with posters inviting students to participate in the Kashmir jihad. Post-2001, this ceased to be done openly.

Still, the primary vehicle for Saudi-ising Pakistan’s education has been the madrassa. In earlier times, these had turned out the occasional Islamic scholar, using a curriculum that essentially dates back to the 11th century, with only minor subsequent revisions. But their principal function had been to produce imams and muezzins for mosques, and those who eked out an existence as ‘maulvi sahibs’ teaching children to read the Quran.

The Afghan jihad changed everything. During the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, madrassas provided the US-Saudi-Pakistani alliance the cannon fodder they needed to fight a holy war. The Americans and Saudis, helped by a more-than-willing General Zia, funded new madrassas across the length and breadth of Pakistan. A detailed picture of the current situation is not available. But according to the national education census, which the ministry of education released in 2006, Punjab has 5,459 madrassas followed by the NWFP with 2,843; Sindh has 1,935; the Federally Administrated Northern Areas (FANA), 1,193; Balochistan, 769; Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 586; the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), 135; and the Islamabad capital territory, 77. The ministry estimates that 1.5 million students are acquiring religious education in the 13,000 madrassas.

These figures appear to be way off the mark. Commonly quoted figures range between 18,000 and 22,000 madrassas. The number of students could be correspondingly larger. The free boarding and lodging plus provision of books to the students, is a key part of their appeal. Additionally, parents across the country desire that their children be “disciplined” and given a thorough Islamic education. The madrassas serve this purpose, too, exceedingly well.

Madrassas have deeply impacted the urban environment. Until a few years ago, Islamabad was a quiet, orderly, modern city different from the rest of Pakistan. Also, it had largely been the abode of Pakistan’s elite and foreign diplomats. But the rapid transformation of its demography brought with it hundreds of mosques with multi-barrelled audio-cannons mounted on minarets, as well as scores of madrassas illegally constructed in what used to be public parks and green areas. Now, tens of thousands of their students, sporting little prayer caps, dutifully chant the Quran all day. In the evenings they swarm the city, making women minus the hijab increasingly nervous.

Total segregation of the sexes is a central goal of the Islamists, the consequences of which have been catastrophic. For example, on April 9, 2006, 21 women and eight children were crushed to death and scores injured in a stampede inside a three-storey madrassa in Karachi, where a large number of women were attending a weekly congregation. Male rescuers, who arrived in ambulances, were prevented from moving the injured women to hospitals.

One cannot dismiss this incident as being just one of a kind. In fact, soon after the October 2005 earthquake, as I walked through the destroyed city of Balakot, a student of the Frontier Medical College described to me how he and his male colleagues were stopped by religious elders from digging out injured girl students from under the rubble of their school building. This action was similar to that of Saudi Arabia’s ubiquitous religious ‘mutaween’ (police) who, in March 2002, had stopped school girls from leaving a blazing building because they were not wearing their abayas – a long robe worn in Saudi Arabia. In a rare departure from the norm, Saudi newspapers had blamed and criticised the mutaween for letting 15 girls burn to death.

The Saudi-isation of a once-vibrant Pakistani culture continues at a relentless pace. The drive to segregate is now also being found among educated women. Vigorous proselytisers carrying this message, such as Mrs Farhat Hashmi, have been catapulted to the heights of fame and fortune. Their success is evident. Two decades back, the fully veiled student was a rarity on Pakistani university and college campuses. The abaya was an unknown word in Urdu. Today, some shops across the country specialise in abayas. At colleges and universities across Pakistan, the female student is seeking the anonymity of the burqa. And in some parts of the country she seems to outnumber her sisters who still “dare” to show their faces.

I have observed the veil profoundly affect habits and attitudes. Many of my veiled female students have largely become silent note-takers, are increasingly timid and seem less inclined to ask questions or take part in discussions. They lack the confidence of a young university student.

While social conservatism does not necessarily lead to violent extremism, it does shorten the distance. The socially conservative are more easily convinced that Muslims are being demonised by the rest of the world. The real problem, they say, is the plight of the Palestinians, the decadent and discriminatory West, the Jews, the Christians, the Hindus, the Kashmir issue, the Bush doctrine – the list runs on. They vehemently deny that those committing terrorist acts are Muslims, and if presented with incontrovertible evidence, say it is a mere reaction to oppression.

The immediate future does not appear hopeful: increasing numbers of mullahs are creating cults around themselves and seizing control of the minds of worshippers. In the tribal areas, a string of new Islamist leaders have suddenly emerged: Baitullah Mehsud, Maulana Fazlullah and Mangal Bagh. Poverty, deprivation, lack of justice and extreme differences of wealth provide the perfect environment for these demagogues to recruit people to their cause. Their gruesome acts of terror are still being perceived by large numbers of Pakistanis merely as a war against imperialist America. This could not be further from the truth.

In the long term, we will have to see how the larger political battle works out between those Pakistanis who want an Islamic theocratic state and those who want a modern Islamic republic. It may yet be possible to roll back those Islamist laws and institutions that have corroded Pakistani society for over 30 years and to defeat its hate-driven holy warriors. There is no chance of instant success; perhaps things may have to get worse before they get better. But, in the long term, I am convinced that the forces of irrationality will cancel themselves out because they act at random whereas reason pulls only in one direction. History leads us to believe that reason will triumph over unreason, and the evolution of the humans into a higher and better species will continue. Using ways that we cannot currently anticipate, they will somehow overcome their primal impulses of territoriality, tribalism, religiosity and nationalism. But, for now, this must be just a matter of faith.

The author teaches physics at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad.

http://www.newsline.com.pk/NewsJan2009/cover2jan2009.htm

Related:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/06/371critical-minds-alone-can-take-us.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/285abdus-salam-1979-nobel-laureate-in.html


Easy Nash

Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave(Prophet Muhammad, circa 632CE)
Seek knowledge, even in China(Prophet Muhammad, circa 632CE)
One hour of contemplation on the works of the Creator is better than a thousand hours of prayer(Prophet Muhammad, circa 632CE)
The ink of the scholar is better than the blood of the martyr(Prophet Muhammad, circa 632CE)

Saturday, January 24, 2009

442)The European Union Ismaili Council continues to take steps to formalize and institutionalize Life Long Learning; Quotes of Aga Khan IV and others.

