MAHATHIR CALLS ON MUSLIMS TO MASTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NILAI (Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia), Aug 9 (Bernama) -- Former prime minister
Dr Mahathir Mohamad said one of the reasons for the Muslim community to be weak
today was their failure in fulfilling their religious obligation of seeking
knowledge, especially in science and technology.

He said Muslims were required to have basic knowledge of Islam but not all
had to study it too deeply as they were also required to master other
disciplines.

"Mastering science, physics and mathematics for their own protection and
defence does not mean Muslims forget about the hereafter," he said at the
Premier Lecture session in conjunction Malaysia's Islamic Science University
(USIM) 10th anniversary celebration, here, Monday.

About 5,000 people including USIM students listened to Dr Mahathir's lecture
at the Nilai Indoor Stadium..

"If 1.6 billion Muslims are knowledgeable in Islam to the level of ulama,
there will be greater divide as everyone will have different interpretations of
religious teachings, like what is happening between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

"But if there are groups who could master technology and the science of
defence, this would suffice to save Muslim communities like in Bosnia
(Herzegovina).

"At one time, the Russians defeated the Muslims in Central Asia and Islam
was stifled but the Muslims could not do anything. This was the result of their
own weakness due to their lack of knowledge including on defence."

Dr Mahathir said Muslims in Malaysia too needed to master science and
technology so that they could come up with their own inventions without copying
the work of others.

"In many places in the world like Afghanistan and Iraq, Muslims are being
oppressed. Muslims are ridiculed, and I myself had been ridiculed and told to
take off my shoes for fear there were bombs in them.

"Others are also checked, but they are not being treated like what Muslims
have to endure as they are often thought to be terrorists.

"When Prophet Muhammad was called a terrorist, we (Muslims) became angry and
demonstrated but this made no impact on the enemies of Islam as the Muslim ummah
(community) today is weak," he said.
-- BERNAMA


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