Muslims and the Nobel prize

While the backwardness of the Muslim world in sciences and learning generally and the need for rectifying the situation has been very rightly stressed in your editorial "Muslims and the Nobel prize" (Oct 8), the point made by you about the overwhelming disparity between the number of Nobel prize winners belonging to the numerically small Jewish community (163), on the one hand, and the infinitely larger Islamic fraternity (six), on the other, appears to be based on misplaced premises.

The overwhelming majority of the Jewish recipients have been nationals of the US, UK, France, Russia, Germany and other advanced European states. Over generations they have been integrated in and benefited in full measure from the advanced facilities and resources and the intellectually progressive milieu of the western world as an integral part of what is described as the Judeo-Christian civilization.

The achievements of the Jewish Nobel prize winners in science alone (151) compared to two Muslim prize winners in science reflect not the legacy of their Jewishness but the advantages of the western infrastructure in education and science.

It may also be mentioned that the inception of the Nobel prize coincided to a great extent with the period of colonial rule over the Muslim people who were hardly in a position to compete on equal terms with nationals of advanced, independent states.

I recall that the same comparison made by Dawn was made by Dr Abdus Salam who had visited Kuwait in the early 1980s while I was there. He had expressed to me his embarrassment at having been reminded in an informal chat by one of his hosts at the Nobel prize award ceremony in his own honour of the disparity between the achievements of the large Muslim and the small Jewish community. I had responded to him as I have written to you, above.

The above is no apology for the depressing lack of progress made by Muslim societies in spite of having been masters of their own destiny since achievement of independence during the last century.

To a great extent this has been due to the lack of tolerance and broad-mindedness, indispensable for a free spirit of inquiry and scientific progress, as forcefully stressed in your editorial under reference.

No less a person than Ibne Khaldun, one of the greatest social historians of all times, most regrettably wrote in his Muqadamma: "With regard to the increasing culture of sciences in the land of the Franks and on the shores of the Northern Mediterranean, Allah knows what exists there, but it is clear that the problems of physics are of no importance to us in our religious affairs.

Therefore, we must leave them alone." The tradition of Al Kindi of acquiring knowledge from wherever it was obtained was forgotten by the Muslim world whose scholars had earlier dominated over half a millennium of intellectual discourse, represented by Jabir, Khawarzam, Razi, Masudi, Wafa, Biruni, Avicenna, Ibn-al-Haitam, Omar Khayyam (and later by Ibn-i-Rushd, Nasiruddin Toosi and Ibn-i-Nefis).

In The lost centuries, one of his many works on Arab and Islamic history, Glubb Pasha states that the organization of research and education during the heyday of the Abbasid caliphate has been equalled in the West only in American universities of the 20th century.

But he has also shown how the pendulum swung the other way "when Oxford and Cambridge were being founded in England, and libraries were being burnt in Baghdad", reflecting the spirit of intolerance which showed the seeds of our intellectual stagnation.

According to Prof (Dr) Mohammad Aijaz Khatib of Damascus University: "In comparison to two hundred and fifty verses, which are legislative, some 750 verses of the Holy Quran, almost one-eighth of it, exhort the believers to study nature, to reflect, to make the best use of reason and to make scientific enterprise an integral part of their community life."

Islamic decline began when the doors were closed on ijtehad which in the sense of interpretation and reasoning, based on sacred texts, could have helped in providing contemporary solutions to the ideological dilemmas confronting the Muslim world from time to time.

MAHDI MASUD

Karachi

Private medical colleges

Private medical colleges have come up like mushrooms during the past 10 years in Pakistan. To become a doctor is still a passion for many male and most female students.

Open merit seats (with nominal expenses) are limited in government medical colleges. Thousands of intending medical students go to Russia, the Central Asian Republics, China, Romania, Bangladesh and some other countries. Pakistan is thus deprived of millions of dollars of valuable foreign exchange in this process.

Hundreds of other students join newly-established private medical colleges in Pakistan. The five-year MBBS course costs over two million rupees a student. It exhausts middle class families economically. But after five or six years, students and their parents are disillusioned that their college degree is not recognized by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

It is not simply a monetary loss. Girls go beyond the usual age of marriage but their valid educational qualification remains FSc. The students are emotionally and psychologically crushed and cannot settle in other careers. Their parents are ruined.

It is the duty of the PMDC to keep an eye on the standard of medical education. It has come into action only when irreparable damage has already been caused to students and parents.

This question was raised in the National Assembly about a month ago. The PMDC was directed to publish a list of valid and unrecognized private medical colleges by September 30. It is said that it is pursuing this task earnestly but has not yet finalized the matter.

Private medical colleges are already processing admission applications. The fees will be deposited between Oct 15 and 30. In most of the cases, each student will be paying about half a million rupees. If the PMDC's decision is further delayed, numerous parents may suffer heavy losses.

Some people advocate closure of private medical colleges. But all private medical colleges are not substandard. The faculties, facilities and training standards of some of these are far better than those of government medical colleges.