"........World and faith are inseparable in Islam. Faith and learning are also profoundly interconnected. The Holy Qur’an sees the discovery of knowledge as a spiritual responsibility, enabling us to better understand and more ably serve God’s creation.Our traditional teachings remind us of our individual obligation to seek knowledge unto the ends of the earth......"(Aga Khan IV, May 2oth 2008, Dhaka, Bangladesh)

"....AND SHOULD'NT IB SCIENCE STUDENTS not learn about Ibn al-Haytham, the Muslim scholar who developed modern optics, as well as his predecessors Euclid and Ptolemy, whose ideas he challenged.....The legacy which I am describing actually goes back more than a thousand years, to the time when our forefathers, the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs of Egypt, founded Al-Azhar University and the Academy of Knowledge in Cairo. For many centuries, a commitment to learning was a central element in far-flung Islamic cultures. That commitment has continued in my own Imamat through the founding of the Aga Khan University and the University of Central Asia and through the recent establishment of a new Aga Khan Academies Program."(Aga Khan IV, "The Peterson Lecture" on the International Baccalaureate, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 18 April 2008)

"The Qur’an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God’s creation"(Closing Address by His Highness Aga Khan IV at the "Musée-Musées" Round Table Louvre Museum, Paris, France, October 17th 2007)

"Of the Abrahamic faiths, Islam is probably the one that places the greatest emphasis on knowledge. The purpose is to understand God's creation, and therefore it is a faith which is eminently logical. Islam is a faith of reason"(Aga Khan IV, Spiegel Magazine interview, Germany, Oct 9th 2006)

"Our interpretation of Islam places enormous value on knowledge. Knowledge is the reflection of faith if it is used properly. Seek out that knowledge and use it properly"(Aga Khan IV, Toronto, Canada, 8th June 2005)

“In the ebb and flow of history, “knowledge is a shield against the blows of time”. It dispels “the torment of ignorance” and nourishes “peace to blossom forth in the soul”.”(Extract from a speech by Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness Aga Khan IV, quoting Nasir Khusraw in a speech made at the Foundation Stone-laying Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre Dushanbe, Tajikistan, August 30, 2003)

"My profession is to be forever journeying, to travel about the Universe so that I may know all its conditions."(Ibn Sina, aka Avicenna, 11th century Muslim Philosopher, Physician and Scientist, author of the Canon of Medicine, circa 1037CE)

"Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave"(Prophet Muhammad, circa 632CE)

"Seek knowledge, even in China"(Prophet Muhammad, circa 632CE)

"The ink of the scholar is better than the blood of the martyr"(Prophet Muhammad, circa 632CE)

"All human beings, by their nature, desire to know."(Aristotle, The Metaphysics, circa 322BC)


The above are 11 quotes and excerpts taken from Blogpost Four Hundred, a collection of about 100 quotes on the subjects of Knowledge, Intellect, Creation, Education, Science and Religion:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html



TheIsmaili.org article:
Beginning a journey: The Certificate in Lifelong Learning

In its Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, the European Union notes that “the advent of a knowledge-based society requires improved means of communicating and using knowledge and opportunities for lifelong learning.” In response, regional and local programmes have arisen to help Europeans take advantage of these opportunities.

The Ismaili Council for the European Union (ICEU) began their initiatives in lifelong learning in 1996 with the Learning Community Project that set about to transform the European Jamat with regards to continuous learning. Drawing lessons from that project, the ICEU has now initiated the Lifelong Learning Programme which aims to turn learning into a continuous and natural process in the life of every Ismaili in Europe.

Among the first major projects of the programme is the Certificate in Lifelong Learning, a partnership with the London School of Economics targeted at Jamati members.


The certificate

Over 300 learners from across Europe are presently enrolled in the Certificate Programme. Not only does it provide valuable recognition for their learning efforts, but the programme also encourages learners to consider areas of knowledge that they may not have previously explored.
To qualify for the certificate, each learner undertakes an initial workshop titled The Journey of Self Discovery and completes seven course units relating to Jamati institutional initiatives or those of external organisations. One of courses must have a European dimension to highlight the languages, cultures and people of Europe.

After completion of the workshop and course units, learners reflect on their journey in a short essay in which they discuss how the programme invigorated them to continue the process of lifelong learning. Participants receive an ICEU Certificate in Lifelong Learning awarded by the London School of Economics upon graduation.


The workshop

The core of the Certificate programme is the Journey of Self Discovery workshop. It orients candidates on the Islamic underpinnings of learning, while also helping participants discover their personal learning styles and uncover the tools to support them in the process.

The workshop also explains the European mandate of lifelong learning and its importance in the fast-growing knowledge society. At the same time, it encourages learners to reflect on their motivational drivers and personal learning goals, while creating a personalised learning development plan.


The courses

After completing the workshop, participants pursue courses that are offered by both their local Jamati institutions and other academic and training organisations.

To support this initiative, the ICEU Lifelong Learning Programme actively reviews and accredits new training programmes and modules, expanding the breadth and depth of choice available to learners. Participants can also request accreditation for courses that they have a personal interest in. All learners receive a Passport of Learning to record how the courses have contributed to their personal growth.


The partners

Learning Partners receive training to support learners on their journey to achieving the Certificate in Lifelong Learning. Throughout the process, learners benefit from the motivation of their peers and the ICEU. In addition, the ICEU Lifelong Learning programme also trains individuals known as learning partners, who act as key points of support and reinforcement.

The learning partners — all of whom are or have been participants in the programme and have a minimum of five years experience in Jamati service, as well as professional facilitation skills in training and coaching — are trained in presentation, group dynamics and modelling experiential learning. They provide individual support to learners, and facilitate workshops.


The journey

The Certificate is the first step in a longer journey of lifelong learning. Mawlana Hazar Imam's speech at the Annual Meeting of the International Baccalaureate in Atlanta on 18 April 2008 elaborated on the reinvigoration of the concept of lifelong learning in the global collective consciousness:

“In an age of accelerating change, when even the most sophisticated skills are quickly outdated, we will find many allies in the developing world who are coming to understand that the most important skill anyone can learn is the ability to go on learning.”

In that vein, the ICEU Lifelong Learning Programme continues to move forward with unique programmatic initiatives to help foster a spirit of lifelong learning within the European Jamat.
For more information about the ICEU Lifelong Learning programme, the Certificate in Lifelong Learning, or the Learning Partners, please contact a member of the lifelong learning team.

http://www.theismaili.org/cms/660/Beginning-a-journey-The-Certificate-in-Lifelong-Learning

Related:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/05/367lifelong-learning-priority-for.html


Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql)(Prophet Muhammad, circa 632CE)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

441)The Peter McKnight Collection Of Posts On Science And Religion; Read Them Along With Blogpost Four Hundred; Quotes of Aga Khans IV and III

"The second great historical lesson to be learnt is that the Muslim world has always been wide open to every aspect of human existence. The sciences, society, art, the oceans, the environment and the cosmos have all contributed to the great moments in the history of Muslim civilisations. The Qur’an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God’s creation"(Closing Address by His Highness Aga Khan IV at the "Musée-Musées" Round Table Louvre Museum, Paris, France, October 17th 2007)

"In this context, would it not also be relevant to consider how, above all, it has been the Qur'anic notion of the universe as an expression of Allah's will and creation that has inspired, in diverse Muslim communities, generations of artists, scientists and philosophers? Scientific pursuits, philosophic inquiry and artistic endeavour are all seen as the response of the faithful to the recurring call of the Qur'an to ponder the creation as a way to understand Allah's benevolent majesty. As Sura al-Baqara proclaims: 'Wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah'.The famous verse of 'light' in the Qur'an, the Ayat al-Nur, whose first line is rendered here in the mural behind me, inspires among Muslims a reflection on the sacred, the transcendent. It hints at a cosmos full of signs and symbols that evoke the perfection of Allah's creation and mercy"(Aga Khan IV,Speech, Institute of Ismaili Studies, October 2003, London, U.K.)

