Moslems assert need to revive spirit of science

JAKARTA (JP): Moslem intellectuals from countries around the world ended their three-day conference yesterday, affirming the need to revive the spirit of scientific research and technology.

The statement, contained in the Jakarta Declaration on the Creation of the International Islamic Forum for Science, Technology and Human Resource Development, was signed by the 400 participants.

The two-page declaration stresses the need for Moslems to strengthen their adherence to the Holy Koran and Prophet Muhammad's teachings to stop moral degradation.

"We note that rapid, advanced and revolutionary changes in science and technology have brought about major changes in global society," the declaration says.

"On the one hand, they have paved a future human material progress has never known or imagined; on the other hand, they have reduced man to a material being that is spiritually bankrupt, morally unbound."

"Humanity today is facing profound challenges, threatening its very existence resulting in major paradigm shifts in value, perception and visions of the truth."

The three-day conference, closed by the forum's chairman B.J. Habibie of Indonesia, starred Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister, yesterday.

Ibrahim called on the world's Moslems to invent their own technologies based on the Holy Koran and Prophet Muhammad's teachings rather than imitating Western technologies.

"Moslems must stop pointing fingers at others," he said.

He warned Moslems not fall into a trap of blaming unreal enemies, but should invent ways to solve problems facing them.

"It would be a pity if the forum degenerates into just another platform for launching attacks against the real or imagined enemies of Islam and Moslems," he stated.

He said Islamic civilization pioneered the study of science and technology, including algebra and logarithms, but has contributed little recently.

Since then, it is the West which has built upon our success while we remain content to be mere followers, resigned to the fact of Western domination, he regretted.

He stipulated that because Moslem countries have long been under the domination of the Western sovereignty of science and technology, they have to reinvent their lost property.

"The Moslem community must break its self-imposed exile from the world of science," he said.

Anwar also urged that the forum must not stop at only theorizing on problems facing Moslem countries, saying it should come up with a concrete and pragmatic program of strategies.

And he also suggested that Moslem countries should realize the importing of the technologies has brought about unbridled individualism, moral permissiveness and a homocentric view of the world. (03)