Moreover, government medical colleges, too, are gradually switching over to self-financed medical education. A healthy competition between the public and private sectors should be encouraged. The need of the time is that the PMDC must publish a list of recognized and unrecognized medical colleges every year before the process of admission starts.

DR MOHAMMAD GULISTAN

Ex-president, Pakistan Medical Association, Chakwal

'Forgotten POWs'

Your Oct 2 editorial "Forgotten POWs", referring to a letter from the daughter of an Indian army officer, was apt and a humane reminder of the senseless stand taken by the governments of Pakistan and India.

The release of two Indian soldiers taken prisoner during the Kargil conflict is a welcome move which also underscores the emotional plight of relatives of those described as 'missing', 'deserter' or 'declared dead' Indian or Pakistan soldiers.

The letter also claims that "at least 54 Indian POWs are still languishing in jails in Pakistan since 1971 and some could be in prison on the Indian side too" (hoping against hope). But the "official positions do not tell the whole story" raises hopes among the kith and kin of the long lost (forgotten) souls.

A critical point you have raised is that "both (India and Pakistan) may not want to touch a sensitive issue by publicly admitting the presence of POWs". To overcome the apparent embarrassment (diplomatic denial), the Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) has evolved a process.

Two committees for peace and reconciliation were set up by the sixth joint convention held in Karachi (December last). A meeting of the joint committee (India and Pakistan) was held during the 10 years of celebration on Sept 5 in Lahore.

Relevant to the forgotten POWs "it was decided to adopt as a priority issue the identification of Indian prisoners in Pakistan and Pakistan prisoners in India. Two sub-committees were set up to take the responsibility for extensive investigation and compiling the list of such prisoners within a timeframe ranging from three to six months.

The process is on in India and Pakistan and hopefully by the end of this year there will be solid evidence to this effect. The seventh joint convention of PIPFPD is to be held in February 2005 in Delhi where concrete steps will be taken to resolve this agonizing issue.

DR S. HAROON AHMED

Co-convener, Peace and Reconciliation Committee, PIPFPD, Karachi

Ban on religious gatherings

In the wake of the Sialkot and Multan bomb blasts, the government has placed a ban on all religious gatherings except Friday congregational prayers and taravih. How this will help the situation is beyond understanding.

This is in no way different from bans on pillion riding, which follow every act of sniper shooting anywhere in the country. Our government being incapable of apprehending criminals or preventing acts of violence tries to cover up its incompetence by these strange and superficial bans.

What is even more puzzling is that there is no such ban on religo-political rallies. It is not religious gatherings such as 'milads', 'majalis', etc., where violence is preached but it is at rallies by religion-political parties that the seeds of sectarian hatred are primarily sowed. If any ban has to be instituted, it should be against parties which incite religious hatred for political gains.

Putting a curb on religious activities will not help control the situation. It will, however, set a bad precedent for future action. Judging by the inaction of the government, it is obvious that such acts of violence cannot be wished away; concrete action is required to carry out this task.

ZAIN MANKANI

Karachi

Property prices

This is apropos of Mr Asif Jah's letter "Skyrocketing property prices" (Oct 11)). It would appear that property has been speculated upon like the commodities market, fuelling prices totally out of proportion to their true worth.

It is small wonder then that the "bubble has burst" and many unfortunate investors are once again having to suffer losses like in so many grandiose schemes in the past.

Karachi's Phase VIII and Defence Society are just a symptom and not the whole malady which has been caused by a lack of real investment opportunities. While property prices in Defence are coming down because property was grossly overpriced there in the last few months, this has not been replaced by other investment opportunities.

Genuine long-term investors and potential home owners continue to feel the pinch while unscrupulous money launderers and a cartel of builders and estate agents have reaped enormous profits.

Surely, the authorities must look into these shady dealings in the same way they have investigated cooperatives scandals before people are duped out of their life's savings.

A. AHMED

Karachi

Afghan women and elections

The Bush administration constantly calls attention to the fact that four millions of those who registered to vote in Afghanistan were women. Just as the "liberation" of Afghan women was used to justify the bombing of Afghanistan three years ago, their participation in the US-imposed elections is being used to justify US approach and policies towards that country.

While the administration deals in broad statistics to paint a rosy picture, a closer look reveals that Afghan politics, controlled by a US-backed president and a coterie of warlords, remains extremely hostile to women.

Women comprise 60 per cent of the population but are only 43 per cent of registered voters - a little different from Pakistan's 46 per cent registered women voters in a country of 48 per cent women. Nevertheless, it's better than Fata's 30-odd per cent registered women voters.

Additionally, sharp differences in literacy between men and women put women at a huge disadvantage. Only 10 per cent of Afghan women can read and write. While school attendance of girls has increased to about 50 per cent nation-wide, it is too early to affect women voters. Under Karzai's presidency, married women were banned from attending schools in late 2003.