"In sum the process of creation can be said to take place at several levels. Ibda represents the initial level - one transcends history, the other creates it. The spiritual and material realms are not dichotomous, since in the Ismaili formulation, matter and spirit are united under a higher genus and each realm possesses its own hierarchy. Though they require linguistic and rational categories for definition, they represent elements of a whole, and a true understanding of God must also take account of His creation. Such a synthesis is crucial to how the human intellect eventually relates to creation and how it ultimately becomes the instrument for penetrating through history the mystery of the unknowable God implied in the formulation of tawhid."(Azim Nanji, Director, Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, U.K., 1998)

"Education has been important to my family for a long time. My forefathers founded al-Azhar University in Cairo some 1000 years ago, at the time of the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt. Discovery of knowledge was seen by those founders as an embodiment of religious faith, and faith as reinforced by knowledge of workings of the Creator's physical world. The form of universities has changed over those 1000 years, but that reciprocity between faith and knowledge remains a source of strength"(Aga Khan IV, 27th May1994, Cambridge, Massachusets, U.S.A.)

"Indeed, one strength of Islam has always lain in its belief that creation is not static but continuous, that through scientific and other endeavours, God has opened and continues to open new windows for us to see the marvels of His creation"(Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan University, 16 March 1983, Karachi, Pakistan)

"Our religious leadership must be acutely aware of secular trends, including those generated by this age of science and technology. Equally, our academic or secular elite must be deeply aware of Muslim history, of the scale and depth of leadership exercised by the Islamic empire of the past in all fields"(Aga Khan IV, 6th February 1970, Hyderabad, Pakistan)

"The God of the Quran is the One whose Ayats(Signs) are the Universe in which we live, move and have our being"(Aga Khan III, April 4th 1952)

"Nature is the great daily book of God whose secrets must be found and used for the well-being of humanity"(Aga Khan III, Radio Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan, February 19th 1950)




1)Coupling of Science and Religion:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/11/421part-1-peter-mcknight-coupling-of.html

2) Religion in Disguise; Intelligent design stumbles by revealing itself as religious theory:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/11/422part-2-peter-mcknight-religion-in.html

3)Hitting a brick wall; Scientists forsake science when they use Darwin for ideological ends:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/11/423part-3-peter-mcknight-hitting-brick_02.html

4)The tension between science and religion; Must they compete, or can they complete each other?
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/11/424part-4-peter-mcknight-tension_02.html

5)The Peter McKnight 4-part series should be read alongside my Blogpost Four Hundred to make them more relevant and meaningful for Muslims
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/11/425the-peter-mcknight-4-part-series.html

5)Blogpost Four Hundred: A Collection of about One Hundred Quotes and Excerpts on the Subjects of Knowledge, Intellect, Creation, Education, Science and Religion:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html


Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

440)Out-Einsteining Einstein: Fiddling With One Of The Great Triumphs Of 20th-Century Physics; Quotes of Aga Khan IV

"An institution dedicated to proceeding beyond known limits must be committed to independent thinking. In a university scholars engage both orthodox and unorthodox ideas, seeking truth and understanding wherever they may be found. That process is often facilitated by an independent governance structure, which serves to ensure that the university adheres to its fundamental mission and is not pressured to compromise its work for short-term advantage. For a Muslim university it is appropriate to see learning and knowledge as a continuing acknowledgement of Allah's magnificence"(Aga Khan IV, Speech, 1993, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan)

"Science is a wonderful, powerful tool and research budgets are essential. But Science is only the beginning in the new age we are entering. Islam does not perceive the world as two seperate domains of mind and spirit, science and belief. Science and the search for knowledge are an expression of man's designated role in the universe, but they do not define that role totally....."(Aga Khan IV, McMaster University Convocation, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, May 15th 1987)

"The Divine Intellect, Aql-i Kull, both transcends and informs the human intellect. It is this Intellect which enables man to strive towards two aims dictated by the faith: that he should reflect upon the environment Allah has given him and that he should know himself. It is the Light of the Intellect which distinguishes the complete human being from the human animal, and developing that intellect requires free inquiry. The man of faith, who fails to pursue intellectual search is likely to have only a limited comprehension of Allah's creation. Indeed, it is man's intellect that enables him to expand his vision of that creation"(Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan University Convocation Speech, Karachi, Pakistan, November 11, 1985)

"In Islamic belief, knowledge is two-fold. There is that revealed through the Holy Prophet (s.a.s.) and that which man discovers by virtue of his own intellect. Nor do these two involve any contradiction, provided man remembers that his own mind is itself the creation of God. Without this humility, no balance is possible. With it, there are no barriers. Indeed, one strength of Islam has always lain in its belief that creation is not static but continuous, that through scientific and other endeavours, God has opened and continues to open new windows for us to see the marvels of His creation"(Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan University, 16 March 1983, Karachi, Pakistan)


The above are 4 quotes and excerpts taken from Blogpost Four Hundred, a collection of about 100 quotes on the subjects of Knowledge, Intellect, Creation, Education, Science and Religion:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html




Out-Einsteining Einstein

General relativity is one of the great triumphs of 20th-century physics. So why does this Perimeter Institute physicist want to fiddle with it?

DAN FALK
Globe and Mail
January 17, 2009

REINVENTING GRAVITY
By John W. MoffatThomas Allen, 223 pages, $32.95

John Moffat is not crazy. It's important to mention this, because many of those who claim to have improved on Einstein's theory of gravity, known as general relativity, probably are. Or if not crazy, at least misguided. Their error-riddled and often incoherent papers land regularly on the desks of physics journal editors (where they are promptly discarded or filed under "cranks") and clog certain corners of the Internet.

But Moffat is, in fact, a respected physicist. Born in Denmark, he earned his PhD from Cambridge and taught at the University of Toronto for more than three decades before moving on to his current position at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ont. (I've met Moffat many times over the years, profiling him for this newspaper and others; recently, we've shared the same stage on the "physics book circuit," each of us promoting our take on rather fundamental topics; for him, gravity, for myself, time.)

General relativity is one of the great triumphs of 20th-century physics. It explains the motion of planets, stars and galaxies with astonishing precision, and even gives a framework for understanding the expansion of the universe itself, providing a foundation for the Big Bang model of cosmic evolution. And while general relativity involves some difficult mathematics, in "everyday" situations - working out the Earth's orbit around the sun, for example - it reduces down to Newton's simple formula for universal gravitation.

