There is an ancient saying. “Keep the Qur’an in the right hand and science in the left.” On the surface this saying implies a distinct division between Islam and science. Looking deeper, we realize that the right is the dominant hand. So while Muslims study science, they should always look back and defer to the Qur’an. What science cannot answer will be found in the Qur’an. Allah is Supreme.
What is the reality for today’s American Muslims? Where do modern Muslims stand on evolution or the big bang theory? Do today’s Muslims keep a strict division between their faith and science? The answers to those questions are unknown.
With the exception of small academic circles, little is known about how modern Muslims reconcile faith and science. The Muslim world has produced brilliant engineers, doctors, and scientists but very little discussion about the relationship between Islam and science. The centuries long dialogue among Christians about the ethics of science, its history, and philosophy never took place among Muslims. It has been stymied by an Islamist educational system and by modernist leaders who thought Islam can handle science better than Christianity. Discussing Islam’s position on theories like evolution or the big bang theory is considered taboo. Recently, a British imam, Dr Usama Hasan, was forced to retract his claims that Islam is compatible with Darwin’s theory of evolution after receiving death threats (The Independent 03/05/11). When informed of our project idea, even AIC’s Iraq office staff looked a bit askance at the idea. In addition, to the lack of research, there is a dearth of research. In 2009, the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press surveyed 2000 people on their views about life’s origins and development. Responses were analyzed by level of education, race, religion, and other factors. Only 8 of those surveyed were Muslim. Muslims are often overlooked.
There is a major vacuum in the intellectual life of today’s Muslim communities. We see this vacuum in young American Muslims. These young Muslims are a new generation born in the United States, achieved a secular education, grew up hearing all sorts of debates about the intersections of science and Christianity and probably studied the Scopes trial in their high school history classes. What about Islam? What about their faith? These young American Muslims are trying to reconcile their faith with modern science. There are no venues to explore their questions. Some believe Islam is at a turning point where it must confront science and modernity openly much like the open discussion among Christians. Now, in the last decade, we are seeing the nascence of a new movement one that is questioning the role Islam and faith plays in science. We need to bring this debate out of the academic circles and into the public sphere. Otherwise, we miss valuable insights into the world, and we all suffer for it.
Do Muslims keep science and their faith separate or is there a god centric view of science? Testing Faith, a Dialogue Series on science and today’s Muslim communities poses that big question. AIC will create what is arguably the first public dialogues exploring the intersections of science and Islam and arguably the first comparative analysis highlighting the diversity of belief. Hosting renowned scholars and panelists from the scientific community whose careers have moved them decidedly towards or away from religion will expose the audience to the many ways science and religion can influence each other. Not only will these differences be reflected by panelists but also by the audiences, who will be able to interact with each other live through the Internet. This dynamism will be explored in a report investigating the forces at work in Muslim communities.
