"Islam v. Science"

Christians in America aren't the only ones having a hard time reconciling religion and science. Rather than rehash debates about stem-cell research or "intelligent design," why not explore something different?

"Islam v. Science: Are Muslim Beliefs Compatible with Critical Inquiry? A New Study is Sparking Debate," by Jay Tolson, U.S. News and World Report, September 10, 2007 (v. 143, no. 8), pp. 48-49.

"Almost every standard world history textbook celebrates Islam's golden age of science. Between the ninth and 13th centuries [Europe's Dark Ages], Muslim scholars not only translated great works of Greek medicine, mathematics, and science but also pushed the frontiers of discovery in all those areas.... Then, toward the end of the 13th century, something mysterious happened: The scientific spirit seemed to die almost completely.... [Today, t]hroughout the Muslim world, there is a widespread suspicion that science is heresy--or at least those parts of science that cannot be used, or twisted, to support literalist interpretations of Islamic scriptures. Needless to say, this suspicion has received support from other varieties of religious fundamentalism, including the Christian and Hindu ones" (pp. 48-49).

This article references a report on the state of scientific inquiry in the Muslim world in the August issue of Physics Today (pp.49-55), by the distinguished Pakistani scientist Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy, chair of the physics department at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad.

Current issues of U.S. News and World Report available in the library. Also online (Penn State only). The Physics Today article, "Science and the Islamic World--The Quest for Rapprochement," is currently available from the publisher for free. Penn State students may also obtain a copy at the library.

Search the Encyclopedia of Islam or consult the History of Science subject guide for more. (Penn State only)