So, why fiddle with a perfectly good theory? The problem is that, in certain situations, one has to make some disturbingly ad hoc assumptions to make sense of the data. Take, for example, the motion of galaxies. These giant agglomerations of stars spin very slowly; our own Milky Way takes about 200 million years to make a complete revolution. (It sounds sluggish, but it still means that our solar system is whizzing along at about 220 kilometres per second in its journey around the galactic centre.)

But our observations show that galaxies are spinning faster than they ought to, based on the amount of matter - stars, gas and dust - that they appear to contain. For several decades, astronomers have postulated the existence of unseen "dark matter" to make up the difference: If there is enough of this dark matter in each galaxy, then Einstein's equations can be made to fit the observations. Unfortunately, as Moffat points out, no one has yet detected this mysterious dark matter.

Moffat's theory, known as modified gravity theory (MOG), developed in spurts over about 30 years, is superficially similar to Einstein's theory, but with some key differences. Crucially, it predicts a stronger gravitational pull at large distances than we would expect from Newton's or Einstein's formulation, thus explaining the faster galaxy rotations without the need to invoke dark matter.

But MOG, according to Moffat, has other advantages. In Einstein's theory, a collapsing body - such a star that has exhausted its nuclear fuel supply - can shrink down to nothingness; the result of this unstoppable gravitational crunch is called a black hole. At the centre of the black hole, matter is infinitely squished; mathematicians call this a "singularity."

Physicists, however, wonder what it means for any real, measurable quantity to be infinite. Singularities, they suspect, are a sign that Einstein's equations are not giving the whole picture; that some more sophisticated approach is needed. With MOG, matter can become extremely dense, but never infinitely so; the singularity is avoided. (A star still "collapses to a very dense object, which is not exactly black, but possibly 'grey,' " Moffat says. While nothing can escape from a black hole, some light would always be able to escape from such a "grey star.")

And there is more: Recently, astronomers have discovered that the universe is not only expanding, but also accelerating. Physicists have suggested that some kind of unknown force is acting against gravity, pushing galaxies apart at ever-increasing speeds. For now, this mysterious entity is known as "dark energy." Moffat says MOG's equations "predict a repulsive, anti-gravity component within gravity itself. ... Its effect is to push the fabric of space-time to expand faster and faster" - an explanation, perhaps, for one of the deepest mysteries in physics today.

No dark matter, no singularities and an explanation for dark energy - these are bold claims. The big question is whether MOG can make specific predictions that can be confirmed or refuted by observation or experiment. Moffat insists it can, and lists a series of tests that might be carried out in the future, involving microwaves emitted in the early universe, gravitational waves (think of these as ripples in space-time itself - if you can) and laboratory experiments that would investigate force and acceleration at small scales. (These latter experiments, Moffat suggests, could be performed on board the International Space Station.)

If evidence for MOG is eventually found, Moffat will be hailed as one of the great physicists of our age. If not, MOG - like so many other attempts to go beyond Einstein - will be just another dead end. As Moffat points out, the many previous efforts at such a breakthrough make up a "graveyard" of failed theories. Paradigms do not shift easily.

At the very least, Moffat has shown remarkable perseverance and an exceptional ability to think "outside the box." And his book - elegantly written, though occasionally challenging - provides a compelling insider's view of modern physics.

Dan Falk's latest book, In Search of Time: Journeys along a Curious Dimension, was published in October.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090117.BKGRAVITY17/TPStory/?query=Moffat



Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)

Sunday, January 18, 2009

439)Ontario Science Center, Toronto, Canada, Exhibit opening Feb 5 2009;Sultans of Science:1000 Years of Knowledge Rediscovered;Quotes of Aga Khan IV

"First, the globalisation of the knowledge of the cultures of the Umma is critical. We have to make known the cultural inheritance of the Muslims to the non-Muslim as well as the Muslim parts of the world because we will never succeed in building the respect and recognition that the Umma deserves unless we present the Umma as a remarkable carrier of civilisation.The misconceptions about Islam and Muslims in the West exist because we are, even today, absent from the global civilisation. We should encourage the Western education system to bring in knowledge of the civilisation of Islam into the secondary education system.I am thrilled with the initiative that Dubai and other states in the Gulf are taking by creating museums. Retracing our historical legacies and bringing them back in the modern world is extremely important."(Aga Khan IV, Interview with Gulf News, Dubai, UAE, April 2008)

"That quest for a better life, among Muslims and non-Muslims alike, must lead inevitably to the Knowledge Society which is developing in our time. The great and central question facing the Ummah of today is how it will relate to the Knowledge Society of tomorrow.The fundamental reason for the pre-eminence of Islamic civilizations lay neither in accidents of history nor in acts of war, but rather in their ability to discover new knowledge, to make it their own, and to build constructively upon it. They became the Knowledge Societies of their time."(Aga Khan IV, Speech, 2nd December 2006, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan)

"For century after century, the Arabs, the Persians, the Turks and many other Islamic societies achieved powerful leadership roles in the world—not only politically and economically but also intellectually. Some ill-informed historians and biased commentators have tried to argue that these successes were essentially produced by military power, but this view is profoundly incorrect"(Aga Khan IV, 2nd December 2006, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan)

"From the seventh century to the thirteenth century, the Muslim civilizations dominated world culture, accepting, adopting, using and preserving all preceding study of mathematics, philosophy, medicine and astronomy, among other areas of learning. The Islamic field of thought and knowledge included and added to much of the information on which all civilisations are founded. And yet this fact is seldom acknowledged today, be it in the West or in the Muslim world, and this amnesia has left a six hundred year gap in the history of human thought"(Aga Khan IV, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 1996)

The above are 4 quotes and excerpts taken from Blogpost Four Hundred, a collection of about 100 quotes on the subjects of Knowledge, Intellect, Creation, Education, Science and Religion:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html




Sultans of Science: 1000 Years of Knowledge Rediscovered

Opens February 5, 2009

Did you know that the first piloted flying device soared well before Leonardo da Vinci took flight in the 15th century? In the ninth century on a hill near Cordoba, Spain, a scholar and inventor named Abbas Bin Firnas harnessed himself to a feathered glider and briefly took flight, amazing his spectators.

The glider is just one of the inventions recreated for Sultans of Science: 1000 Years of Knowledge Rediscovered, an international touring exhibition making its Canadian premiere at the Ontario Science Centre.

The exhibition celebrates the scientific and technological breakthroughs made by scholars during the Golden Age of the Islamic World (eighth to 18th centuries) and their lasting influence on modern science and technology.

Developed by Cape Town and Dubai-based MTE Studios, this engaging and thought-provoking exhibition will show visitors how a great civilization created prosperity across large areas of the known world from Spain to China. Knowledge was valued and innovation encouraged, leading to high levels of achievement in science and technology.

Architecture, optics, medicine and flight are among the disciplines examined in this beautifully designed presentation. Covering over 700 square metres, it is divided into 10 sections with hands-on activities, large-scale models and interactive maps that will take visitors on a journey back through time.

