One fails to understand the motives of a few clerics who consider science to be in conflict with religion. The reality is that science is man’s evolutionary achievement to discover only a part of what Almighty Allah created. The Black Holes existed when the universe was created, but it took researchers and scientists hundreds of years to discover one of the secrets of nature. The development of printing press, microphone etc were resisted by church and clerics.
Muslim scholars contributed for development in the science of Astronomy, using it to navigate oceans. Man has landed on the moon and managed to land a module on Mars, all due to centuries of research. Science has found out the pattern in which Moon orbits, yet we in Pakistan continue to debate about its timing. The Islamic Calendar is Lunar based and astronomy has developed to such an extent that exact time at which new Moon occurs at the given latitude and longitude and time elapsed when it will be visible to the naked eye can be found. To view the moon with naked eye requires perfect eyesight and no clouds nor a layer of pollution which can mar its view.
Unfortunately, instead of focusing on research and investment in human resource development through education and making them aware of harmony between science and religion as emphasized by Quaid, the citizens were led astray. Those who took over the State after Quaid’s unfortunate demise chose to exploit and manipulate religion for usurping power, distorting the concept of jihad to fight proxy wars and promoting illiteracy. Today we are the only country in the Muslim World where we cannot even celebrate Eid together and campaigns can be launched against Polio Vaccination. The State has abrogated its constitutional obligation to subsidise education and instead allowed thousands of Madrassahs to emerge where students are not taught science or mathematics etc.
MALIK TARIQ,
Lahore, June 3.