Just one year after the tragic events of 9/11 a dialogue was held in Granada, Spain. It was the inaugural meeting which sought to bring together the different ideologies under a programme entitled Dialogues: Islamic World–US–the West. The programme itself was conceived in the aftermath of 9/11 to entertain discussions concerning the relationship between Islam…
Recently, we have heard of Thailand’s intentions of opting for nuclear energy to accommodate its energy needs. Thailand has for the first time included nuclear power as an option for its long-term energy plans, despite worries concerning the environment and that the unclear plants could become targets of international terrorism. As a member of ASEAN,…
About a month ago, I was invited to deliver a brief talk on the topic of the Universe being the Created Book, which is one of the constitutive, conceptual elements of the Worldview of Islam. As expected, just like what had subsequently happened in many of my other lectures on some such elements, a question…
Last Tuesday (08.05.07), I attended a roundtable discussion regarding the ongoing jurisdictional conflict between the Malaysian civil and Syariah courts at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Many issues and concerns were raised, and suggestions to address the situation were made accordingly. Some recommendations seemed plausible but when it came to practical amicable resolutions, none…
As biotechnology develops at a rapid pace, genetic engineering has been proposed as a means of improving the various aspects of life. This includes the agriculture biotechnology especially in crop production. Rice is one of the examples and currently, the developing countries have been urged to facilitate the adoption of genetically engineered (GE) rice. Why?…
This is the real question which needs to be addressed, not the question of whether or not the syari’ah court has jurisdiction over non-Muslims. Let us settle the issue of what it takes to be a Muslim, rather than occupy ourselves with the business of converting others to what appears to be a great number…
To many followers of the world’s major religions, the idea of self-examination is by no means novel. Among those who are philosophically and historically more alert, Socrates is best known for having made an apt remark, “Life unexamined is not worth living.” Muslims, by and large, have so often heard the dictum “Examine yourselves before…
The concept of using vegetable as fuel dates back to 1985 when Dr Rudolf Diesel developed the first diesel engine to run on vegetable oil. He demonstrated his engine at the world exhibition in Paris in 1900 and described an experiment using peanut oil as fuel in his engine. However, transesterification of vegetable oil was…
It has been widely accepted that science, whether understood in a specific modern sense to refer to any division of the natural sciences or construed in a broad sense to cover any organized knowledge and discipline of study, is an integral component of any civilization. As a matter of fact, the flourishing of science in…
The mosque has been a very important institution in Islam from the very beginning of its history. In fact the mosque was the first institution established by the Prophet, even before entering the city of Yathrib, later renamed Madinah. What makes a mosque is not the building but the purpose of its existence. The original…
