For the Eighth Malaysia Plan, efforts with regard to science and technology (S&T) were focused on strengthening science capability and capacity to support productivity and improve competitiveness. In this regard, considering the increasingly challenging and competitive global environment, the Ninth Plan was designed to harness science, technology and innovation (STI) as a key driver in raising national capacity to acquire and utilize knowledge and foster innovation.
The increase in national gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) from RM1.7 billion in 2000 to RM3.4 billion in 2005 at an average annual rate of 2.8 per cent indicates that R&D was given priority. The Intensification of Research in Priority Areas (IRPA) already approved funded a total of 2,139 projects during the Plan’s period valued at RM836.9 million. These projects also provided opportunities for educational advancement and succeeded in producing 92 Doctor’s of Philosophy (PhD) and 338 Masters graduates. In addition, those projects enhanced the capabilities of 765 research staff in new and emerging technologies.
On the other hand, how can Islamic Institutions contribute to the Ninth Malaysia Plan (RMK-9) if their mentality is not driven by science and technology? Who can speak, write or generate ideas on science and technology from an Islamic perspective if knowledge concerned with how science and religion are intimately connected, is largely vacuous?
Allah has not only created man to be defined by reason but He has also made the pursuit of knowledge an obligation. Nearly one-eighth of the Quran or approximately 750 verses exhort the believers to study His creation. In this regard, science is the phenomenological study of creation. On the other hand, technology is an applied phase and may be antithetical to Islamic tenets of faith. Therefore technology is very much dependant upon the purpose of science. Here, scientists should be guided by Islamic values defined by the Quran and Sunnah, particularly if the hadhari approach for scientific development in a Muslim country is subscribed to.
When technologies were applied by Muslim Scientists, their approach employed both inductive and deductive reasoning. Emphasis on experimentation and observation were to comprehend and verify reason; this was somewhat original in character as far as the Muslim contribution to science.
In reality, the concept of science and technology from an Islamic perspective is the process of human development. This concept concerns the interconnections between technological advance and moral dynamism, which provides a conceptual framework in linking R&D to societal and consequently civilizational advance. This then is the basis for the implementation of R&D policies.
In line with the Second Science and Technology Policy (STP2) and the Second Industrial Master Plan (IMP2), emphasis was given to capacity reinforcement of key technologies, particularly in biotechnology, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, aerospace-related technology and nanotechnology. The intention of this Plan is to develop an appropriate scientific capacity and to realize socio-economic development. This would require the creation of a dedicated intellectual, analytical and institutional capability, focused on understanding the dynamics of science in tandem with the moral dynamism derived from an understanding of the worldview.
Recognising the potential impact of nanotechnology on a wide range of industries, efforts were focused on capacity building in nano-science and nanotechnology research. What is nanotechnology? Nanotechnology is a technological development on the nanometer scale, usually 0.1 to 100 nm (1/1,000 mm or 1/1,000,000 mm). A possible way to interpret this size is to take the width of a hair, and imagine something ten thousand times smaller.
Nanotechnology is expected to have an impact on nearly every industry. The U.S national Science Foundation has predicted that the global market for nanotechnologies will reach $ 1 trillion or more within 20 years. The research community is actively pursuing hundreds of applications in nanomaterials, nanoelectronics and bionanotechnology.
Nanotechnology covers a wide range of industries, and therefore the potential benefits are also great. Telecommunication and information technology could benefit in terms of faster computer and advanced data storage. Healthcare could see improvements in skin care and protection, advanced pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems, biocompatible materials, nerve and tissue repair and cancer treatments.
Polymer engineering is destined to be a very important field of research in the future due to developments in nanotechnology. Researchers at the University of Freiburg, Germany, have made a nanoparticle-containing polymer network that can act against microscopic organisms in several ways. The material repels bacteria and other microbes, releases a biocide and can also kill the organism on contact.
The idea for nanotechnology came from Nobel laureate Richard Feynman in a 1959 speech entitled “There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom”. Feynman posed this question; “We can write the Lord’s prayer on the head of a pin… why cannot we write the entire 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britanica on the head of a pin”?
Nanotechnology starts at the bottom and grows one atom at a time. Indeed ‘bottom-up’ manufacturing contradicts traditional manufacturing, which starts from the top and works its way down to a finished product. During the manufacturing process rejected or wasted material will be produced. Aside from making things that are very small, nanotechnology promises, “absolutely perfect copies” of a device or no waste resulting from the manufacturing process.
In conclusion, advancements in technology can influence people to change their lifestyle and also the way they think. We need to ask therefore, is there a need for those in Islamic Institutions to change their mentality? Remember, some aspects of halal and haram also depend on technology, for example; halal products such as cosmetics, certain foods and ingredients. Only those authorised and possessed of true knowledge may best explain the impact of certain technologies. One only concerned with the prohibitions contained in the letter of the Shariah, without comprehending the purpose of science as defined by the term ‘ilm, cannot be relied upon to realise civilisational advance .
Sadly, in some Muslim countries today, if a potential scientist working at an Islamic Institution wishes to further his/her education in Polymer Engineering for example, he/she may be considered un-Islamic simply because those who assume to be authoritative are in actual fact ignorant of science (‘ilm). Islamic Institutions today, are both encouraged and required to employ staff from various backgrounds and disciplines in order for them to compete not only at a regional or local arena, but for them to also have the ability to contribute on a global scale. By being multi-lingual and knowledgeable will also enhance and enrich Islamic Institutions of learning affording them the recognition of the world.