Organized by Liberty Science Center and MTE Studios.

http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/calendar/default.asp?showid=824&ddmmyyyy=14012009

Related links:
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/the-ontario-science-centre-presents-sultans-of-science-1000-years-of-knowledge-rediscovered/
http://www.raheelraza.com/allimages/Sultans.pdf
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/the-science-of-islam/


Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)

Thursday, January 15, 2009

438)Knowledge Society: A Collection of Posts on the Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain; Quotes of Aga Khan IV.

"That quest for a better life, among Muslims and non-Muslims alike, must lead inevitably to the Knowledge Society which is developing in our time. The great and central question facing the Ummah of today is how it will relate to the Knowledge Society of tomorrow.The fundamental reason for the pre-eminence of Islamic civilizations lay neither in accidents of history nor in acts of war, but rather in their ability to discover new knowledge, to make it their own, and to build constructively upon it. They became the Knowledge Societies of their time."(Aga Khan IV, Speech, 2nd December 2006, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan)

"For century after century, the Arabs, the Persians, the Turks and many other Islamic societies achieved powerful leadership roles in the world—not only politically and economically but also intellectually. Some ill-informed historians and biased commentators have tried to argue that these successes were essentially produced by military power, but this view is profoundly incorrect"(Aga Khan IV, 2nd December 2006, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan)

"The Muslim world, once a remarkable bastion of scientific and humanist knowledge, a rich and self-confident cradle of culture and art, has never forgotten its past.The great Muslim philosopher al-Kindi wrote eleven hundred years ago, "No one is diminished by the truth, rather does the truth ennobles all". That is no less true today"(Aga Khan IV, Speech,1996, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A.)

"From the seventh century to the thirteenth century, the Muslim civilizations dominated world culture, accepting, adopting, using and preserving all preceding study of mathematics, philosophy, medicine and astronomy, among other areas of learning. The Islamic field of thought and knowledge included and added to much of the information on which all civilisations are founded. And yet this fact is seldom acknowledged today, be it in the West or in the Muslim world, and this amnesia has left a six hundred year gap in the history of human thought"(Aga Khan IV, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 1996)

"Above all, following the guidance of the Holy Quran, there was freedom of enquiry and research. The result was a magnificent flowering of artistic and intellectual activity throughout the ummah" (Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan University, 16 March 1983, Karachi, Pakistan)

"One of the first and greatest research centres, the Bayt al-Hikmah established in Baghdad in 830, led Islam in translating philosophical and scientific works from Greek, Roman, Persian and Indian classics. By the art of translation, learning was assimilated from other civilizations"(Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan University, 16 March 1983, Karachi, Pakistan)

"It is no exaggeration to say that the original Christian universities of Latin West, at Paris, Bologna and Oxford, indeed the whole European renaissance, received a vital influx of new knowledge from Islam -- an influx from which the later western colleges and universities, including those of North Africa, were to benefit in turn"(Aga Khan IV, 16 March 1983, Aga Khan UNiversity, Karachi, Pakistan)

"The tapestry of Islamic history is studded with jewels of civilization; these jewels poured forththeir light and beauty; great statesmen, great philosophers, great doctors, great astronomers; but these individuals, these precious stones were worked into a tapestry, whose dominant theme was Islam, and this theme remained dominant regardless of the swallowing up of foreign lands, foreign cultures, foreign languages and foreign people"(Aga Khan IV, 30 Jan 1970, Hyderabad, Pakistan)

The above are 8 quotes and excerpts from Blogpost Four Hundred, a collection of about 100 quotes on the subjects of knowledge, intellect, creation, education, science and religion:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html





1)City of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain: EXCERPTS, PART 1
THE TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE FROM ISLAMIC SPAIN TO EUROPE
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/07/376city-of-light-rise-and-fall-of.html



2)City of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, EXCERPTS PART 2
WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS AND THE CLASSICAL TRADITION
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/07/377city-of-light-rise-and-fall-of.html



3)City of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, EXCERPTS, PART 3
THE HERITAGE OF LEARNING PASSES TO MUSLIM CIVILIZATION
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/07/378city-of-light-rise-and-fall-of.html



4)City of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, EXCERPTS, PART 4
CLASSICAL AND ISLAMIC LEARNING ENTERS EUROPE
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/07/379city-of-light-rise-and-fall-of.html



5)City of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islam in Spain, EXCERPTS, PART 5
SCIENCE IN AL-ANDALUS
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/07/380city-of-light-rise-and-fall-of-islam.html


Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)

Monday, January 12, 2009

437)A Collection of Posts on this Blog about Great Scientists; Quote of Aga Khan IV.

Quote of Aga Khan IV:
"As the Holy Quran so powerfully affirms, “Allah is the Creator and the Master of the heavens and the earth.” And then it continues: “Everything in the heavens and on earth, and everything between them, and everything beneath the soil, belongs to Him.”
But in Islamic thought, as in this building, beauty and mystery are not separated from intellect - in fact, the reverse is true. As we use our intellect to gain new knowledge about Creation, we come to see even more profoundly the depth and breadth of its mysteries. We explore unknown regions beneath the seas - and in outer space. We reach back over hundreds of millions of years in time. Extra-ordinary fossilised geological specimens seize our imagination - palm leaves, amethyst flowers, hedgehog quartz, sea lilies, chrysanthemum and a rich panoply of shells. Indeed, these wonders are found beneath the very soil on which we tread - in every corner of the world - and they connect us with far distant epochs and environments.
And the more we discover, the more we know, the more we penetrate just below the surface of our normal lives - the more our imagination staggers. Just think for example what might lie below the surfaces of celestial bodies all across the far flung reaches of our universe. What we feel, even as we learn, is an ever-renewed sense of wonder, indeed, a powerful sense of awe – and of Divine inspiration.
Using rock crystal’s irridescent mystery as an inspiration for this building does indeed provide an appropriate symbol of the Timelessness, the Power and the Mystery of Allah as the Lord of Creation."(Aga Khan IV, Inaugural of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, Ottawa, Canada, December 6th 2008)




1)Nobel Laureates uncover marvels of Allah's creation: HIV virus, HPV virus, Glowing Proteins, Symmetry, Asymmetry, Matter, Antimatter, Particles.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/10/416nobel-prize-winners-study-marvels-of.html

2)Sorry, Charley: Church Apologizes to Darwin; Natural Selection and a Continuous vs Static Creation; Quotes of Aga Khan IV and Aga Khan III
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/404sorry-charley-church-apologizes-to.html

3)Nima Arkani-Hamed, theoretical physicist, Iranian, American, Canadian: a junior Albert Einstein?
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/05/360nima-arkani-hamed-theoretical.html

4)Excitement mounts as Peter Higgs announces that the discovery of the "God Particle" is at hand; Quotes of Prophet Muhammad, Aga Khans and others.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/04/342excitement-mounts-as-peter-higgs.html

5)20 things you need to know about Albert Einstein, the smartest scientist of the 20th century; Quotes of Aga Khan III.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/31220-things-you-need-to-know-about.html

