Minister of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam has expressed concern over the lack of involvement from Muslims in scientific research. He made the remarks at the 7th International Conference on Intellectual Advancement held by the Islamic University of Maldives (IUM).
Speaking at the conference, Minister Aslam said that Muslims are involved in less than 1% of scientific research despite having a population of 1.3 billion. He highlighted that Islamic history is filled with individuals who contributed to scientific research and breakthroughs, especially in the field of astronomy. He said that the star charts are filled with Arabic names, indicating their Islamic origins. He noted that knowledge is the key to maintaining power in the modern world.
Vice Chancellor of IUM Dr. Ibrahim Zakariyya Moosa said that the International Conference on Intellectual Advancement is important for sharing knowledge and information. The conference is being held from September 17-18 and consists of 12 foreign guests and 218 participants from the Maldives. A total of 48 research papers have been submitted for the conference, which was related to social science, educational research, Quranic studies, Shariah and Law, tourism, technology, and the environment. Research papers were also submitted on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.