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A letter to the editor of 'The Independent' :
by Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri
by Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri
'Creationism' in Schools.
Dear Sir,
My thanks to Mr Steel for his humorously provocative article on 'creationism' (21st March 2002).
Currently in the newspapers in the UK there is much discussion about the teaching of
'creationism' in state schools. The underlying belief system of the modern westernised world is
that scientific research, coupled with technological developments, have effectively disproved that
God created the universe. This belief is so widely taken to be true that in the media it is taken for
granted - indeed belief in 'the big bang' et. al. could be said to be as prevalent today as the belief
in a flat earth once was - only the lunatic fringe can question it.
It is not surprising that youngsters from whatever religious background find a contradiction
between this and the religious beliefs that have been taught by their elders. It seems to them to
undermine their belief in God, and along with that it undermines the concept of the necessity of
moral development -allowing it to be perceived as optional extra.
In fact of course the various views about ways in which the development of life on this planet and
in the wider universe occurred are unproved theories - whether or not the facts are correct - and
they are speculative theories based on limited evidence. They are also subject to change and
revision. They are perhaps worthy attempts to make sense of new evidence made available by
new techniques, but the same evidence is open to alternative interpretations - if the scientific
method that gives them credibility is to be properly followed.
At the moment time itself - so relevant to this subject - is not 'scientifically' understood. Which
makes the mockery of the term 'Day' in relation to creation accounts ring a little hollow.
An open minded religious approach should acknowledge that a scientifically precise and detailed
description or proof of the exact process of creation is not given - any more than scientific proof
of the existence of God, or indeed the unseen, or the angels etc. is available. Indeed it may not
be possible to represent the process of the creation of the universe within the human mind other
than by symbolic reference. If detailed proof were available then there would be no requirement
of faith and belief. However it is entirely rational that when some individuals who are highly gifted,
sane, sober, and of a known trustworthy nature such as the holy Prophet Muhammed, tell us that
they have been made aware of the unseen, and are given knowledge by God of His having
created the universe, then the Muslim, in this instance, may consider that to be evidence enough
of the general principle - even if we must keep an open mind as to exactly how we understand
that process to have happened. I have not been to Timbuktu personally, but if a friend I trust has,
and he comes and tells me it is there, it makes sense to take him at his word. In fact most
scientific evidence that comes into the popular domain is essentially taken on trust by most
people.
What is required from the western education system and the media, and so on, is a much more
genuinely scientific approach. An acknowledgment that physical sciences, seeking the truth about
the physical universe, cease to be good science once their speculations are accepted 'as gospel'
and their theories taught and propagated as absolute (and state supported) truth. The lessons
from those religious distortions or pseudoscientific theories which have been disproved - such as
flat-earth etc. should not be lost on us. To replace those distortions with new unproved theoretical
speculation would be to make the same mistake. It is possible to hypothesize an alternative theory
in which new scientific information is interpreted so as to support a specific creation account - but
it would be no more than just that - another unproved hypothesis.
What is required from those developing religious belief in the young, is to accept that there is also
much theorising within religion, on the basis of texts which appear to have intentional ambiguities
and paradoxes. Expressions of the truth, as found in such texts as the Holy Qur'an, are subject to
interpretation and to the limits of the receiving minds. To encourage narrow-mindedness in the
young, as a reaction to anti-religious scientific theorising, is not an effective antidote. We should
have confidence that what is true will ultimately stand out from what is false.
The mystics of Islam, the sufis, tend to think we should not worship the false idol of our our limited
conceptualising of God, any more than we should the false idol of physical scientific theorising. I
believe they have a point. What is needed here is 'wonder' and encouraging the development of
young minds set on knowing not merely the facts, or the theory, but the truth. They should be
prepared to go to the ends of the earth and beyond to find it. They should be encouraged to
keep an open mind both to the valuable additions to knowledge of the physical universe that
scientific exploration can provide and to other dimensions of knowledge indicated by sacred texts.