6)Albert Einstein and Faith; Quote of Aga Khan III.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/311albert-einstein-and-faith-quote-of.html

7)One mega-post, encompassing five regular posts, on the pioneering 9th century Muslim scientist Ibn al-Haytham or Alhazen(965CE to 1039CE).
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/296one-mega-post-encompassing-four.html

8)Abdus Salam: 1979 Nobel laureate in Physics.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/285abdus-salam-1979-nobel-laureate-in.html

9)Sir Isaac Newton: Man of Science and Religion.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/283sir-isaac-newton-man-of-science-and.html

10)Two books about giants of 20th century Physics: Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Wolfgang Pauli, Paul Dirac, Werner Heisenberg; quotes of Aga Khan IV.
http://easynash.blogspot.com/2007/07/218two-books-about-giants-of-20th.html

11)On the verge of discovery of the elusive Higgs particle(boson) or field, which gives matter its property of mass ; will it be the U.S. or Europe?
http://easynash.blogspot.com/2007/07/212on-verge-of-discovery-of-elusive.html

12)Einstein=Genius squared: the man who taught us key insights about the Universal "Soul that sustains, embraces and is the Universe".
http://easynash.blogspot.com/2007/05/178einsteingenius-squared-man-who.html

13)An interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium and author of the Teaching Company course 'My Favourite Universe'.
http://easynash.blogspot.com/2007/02/128an-interview-with-neil-degrasse.html

14)Four giants of 10th to 13th century Science in early Islam:Ibn Sina, Ibn al-Haytham, Ibn Butlan, Nasir al-Din Tusi; more quotes of Aga Khan IV.
http://easynash.blogspot.com/2007/07/219four-giants-of-10th-to-13th-century.html

15)The Full Story; Dr Shaf Keshavjee, Master Surgeon, Brilliant Scientist: The Man Who Gives The Gift Of Breath
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/02/569the-full-story-dr-shaf-keshavjee.html

16)A Magnificently Detailed Interview With Ismaili Astrophysicist Professor Arif Babul By Blogger Simerg; Quotes Of Aga Khans And Others.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/06/485a-magnificently-detailed-interview.html

17)Brilliant, Severely Disabled Scientist Stephen Hawking, Approaching The End Of His Natural Life Span, Rejects Divine Role In Universe's Creation.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/09/648brilliant-severley-disabled.html

18)What A Difference Four Hundred Years Makes: Sir Isaac Newton, Man Of Science AND Religion; Stephen Hawking, Man Of Science NOT Religion.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/09/649what-difference-four-hundred-years.html

19)Stephen Hawking Suggests 'Theory Of Everything' ; Quotes From Blogpost Four Hundred.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/09/652stephen-hawking-suggests-theory-of.html

20)Two Japanese Scientists, A Couple Of Boogers, Claim That Snot Has The Power To Alter Scents; Quotes from Blogpost Four Hundred.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/12/669two-japanese-scientists-couple-of.html

21)University Of Oxford Exhibition Explores Early Islamic Science; Quotes from Blogpost Four Hundred.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2011/01/675university-of-oxford-exhibition.html



Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)

Saturday, January 10, 2009

436)Darth Vader gets tripped up by the Energizer Bunny, who almost gets her head chopped off; It's time for us to embrace 'Ijtihad' says Irshad Manji.

It's time for all of us to embrace ijtihad

IRSHAD MANJI

From Thursday's Globe and Mail
January 8, 2009 at 2:44 AM EST

In Gaza a few years ago, I conducted an on-camera interview with the political leader of Islamic Jihad, Mohammed al-Hindi. With his finely trimmed beard and gracious manners, he symbolized the modern - and moderate - Muslim man.

But his interpretation of the Koran suggested something else. "Where," I asked, "does it say that you can kill yourself for a higher cause? As far as I know, the Koran tells us that suicide is wrong."

Through his translator, the physician assured me that the verses endorsing suicide operations could be found "everywhere" in Islam's holy book. I challenged Dr. al-Hindi to show me just one passage.

After several minutes of reviewing the Koran, then calling for help on his mobile, then looking through companion booklets, he told me he was too busy and must go. "Are you sure you're not pulling a fast one on me?" I asked. He smiled, clearly understanding popular American lingo. "I want to know that you're telling me the truth," I repeated.

Dr. al-Hindi summoned two assistants to the office and made another call. His translator shifted uncomfortably, hanging his head as my camera swung past him to film the assistants. Backs to me, they flipped feverishly through the Koran. Minutes later, they presented a verse glorifying war.

But it had nothing to do with suicide. So I asked Dr. al-Hindi yet again. He said Islam permits defensive aggression. "If a thief comes to your door and steals your money, isn't it legitimate to protect yourself?" he said through the translator.

Still unable to draw the link between self-protection and suicide, I proposed this analogy: "If my boss steals my job and I kill myself because something that is mine has been taken away, am I a martyr?"

Horrified, the translator shook his head. "No, no, you can't ask this."

"Why not?" I wondered. "It's important, theologically, to ask these questions."

At that moment, my camera batteries died. This, the translator whispered, was a better outcome than me dying - which is what Dr. al-Hindi would have arranged if I stayed in his office much longer. The translator and I hurried out.

I'm reminded of this encounter as the world watches another Mideast crisis unfold, and otherwise liberal Muslims fall into the tribal trap of sanitizing Islamic extremism while condemning Israeli actions.

It would be far more helpful - to Palestinians, if nobody else - for Muslims to ask questions out loud. We have relied far too long on self-appointed "higher-ups" to do the interpreting for us. We have given them the ability to abuse passages and power. We Muslims have forgotten Islam's own tradition of independent thinking: ijtihad.

For hundreds of years, three equations have driven mainstream Islamic practice. The rituals vary in Islam's major sects, but the equations themselves apply across the board.

First, unity equals uniformity. In order to be strong, members of the worldwide ummah (Muslim nation) must think alike. Second, debate equals division. Diversity of interpretation is no longer a tribute to God's majesty; it is a threat to the unity that Muslims must exhibit in the face of those intent on dividing us. And third, division equals heresy. Because division is the opposite of uniformity, whatever divides must be prevented. Which means that innovation must be stopped. Which, in turn, means that the spirit of ijtihad must be suppressed.

It is a pattern that persists to this very day. Not long ago, my mother's imam in Vancouver preached that I am a bigger "criminal" than Osama bin Laden because my views on religious reform have caused more "division" among Muslims than al-Qaeda's terrorism has. Apparently, he did not detect the irony in proclaiming that debate is worse than terrorism.

Nor did he see how he damned Muslims by acknowledging that literary expression divides us more than the use of violence does. If ever we have needed to spread the spirit of ijtihad, it is now.

Of course, most people - not just Muslims - could use more independent thinking. This point grabbed me at the Gaza office of Mohammed al-Hindi. As we left, I asked his translator why Dr. al-Hindi would give me an on-camera interview, knowing that he could not find a single verse to prove his claim that the Koran justifies suicide operations.

