THE conference on science and technology held from Oct 7 to 10 during the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) Summit in Putrajaya was successful but a few things have to be considered due to the challenges of globalisation.
The OIC conference on science and technology was organised with the intention of bringing together the member states of the OIC, the scientific community, private and public sectors and the academia to interact and address issues such as innovation, framework on technology management and industrialisation in Islamic countries.
Nowadays, while knowledge has become the main driving force of world economies, most OIC members still have low investments in education and scientific research.
For example, the Muslim world has only about 550 universities in 57 countries compared to over 1,000 universities in Japan alone.
The Muslim world has some 70% of the world’s oil and gas reserves but OIC countries spend only 0.1% to 0.2% of their very small gross domestic product on scientific research but up to seven per cent on defence. Why?
This was highlighted by Professor Atta-ur-Rahman, chairman of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and co-ordinator-general of the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Co-operation in his paper: “Science and Technology and Industrialisation in Muslim Countries: Globalisation – Survival and Destiny.”
The Muslim world with a population of 1.3 billion has only 226 scientists and engineers per one million people.
This is not enough by the year 2050 to support research on biotechnology, information technology, material science and pharmaceuticals.
What is the Muslim world doing to produce the skilled scientists needed by 2050? Locally, independent scientists
have difficulty getting funds.
This is what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad was trying to highlight when he said “banks and financial institutions must change their ways of evaluating new inventions and ideas to allow new technologies
to develop,” (The Star, Oct 12).
He added: “Although they are so-called venture capitalists, they are still careful about investing. We don’t have the culture yet and banks loan money on the basis of collateral and the collaterals are sometimes more than 100% of the money lent.”
This is a very important statement on science and technology by our Prime Minister. The banking culture today
is looking at short-term profits and security of the depositors and worrying about how much money the bank could get back without caring what would happen to the next generation in terms of scientific and technological development.
In the banking system, values do not seem to be practised anymore. In the end, the rich become richer by manipulating the borrowers but to the scientists what is most important is knowledge and how to make that knowledge useful for the community and to develop the country through science and technology.
Scientists humbly spend their whole lives in the laboratory, hunting and sharing knowledge and thinking of how to contribute to the world.
In my experience, while my findings on the use of synthetic wood were recognised by the International Inventions and Innovations in Geneva, Switzerland and received an award of a silver medal and a certificate in April, the banks were still afraid to finance the project for commercialisation.
Synthetic wood would, in my findings, replace natural wood by 2050 because our tropical rainforests need re-planting.
Synthetic wood offers several advantages. It is made from rice husk and sawdust. It is fire-retardant and anti-fungal, has adjustable weight, looks like wood and costs half the price of natural wood.
There is a huge demand from foreign countries to finance the project and have the technology transferred overseas. This is the culture of the banking system in Malaysia but banks forget that financing researchers is regarded as fi sabillilah (doing deeds in the name of Allah).
Furthermore, there is fear among Muslims in the country that science and technology would undermine their faith
and they regard these subjects as secular.
They think they should only study religion and many parents take their children out of national schools to study in religious schools.
As our Prime Minister said again, “someone might throw a nuclear bomb on the Muslims so that they may not be born.”
Science actually makes us closer to Allah. The greater our knowledge is, the more we will realise Allah is the Great Creator and how tiny we are.
Each basic theory in the Quran is true and there is no doubt. Why don’t the Muslim scientists dig all the secrets of the universe in the Al-Quran? Muslims can practise the contents of the Quran concerning the Islamic rules but how do we act when the verses tell us about science and technology, such as Yasin verses 36-40 which clearly say that each thing is created in pairs?
These verses also tell about the circulation of the moon and the sun.
“Glory to God, Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge. “And a sign for them is the night: We withdraw there from the day and behold they are plunged in darkness. And the sun runs his course for a period determined for him; that is the decree of (Him), the Exalted in Might, the All-knowing.
“And the moon, We have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date stalk. It is not permitted to the sun to catch up the moon nor can the night outstrip the day, each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to law).
Is it enough for us to read, memorise or contest the verses during the Musabaqah Al-Quran (Quran reading competition) every year or can we ponder further?