The religious state of Islamic science
Turkish-American physicist Taner Edis explains why science in Muslim lands remains stuck in the past -- and why the Golden Age of Mesopotamia wasn't so golden after all.
By Steve Paulson
In October, Malaysia's first astronaut will join a Russian crew and blast off into space. The news of a Muslim astronaut was cause for celebration in the Islamic world, but then certain questions started popping up. How will he face Mecca during his five daily prayers while his space ship is whizzing around the Earth? How can he hold the prayer position in zero gravity? Such concerns may sound absurd to us, but the Malaysian space chief is taking them quite seriously. A team of Muslim scholars and scientists has spent more than a year drawing up an Islamic code of conduct for space travel.
This story illustrates the obstacles that face scientists in Muslim countries. While it's always risky to draw generalizations about Islam, even conservative Muslims admit that the Islamic world lags far behind the West in science and technology. This is a big problem for Muslims who envy the economic and military power of the United States.
What's so striking about the Muslim predicament is that the Islamic world was once the unrivaled center of science and philosophy.
While I don't unnecessarily, have any problem with this in this particular case because it is kind of an interesting predicament. I dunno, maybe a crew mate can hold a foot and spin him around while he prays.
The main thing about this story that really bothers me is the way Muslim's can't figure out the simplest things themselves. Don't believe me? Go here to "Ask the Imam" and peruse the littlest things these people worry about doing wrong and offending allah.
If there is anything a person can do, you had better ASK THE IMAM before you do it or your going to hell because you forgot to wash your feet first.
I think Christianity has a leg up here, There are 10 rules to follow, easy to remember and while not always easy, really not to hard to follow
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