The translator replied: "He assumed you were just another dumb Western journalist." Reporters from the West had never asked this veteran terrorist the most basic of questions: Where is the evidence for what you do in God's name?

Maybe it's time that the media joined Muslims in embracing ijtihad. I would be happy to supply both groups with security tips.

Irshad Manji, director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University, is author of The Trouble with Islam Today and creator of the documentary Faith Without Fear.


Easy Nash

If there are 23,000 jihadist websites and blogsites out there in cyberspace, there is no reason why we should not create 100,000 non-jihadist websites and blogsites: Easy Nash(2007)

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

435)A collection of posts about life: tiniest matter, supernovae, living cells, water, proteins, blood, photosynthesis, etc;Quotes of Aga Khans+others

As the Holy Quran so powerfully affirms, “Allah is the Creator and the Master of the heavens and the earth.” And then it continues: “Everything in the heavens and on earth, and everything between them, and everything beneath the soil, belongs to Him.”But in Islamic thought, as in this building, beauty and mystery are not separated from intellect - in fact, the reverse is true."(Aga Khan IV, Inaugural of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, Ottawa, Canada, December 6th 2008)

"As we use our intellect to gain new knowledge about Creation, we come to see even more profoundly the depth and breadth of its mysteries. We explore unknown regions beneath the seas - and in outer space. We reach back over hundreds of millions of years in time. Extra-ordinary fossilised geological specimens seize our imagination - palm leaves, amethyst flowers, hedgehog quartz, sea lilies, chrysanthemum and a rich panoply of shells. Indeed, these wonders are found beneath the very soil on which we tread - in every corner of the world - and they connect us with far distant epochs and environments. And the more we discover, the more we know, the more we penetrate just below the surface of our normal lives - the more our imagination staggers. Just think for example what might lie below the surfaces of celestial bodies all across the far flung reaches of our universe. What we feel, even as we learn, is an ever-renewed sense of wonder, indeed, a powerful sense of awe – and of Divine inspiration. Using rock crystal’s irridescent mystery as an inspiration for this building, does indeed provide an appropriate symbol of the Timelessness, the Power and the Mystery of Allah as the Lord of Creation."(Aga Khan IV, Inaugural of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, Ottawa, Canada, December 6th 2008)

"......The Quran tells us that signs of Allah’s Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation - in the heavens and the earth, the night and the day, the clouds and the seas, the winds and the waters...."(Aga Khan IV, Kampala, Uganda, August 22 2007)

"In this context, would it not also be relevant to consider how, above all, it has been the Qur'anic notion of the universe as an expression of Allah's will and creation that has inspired, in diverse Muslim communities, generations of artists, scientists and philosophers? Scientific pursuits, philosophic inquiry and artistic endeavour are all seen as the response of the faithful to the recurring call of the Qur'an to ponder the creation as a way to understand Allah's benevolent majesty. As Sura al-Baqara proclaims: 'Wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah'.The famous verse of 'light' in the Qur'an, the Ayat al-Nur, whose first line is rendered here in the mural behind me, inspires among Muslims a reflection on the sacred, the transcendent. It hints at a cosmos full of signs and symbols that evoke the perfection of Allah's creation and mercy"(Aga Khan IV,Speech, Institute of Ismaili Studies, October 2003, London, U.K.)

"Islamic doctrine goes further than the other great religions, for it proclaims the presence of the soul, perhaps minute but nevertheless existing in an embryonic state, in all existence in matter, in animals, trees, and space itself. Every individual, every molecule, every atom has its own spiritual relationship with the All-Powerful Soul of God"(Memoirs of Aga Khan III, 1954)

"The God of the Quran is the One whose Ayats(Signs) are the Universe in which we live, move and have our being"(Aga Khan III, April 4th 1952)

"Nature is the great daily book of God whose secrets must be found and used for the well-being of humanity"(Aga Khan III, Radio Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan, February 19th 1950)

"Tarkib' is composition as in the compounding of elements in the process of making more complex things, that is, of adding together two things to form a synthesis, a compound. Soul composes in the sense of 'tarkib'; it is the animating force that combines the physical elements of the natural universe into beings that move and act. Incorporating is an especially apt word in this instance. It means to turn something into a body, as in 'composing'. But it is actually the conversion of an intellectual object, a thought, into a physical thing. Soul acts by incorporating reason into physical objects, the natural matter of the universe and all the things composed of it"(Abu Yakub Al-Sijistani,10th century Fatimid Ismaili cosmologist, d971CE, from the book, 'Abu Yakub Al-Sijistani: Intellectual Missionary', by Paul Walker)

The above are 8 quotes and excerpts taken from Blogpost Four Hundred, a collection of about 100 quotes on the subjects of knowledge, intellect, creation, education, science and religion:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html




1)The Particle Zoo: The Building Blocks of All Matter; Quotes of Aga Khans IV and III and others.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/08/393the-particle-zoo-building-blocks-of.html


2)Massive supernova explosion: Source of chemical elements that make up all else in the universe, including living systems; Quotes of Aga Khans. http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/318massive-supernova-explosion-source.html


3)Scientists catch exploding star red-handed in earliest stages recording unexpected burst of invisible X-rays 100 billion times brighter than sun.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/05/363scientists-catch-exploding-star-red.html


4)No. 2, 'Ayats'(Signs) in the Universe series: The miniscule universe inside a living cell.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/275no-2-ayatssigns-in-universe-series.html


5)WATER, Life's Little Essential: Quotes of Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan III and Fatimid Shia Ismaili Muslim cosmologist-philosopher Abu Yakub Al-Sijistani
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/07/381water-lifes-little-essential-quotes.html


6) No. 7: Ayats(Signs) in the Universe series. How are proteins made inside living cells and what does this have to do with religion?
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/282no-7-ayatssigns-in-universe-series.html


7)The Wonders of Blood: the Foundation of our Existence as Multi-Cellular Creatures; Quotes of Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan III and Abu Yakub Al-Sijistani.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/10/418the-wonders-of-blood-foundation-of.html


8)No. 4, 'Ayats'(Signs) in the Universe series. Photosynthesis: Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth....
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/288no-4-ayatssigns-in-universe-series.html


9)The Microscopic Universe within a Cell; Genes and their Sidekicks: Uncovering a Marvel of God's Creation; Quotes of Aga Khan IV and others.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/02/448the-microscopic-universe-within-cell.html


10)Bone, a Masterpiece of Elastic Strength; One of the Many Marvels of God's Creation; Quotes of Aga Khan IV and Others.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/05/478bone-masterpiece-of-elastic-strength.html


11)From Green Leaves To Bird Brains, Biological Systems May Exploit Quantum Phenomena; Quotes Of Noble Quran, Prophet Muhammad, Aga Khans And Others
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/05/479from-green-leaves-to-bird-brains.html


12)'Animal Voyage' by Prince Hussain Aga Khan: A Book On The Natural World To Possess And Savour; Quotes of Aga Khans and Others.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/07/494animal-voyage-by-prince-hussain-aga.html