While much mileage has been squeezed out of the notion that the US "liberated" Afghan women, only one dollar out of every $5,000 ($112,500 out of $650 million) of US financial aid sent to Afghanistan in 2002 was actually given to women's organizations.

Women have increasingly been a target of violence. Amnesty International's and allied studies reveal that sexual violence has surged since the fall of the Taliban, and there has been a sharp rise in incidents of women's self-immolation in western Afghanistan.

Amnesty International has documented an escalation in the number of girls and young women abducted and forced into marriage, with collusion from the state (those who resist are often imprisoned).

US policy appears to have empowered fundamentalists who have further extended women's oppression in a traditionally ultra-conservative society. In a public opinion survey conducted in Afghanistan this July by the Asia Foundation, 72 per cent of respondents said men should advise women on their voting choices and 87 per cent of all Afghans interviewed said women would need their husbands' permission to vote.

On International Women's Day this year, Hamid Karzai implored men to allow their wives and sisters to register votes, assuring them: "Later, you can control who she votes for, but please, let her go (to register)."

Most of the candidates against Karzai mentioned rights for women in some form or another as part of their election campaigns. However, Latif Pedram, a candidate who suggested that polygamy was unfair to women, was barred from the election and investigated by the Afghan justice ministry for "blasphemy".

Just like the Afghan constitution signed earlier this year which gives equal rights to women on paper, this election will probably have little bearing on the reality of Afghan women's lives. Denied an education and underrepresented in voter rolls, women are once more simply pawns within the US-designed Afghan political structure.

DR ADAM NAYYAR

Islamabad

IMF for more forex reserves

The International Monetary Fund has stated that Pakistan needs more forex reserves to safeguard itself against any surprise shocks. The simplest and the most effective way of doing this is to restore the Protection of Economic Reforms Act 1992 in its original form and adopt other suitable measures to ensure that forex is transferred to Pakistan and not utilized for terrorism.

Adopting measures which makes Pakistanis' forex stay with overseas banks to benefit other countries is not in the interest of Pakistan.

SHAKEEL AKHTAR

Rawalpindi

Back to the future?

The other day I was almost run over in front of the Cantonment Board office in Lahore by a tonga charging down the wrong side of the road, in the apparently lax control of an elderly coachman. He couldn't be blamed because his view was obstructed by the hoardings strapped on his tonga advertising a Punjabi film.

It was a bit of a surprise to find tongas being used to advertize a Punjabi film in the heart of the cantonment in this day and age. Who sees these films, glimpses of which on cable TV make one wince and reach for the remote?

ASAD SIDDIQI

Lahore

PIA cargo

The management of PIA and the federal government need to conduct an inquiry into a series of extra section flights to New York, London, etc., which operated during 2003-2004 and carried cargo. These flights by PIA's Boeing 747s reportedly carried cargo on single sectors and returned empty, with almost no passengers.

How can PIA expect to make profits? To make up for these losses, Pakistani customers end up picking the tab through fare hikes, which have become a routine now.

I. AHMED

Via email

Self-praise

"America was targeted for attack because we are the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world, and no one will keep that light from shining."-George W. Bush

Self-praise is no recommendation. More so, after what is happening in Iraq.

MIR TABASSUM MAIRAJ

Islamabad

Sohail's record

Sohail Abbas's world record of scoring the highest number of goals in field hockey, more particularly surpassing Dutch legend Paul Litjens, was worthy of an editorial by you as a recognition of his achievement and his service to Pakistan.

Given the blues Pakistan hockey has faced since the mid-80s, his is the most significant achievement that deserves to be highlighted. He now stands at par with our all-time hockey heroes such as Samiullah, Hanif Khan and Hasan Sardar.

SIRAJ NARSI

Houston, Texas, USA

Mistreatment of motorists

As I did not know that traffic on the Pholali Bridge on the National Highway was one-way, I had to pay a fine recently. However, the conduct of the patrolling officials was offensive and abusive. A lady police officer also made contemptuous remarks.

Mistreatment of motorists and other common citizens by state authorities has become the order of the day. Public servants who act as masters of the people should be brought within the canons of law and morality.

It is unfortunate that the colonial mindset is still prevalent among our law-enforcement agencies and has yet to transform them into cultured organizations. The self-respect of the people must be upheld so that the rule of law may prevail.

DR SHAH FAISAL SANJRANI

Hyderabad

MMA and Ramazan

How shocking it is to read that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has chosen the holy month of Ramazan to stage protests against the president for not laying off his military uniform. They do realize that Allah has bestowed Muslims with the month to go for extra prayers instead of inciting and instigating us during the month.

IQBAL HADI ZAIDI

Kuwait

Sectarianism

This refers to Mr Qazi Faez Isa's article on the above subject (Oct 8). Sectarianism does not mean having a sectarian view as implied in the article. Rather, sectarianism is lack of tolerance for the beliefs of others. This intolerance is a curse and needs to be weeded out.

DR MAHNAZ FATIMA

Karachi