The Light English Edition December 2017 issue

December 2017 The
Light 12
World Bank figures, but in most of the Middle
East, it is far lower.
In the UAE, for example, the figure in 2015
was 0.87 per cent of GDP, while in Saudi Arabia,
it was 0.82 per cent in 2013, the most recent
year for which data is published. In Kuwait,
2013’s figure was just 0.30 per cent, while
Oman recorded 0.25 per cent in 2015.
Many other Arab countries, especially those
in turmoil because of conflict, have much lower
R&D spending. However, investments in R&D in
the Arab world are increasing, with the UAE’s
2015 figure almost double that of four years
earlier, while in Saudi Arabia there was a 10-
fold increase in research and development
spending between 2003 and 2013. Spending
worldwide has increased much more modestly,
from 1.97 per cent of GDP in 2015 to 2.23 per
cent in 2015.
When it comes to understanding why the
Muslim world fell behind at the end of the Islamic
Golden Age, Prof Ezzine says that three
factors should be considered. He describes
them as “the rulers, the religious and the rationalists”,
which equates to religion, politics and
science. Understanding how those in power regarded
science helps to explain trends.
Among the key historical figures is Al Ghazali,
a Persian philosopher born in the 11th century.
“He refused the existence of cause and effect
outside the divine will,” said Prof Ezzine,
who shares the view of many observers that Al
Ghazali limited scientific progress in the Islamic
world.
Although the Marrakesh-born 12th-century
polymath Averroes forcefully took a different
view in his writings, defending the philosophy
of the likes of Aristotle against attacks by Al
Ghazali, Prof Ezzine feels that the course had
been set. “It was extremely difficult to rebound
I Shall Love All Mankind.
from Al Ghazali’s spell,” he said. It was, he says,
“the interaction between the church, the scientists
and the politicians” that enabled the West
to pull ahead after a long period of trailing the
Muslim world.
While researchers will continue to have different
interpretations of why the Islamic
world’s pre-eminence in science was lost, Prof
Ezzine is clear that the achievements of the Islamic
Golden Age are often inadequately recognised.
He cites Ibn Khaldun, an Arab intellectual
born in Tunis in 1332 whose writings covered
many subjects. Prof Ezzine says that much of
what was written by Adam Smith, the Scottish
author of the highly influential The Wealth of
Nations, was influenced by Ibn Khaldun.
“The western world took a lot from that period,”
he said. “He came at the end of the Golden
Age, but he’s also a modern man. He came at the
junction between the end of the Golden Age and
the beginning of the modern age, so he’s a great
witness to this metamorphosis, a must to read.”
Prof Ezzine says that new areas of science
can offer insights into historical events and
could encourage better outcomes in the modern
world.
“It’s a very, very wide problem and there’s a
need to do something much deeper … [to] analyse
things in an objective scientific manner using
the new sciences of psycho-cognition, complex
dynamic systems and other new fields to
[develop] more relevant conclusions,” said Prof
Ezzine.
“The objective is to reignite the practice of
science in the Muslim world for the benefit of
Muslims and the rest of the world and for peace
on Earth.” (Return_to content)
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