13)Worried About H1N1 Flu This Fall?First Learn About Your Immune System+Viruses:What Are They Made Of+How Do They Operate?Marvels Of God's Creation.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/07/496worried-about-h1n1-flu-this.html


14)How Cells Work: The Miniscule, Ordered, Dynamic And Thriving Universe Inside A Cell; Quotes of Aga Khan IV and Others.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/07/498how-cells-work-miniscule-ordered.html



Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)

Friday, January 2, 2009

434)Golden Jubilee Quotes of Aga Khan IV on the subjects of Knowledge, Intellect, Creation, Education, Science and Religion, July 11 '07 to Dec 13 '08

"When I invited Professor Maki, a master of form and light, to design this building, I made a suggestion to him - one that I hoped would help connect this place symbolically to the Faith of Islam. The suggestion I made focused on creating a certain mystique, centred around the beautiful mysteries of rock crystal.Why rock crystal? Because of its translucency, its multiple planes, and the fascination of its colours - all of which present themselves differently as light moves around them. The hues of rock crystal are subtle, striking and widely varied - for they can be clear or milky, white, or rose coloured, or smoky, or golden, or black.It is because of these qualities that rock crystal seems to be such an appropriate symbol of the profound beauty and the ever-unfolding mystery of Creation itself – and the Creator. As the Holy Quran so powerfully affirms, “Allah is the Creator and the Master of the heavens and the earth.” And then it continues: “Everything in the heavens and on earth, and everything between them, and everything beneath the soil, belongs to Him.”But in Islamic thought, as in this building, beauty and mystery are not separated from intellect - in fact, the reverse is true."(Aga Khan IV, Inaugural of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, Ottawa, Canada, December 6th 2008)

"As we use our intellect to gain new knowledge about Creation, we come to see even more profoundly the depth and breadth of its mysteries. We explore unknown regions beneath the seas - and in outer space. We reach back over hundreds of millions of years in time. Extra-ordinary fossilised geological specimens seize our imagination - palm leaves, amethyst flowers, hedgehog quartz, sea lilies, chrysanthemum and a rich panoply of shells. Indeed, these wonders are found beneath the very soil on which we tread - in every corner of the world - and they connect us with far distant epochs and environments. And the more we discover, the more we know, the more we penetrate just below the surface of our normal lives - the more our imagination staggers. Just think for example what might lie below the surfaces of celestial bodies all across the far flung reaches of our universe. What we feel, even as we learn, is an ever-renewed sense of wonder, indeed, a powerful sense of awe – and of Divine inspiration. Using rock crystal’s irridescent mystery as an inspiration for this building, does indeed provide an appropriate symbol of the Timelessness, the Power and the Mystery of Allah as the Lord of Creation.What we celebrate today can thus be seen as a new creative link between the spiritual dimensions of Islam and the cultures of the West. Even more particularly, it represents another new bridge between the peoples of Islam and the peoples of Canada"(Aga Khan IV, Inaugural of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, Ottawa, Canada, December 6th 2008)

"World and faith are inseparable in Islam. Faith and learning are also profoundly interconnected. The Holy Qur’an sees the discovery of knowledge as a spiritual responsibility, enabling us to better understand and more ably serve God’s creation. Our traditional teachings remind us of our individual obligation to seek knowledge unto the ends of the earth - and of our social obligation to honor and nurture the full potential of every human life."(Aga Khan IV, May 2oth 2008, Dhaka, Bangladesh)

"....And should'nt IB science students not learn about Ibn al-Haytham, the Muslim scholar who developed modern optics, as well as his predecessors Euclid and Ptolemy, whose ideas he challenged.....The legacy which I am describing actually goes back more than a thousand years, to the time when our forefathers, the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs of Egypt, founded Al-Azhar University and the Academy of Knowledge in Cairo. For many centuries, a commitment to learning was a central element in far-flung Islamic cultures. That commitment has continued in my own Imamat through the founding of the Aga Khan University and the University of Central Asia and through the recent establishment of a new Aga Khan Academies Program."(Aga Khan IV, "The Peterson Lecture" on the International Baccalaureate, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 18 April 2008)

"The United States' position as a world leader, in my view, grows directly out of its accomplishments as a Knowledge Society - and this Knowledge - rightly applied - can continue to be a resource of enormous global value"(Aga Khan IV, Austin, Texas, USA, 12 April 2008)

"First, the globalisation of the knowledge of the cultures of the Umma is critical. We have to make known the cultural inheritance of the Muslims to the non-Muslim as well as the Muslim parts of the world because we will never succeed in building the respect and recognition that the Umma deserves unless we present the Umma as a remarkable carrier of civilisation.The misconceptions about Islam and Muslims in the West exist because we are, even today, absent from the global civilisation. We should encourage the Western education system to bring in knowledge of the civilisation of Islam into the secondary education system.I am thrilled with the initiative that Dubai and other states in the Gulf are taking by creating museums. Retracing our historical legacies and bringing them back in the modern world is extremely important."(Aga Khan IV, Interview with Gulf News, Dubai, UAE, April 2008)

"The spirit of Islam is to share knowledge and I always tell the community not to think in material terms. Think in terms of knowledge and think what you can offer our institutions in various parts of the world. Raise our performance in healthcare, education, financial services and in civil society. Many minorities from the Middle East countries are living in the West. Just think how wonderful it would be if young women and men return to their respective countries to strengthen institutions and do voluntary work for their countries."(Aga Khan IV, Interview with Gulf News, Dubai, UAE, April 2008)

"The second great historical lesson to be learnt is that the Muslim world has always been wide open to every aspect of human existence. The sciences, society, art, the oceans, the environment and the cosmos have all contributed to the great moments in the history of Muslim civilisations. The Qur’an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God’s creation"(Closing Address by His Highness Aga Khan IV at the "Musée-Musées" Round Table Louvre Museum, Paris, France, October 17th 2007)

"......The Quran tells us that signs of Allah’s Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation - in the heavens and the earth, the night and the day, the clouds and the seas, the winds and the waters...."(Aga Khan IV, Kampala, Uganda, August 22 2007)

"....in Islam, but particularly Shia Islam, the role of the intellect is part of faith. That intellect is what seperates man from the rest of the physical world in which he lives.....This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives. Of that I am certain"(Aga Khan IV, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, August 17th 2007)

“Parts of the Ummah are concerned about the relationship between Muslims and the contemporary knowledge society, which is now principally rooted in the West. It is my deepest conviction, my deepest conviction, that we must make that knowledge society our own, in keeping with the Alid tradition towards the intellect, but always doing so within the ethics of our faith. Thus, I have sought from my Jamat your Nazrana of time and knowledge.”(Aga Khan IV, Paris, France, July 11th 2007)


The above 11 quotes and excerpts are taken from Blogpost Four Hundred, which is a collection of about 100 quotes on the subjects of knowledge, intellect, creation, education, science and religion:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html


Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)