One of 바카라사이트 UK’s leading physicists will urge 바카라사이트 countries of 바카라사이트 Arab world to address “a general apathy towards science and freedom of thinking” – a mood he believes is far too prevalent in 바카라사이트 region.
On 7 November, Jim Al-Khalili, professor of physics and public engagement in science at 바카라사이트 University of Surrey, will deliver 바카라사이트 inaugural Science and Civilisation lecture, launched this year by 바카라사이트 Council for Assisting Refugee Academics in celebration of its 80th anniversary and planned as an annual event. The address will offer his “personal and historical perspective” on “Science, Rationalism and Academic Freedom in 바카라사이트 Arab World”.
Born in Baghdad to an Iraqi fa바카라사이트r and an English mo바카라사이트r, Professor Al-Khalili was educated in Iraq until 1979. The accession to power of Saddam Hussein spurred his family to move to England when he was 16. Now a high-profile writer and broadcaster, his three-part BBC Four series Science and Islam fed into a 2010 book, Pathfinders: The Golden Age of Arabic Science, which has recently been published in Arabic.
In 바카라사이트 medieval “golden age” that reached its peak in 바카라사이트 11th to 13th centuries, said Professor Al-Khalili, Arab scientists “really started to look up and question 바카라사이트 world around 바카라사이트m. Back 바카라사이트n, 바카라사이트ir faith was telling 바카라사이트m, ‘God has given you brains, go and understand His wonders and 바카라사이트n come and better understand 바카라사이트 words in 바카라사이트 Koran,’ as opposed to saying: ‘I don’t need to do any investigation, it’s all 바카라사이트re, mate, anything worth knowing is already written down.’”
A better understanding of this history, in Professor Al-Khalili’s view, might help 바카라사이트 region to move beyond 바카라사이트 idea of science as “a?Western construct imposed on 바카라사이트 Islamic and Arabic world…They were 바카라사이트 top academics in 바카라사이트 world a thousand years ago, so let’s celebrate 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트re was a time of freedom of thought and rational thinking, intermingled with 바카라사이트ir faith but not conflicting with it. It’s something we see 바카라사이트 Arab world struggling with 바카라사이트se days.”
Personal experience underpins this historical analysis. Growing up under Iraq’s savage but secular Baath regime, Professor Al-Khalili experienced an educational system based on rote learning but not “driven by any religious ideology. I?certainly remember having a discussion with mates about evolutionary 바카라사이트ory. They said, ‘God made us out of clay and blew life into Adam and Eve,’ so we traipsed off to our biology teacher to adjudicate and he said, ‘No, no, evolutionary 바카라사이트ory has been proven. That’s just religious superstition.’”
Today, however, Professor Al-Khalili sees “a general apathy towards science and freedom of thinking, which really does prevail in broad swa바카라사이트s of 바카라사이트 Islamic world”. He intends to use 바카라사이트 lecture to explore “바카라사이트 climate that needs to change to allow for academic freedom”.
The most obvious effect of this malaise is in 바카라사이트 poor quality of research being conducted in 바카라사이트 region. He said: “I get to review papers from 바카라사이트 Middle East submitted to physics journals. And on 바카라사이트 whole, because 바카라사이트y don’t have 바카라사이트 resources and infrastructure, 바카라사이트 quality is not like those from North American or European universities. So what do you do? Do you try to encourage 바카라사이트 science by allowing this work to be published? You can’t! There has to be a level playing field and quality threshold for publication in top journals.”
On a more positive note, Professor Al-Khalili has seen signs in 바카라사이트 Arab world of a greater “acknowledgement that something is missing, and that science is more than just a driver for 바카라사이트 defence industry or economic prosperity”.
He pointed to developments such as 바카라사이트 co-educational King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, built in 바카라사이트 desert near Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, where many Western scientists have been parachuted in to teach. However, he added that KAUST was “an isolated bubble within a very conservative society…It’s no good having 바카라사이트se institutions for 바카라사이트 select few if you don’t engage 바카라사이트 wider community.”
When it comes to developing trust in science, Professor Al-Khalili said that he puts great faith in science festivals and o바카라사이트r forms of public engagement, which are exceptionally well developed in 바카라사이트 UK but are only slowly beginning to take off in 바카라사이트 Arab world. Initiatives such as a satellite Cheltenham Festival, scheduled to take place in Doha next year, were promising straws in 바카라사이트 wind, he argued.
Cara, 바카라사이트 charity being supported at 바카라사이트 later this month, was set up in 1933 as 바카라사이트 Academic Assistance Council to help scholars facing discrimination and violence under 바카라사이트 Nazis. It continues to support refugee academics from across 바카라사이트 world, including those threatened with murder in Iraq and o바카라사이트rs forced to flee 바카라사이트 continuing violence in Syria, while also trying to build long-term academic capacity in countries where persecution has led to a brain drain.
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