Why are Muslim nations so conspicuously under-represented in science?

Question

Or is this a fallacy?

Answer 1

For the same reason Africans, Tibetans, and Puerto Ricans are.

Their countries are riddled with conflict. They don't have a functional education system, let alone any scientific institutions.

And no, that isn't a racist thing to say. There was a point in time when Europeans occupied the same place that Muslim nations occupy today: poor, war-torn tyrants. Meanwhile Muslim nations, during that time, were the most scientifically advanced nations on earth.

And I'm sure a time will come when that is true again.

Answer 2

A lack of freedom in the religion will translate into a lack of free inquiry as well.

And stop saying the Muslims were "advanced" in the past. The truth is more mixed. If you venerate advanced knowledge in a society but ignore the tyranny of that society, you might as well live in Nazi Germany, a place of fabulous technological development...

While it is true the Muslims preserved some Greek texts, any Greek pictorial content that was not abstract was systematically expunged. We have geometry diagrams from the Greeks, but a biology text describing species of birds was totally expunged of the original Greek drawings because of Muslim superstitions against representing anything alive. Now we can't understand what the species were that the Greeks gave names to, since their pictures were censored. You could also expect no great art or sculpture from an Islamic society for the same reason. Opinion was mixed at different Islamic times and places, since Islam was subject to local interpretation, but it was still pretty restricted if you wanted to be an artist. Think about it.

Plus, there are extremist Afrocentrist activists who claim the grandeur and advancement of the European civilization was funded on African gold and the exploitation of the resources and people of the Africans, who stayed poor. An intriguing theory, IF TRUE. But what about Muslims? They funded their vast Islamic Empire by conquering and ravening other countries and forcing everyone to convert and speak Arabic and shipping gold back to their capitals. Sumptuous palaces and private-sector libraries could be built, and then proto-universities attracting scholars from all over the Islamic world and even a few foreigners, but it was funded by North African and European gold and resources. The odd European scholar, unable to do his thing because his corner of Europe was laid waste by the Muslims, might end up in the Caliph's think-tank in Baghdad just because he had nowhere else to be an intellectual. Why glorify technological advancement done through plunder?

Answer 3

I know that there are Muslims that excel in medicine. For example, the Egyptians have always (since ancient times) been known for their doctors. Modern Egyptian doctors, who are mostly Muslim, are no exception.

When I took a religion and science course in college, I recall reading documents by some Muslims in addition to Christians, Jews, Agnostics, and Atheists.

Also, keep in mind that if it wasn't for the Muslims, we would no longer have the writing of ancient scientists and philosophers. When the Christians destroyed the knowledge from the Pagan past, the Muslims preserved the documents, which we now have copies of again!

Answer 4

Maybe, like Dark-age Christians, today's Muslims believe that God is in complete control of nature. I'm guessing that could be an important impediment.

Also, as Islam becomes more conservative, arguing that something happens because of natural forces might be considered heresy.

Just throwing it out there, don't shoot.

Answer 5

Modern Islam is not exactly a religion that promotes free thinking as required in science. To be fair, Islam did have a scientific golden age a thousand years ago. Unfortunately, it is now dead and buried.

Answer 6

i had a muslim woman from pakistan tell me that in her country evolution and stuff like that isnt taught there and some muslims from pakistan have told me if you want a good education go to europe or america

Answer 7

their scholars have been murdered by their "brethren" ancients were well versed in science and math. but most of those nations were never "muslim" to begin with. they were taken over by the sword and whole libraries were burned down. their scholarship went with it.

what do you expect from a group of people whose sole purpose is to daily plot the deaths of others who don't agree with you?