J.M.Z. Southampton (21.03.02)
Published by The Zahuri Sufi Web Site March 2002
Dear Sir,
My thanks to Mr Steel for his humorously provocative article on 'creationism' (21st March 2002).
Currently in the newspapers in the UK there is much discussion about the teaching of
'creationism' in state schools. The underlying belief system of the modern westernised world is
that scientific research, coupled with technological developments, have effectively disproved that
God created the universe. This belief is so widely taken to be true that in the media it is taken for
granted - indeed belief in 'the big bang' et. al. could be said to be as prevalent today as the belief
in a flat earth once was - only the lunatic fringe can question it.
It is not surprising that youngsters from whatever religious background find a contradiction
between this and the religious beliefs that have been taught by their elders. It seems to them to
undermine their belief in God, and along with that it undermines the concept of the necessity of
moral development -allowing it to be perceived as optional extra.
In fact of course the various views about ways in which the development of life on this planet and
in the wider universe occurred are unproved theories - whether or not the facts are correct - and
they are speculative theories based on limited evidence. They are also subject to change and
revision. They are perhaps worthy attempts to make sense of new evidence made available by
new techniques, but the same evidence is open to alternative interpretations - if the scientific
method that gives them credibility is to be properly followed.
At the moment time itself - so relevant to this subject - is not 'scientifically' understood. Which
makes the mockery of the term 'Day' in relation to creation accounts ring a little hollow.
An open minded religious approach should acknowledge that a scientifically precise and detailed
description or proof of the exact process of creation is not given - any more than scientific proof
of the existence of God, or indeed the unseen, or the angels etc. is available. Indeed it may not
be possible to represent the process of the creation of the universe within the human mind other
than by symbolic reference. If detailed proof were available then there would be no requirement
of faith and belief. However it is entirely rational that when some individuals who are highly gifted,
sane, sober, and of a known trustworthy nature such as the holy Prophet Muhammed, tell us that
they have been made aware of the unseen, and are given knowledge by God of His having
created the universe, then the Muslim, in this instance, may consider that to be evidence enough
of the general principle - even if we must keep an open mind as to exactly how we understand
that process to have happened. I have not been to Timbuktu personally, but if a friend I trust has,
and he comes and tells me it is there, it makes sense to take him at his word. In fact most
scientific evidence that comes into the popular domain is essentially taken on trust by most
people.
What is required from the western education system and the media, and so on, is a much more
genuinely scientific approach. An acknowledgment that physical sciences, seeking the truth about
the physical universe, cease to be good science once their speculations are accepted 'as gospel'
and their theories taught and propagated as absolute (and state supported) truth. The lessons
from those religious distortions or pseudoscientific theories which have been disproved - such as
flat-earth etc. should not be lost on us. To replace those distortions with new unproved theoretical
speculation would be to make the same mistake. It is possible to hypothesize an alternative theory
in which new scientific information is interpreted so as to support a specific creation account - but
it would be no more than just that - another unproved hypothesis.
What is required from those developing religious belief in the young, is to accept that there is also
much theorising within religion, on the basis of texts which appear to have intentional ambiguities
and paradoxes. Expressions of the truth, as found in such texts as the Holy Qur'an, are subject to
interpretation and to the limits of the receiving minds. To encourage narrow-mindedness in the
young, as a reaction to anti-religious scientific theorising, is not an effective antidote. We should
have confidence that what is true will ultimately stand out from what is false.
The mystics of Islam, the sufis, tend to think we should not worship the false idol of our our limited
conceptualising of God, any more than we should the false idol of physical scientific theorising. I
believe they have a point. What is needed here is 'wonder' and encouraging the development of
young minds set on knowing not merely the facts, or the theory, but the truth. They should be
prepared to go to the ends of the earth and beyond to find it. They should be encouraged to
keep an open mind both to the valuable additions to knowledge of the physical universe that
scientific exploration can provide and to other dimensions of knowledge indicated by sacred texts.
J.M.Z. Southampton (21.03.02)
Published by The Zahuri Sufi Web Site March 2002