Education is fundamental to development of a nation and higher education is a powerful tool for the eradication of poverty, boosting shared prosperity and making the society strong enough to face challenges. This basic fact was well-known to the Muslim Ummah during the Middle Ages, a Golden Period in Islamic history. “Seek Knowledge” was the known Commandment of Islam for Muslims and they followed it for almost 800 years.
Edward G. Browne (1862-1926) rightly observed, “When Caliphs of Baghdad and Cordova fostered education amongst their subject to the extent that every boy and girl of twelve could read and write, Barons, Lords and their ladies in Europe were scarcely able to write their names.” (A Literary History of Persia, 1902)
This was the time when Muslims around the world excelled in all forms of knowledge. Marquis of Dufferin and Ava rightly remarked, “It is to Mussalman Science, to Mussalman Art and to Mussalman Literature that Europe has been in a great measure indebted for its extraction from the darkness of the Middle Ages.” (Speech Delivered in India, 1890).
Alas, what happened to Muslims that they distanced themselves from knowledge after the 15th century and therefore lost their dominance in world affairs? Literacy languished in all parts of the Muslim world. According to historian Donald Quataert, Muslim literacy rates were only 2 to 3 per cent in the early 19th century. Even during the mid-20th century the situation was not satisfactory. Only few countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Syria, Turkey and Albania had the average literacy of more than 30 per cent. Muslim areas under the Soviet Union of course had high literacy rates. This fall of literacy rate in the Muslim world was described by George Sarton as “Puzzling” and earlier extraordinary high literacy during early Islam “Baffling” (History of Science).
During the last four centuries Muslims showed great interest in every aspect of life except education. Poetry, music, painting, ceramics, architecture, metal work, etc. became important activities throughout the Muslim world. But very little interest was shown to the fast-developing modern education coming from Europe. Probably the most harmful act was their refusal to allow the use of printing press in the 15th century, a turning period for Europe. Through the printing presses, scientific revolution was made possible in all the sphere of scientific and industrial activities in Europe.
After a long spell of slumber, Muslims have started to understand that without modern knowledge and higher literacy their exploitation by the West cannot be contained. Fortunately, education is re-emerging in the Muslim world during the recent years. Muslim countries are taking strong steps for the eradication of poverty and illiteracy.
According to a survey by John Miller, 5 Muslim countries namely Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan find places among 25 countries with highest literacy rates of 100%.World Bank and UNSECO data for 2018 shows that 25 Muslim majority countries have achieved average literacy above 90%. These include Saudi Arabia (95%), Indonesia (94%), Malaysia (94%), Iran (90%), Jordan (96%), U.A.E. (94%) and Turkey (95%). Nine countries, including Syria (86%), Tunisia (82 %), Iraq (79%), Egypt (75%), Algeria (73) and Morocco (72%) were reported to be in the bracket of 70% to 89%. Unfortunately, 15 countries including largely populated countries of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nigeria still lag behind in literacy (less than 62%). However, compared to the literacy data of 1980 (Av. 30%), 2018 data is highly satisfactory. Global literacy rate (2017) is 82% (Men, 87%; Women, 77%).
A redeeming feature is the fact that the gender difference in literacy in many Muslim countries has also fallen sharply. At least 21 countries have the difference only 0 to 7% only.
Tertiary Education (higher education in all disciplines of knowledge) in the Muslim world needs serious attention. King Mohamed VI of Morocco stressed: “…the integrated development of the principles of Islam and of scientific knowledge (tertiary education) must be achieved irrespective of gender” (UNESCO Conference, 2000). Yes, it is true that scientific awakening is under way in the Muslim world. Research spending in many countries, like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, Turkey, etc. has been raised substantially. Tertiary Education in western countries is generally above 40% whereas barring few countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, it is between 2 to 6%. Research spending in Muslim countries also needs serious attention. Only countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar have substantially raised funds for this purpose. Qatar is reported to have proposed the increase of the Science budget from 0.8% to 2.8% of its GDP.
Many Muslim countries have already established centres of higher learning (universities) with emphasis on modern sciences. According to The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018 (for 2016-2017), 96 universities from Muslim countries have been listed among the top 1102 universities of the world. However, universities of only 18 Muslim countries could find place in the list. Hope other Muslim countries will find their names in future reports. Of the 96 listed universities, 22 belong to Turkey followed by Iran, 18; Pakistan, 10; Malaysia and Egypt, 9 each; Saudi Arabia, 5; U.A.E. and Indonesia, 4 each; Jordan and Morocco, 3 each; Tunisia, 2 and Algeria, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Lebanon, Nigeria, Oman and Qatar, 1 each.
Women emancipation can also be felt by a report “that the United States falls behind thirteen Muslim countries in the percentage of women graduating in science to the total science graduate population. The countries whose ratio of women science graduates exceeds that of the United States include Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Qatar and Turkey. Morocco exceeds the United States in the ratio of women engineering graduates as a percentage of the science graduate population.” (missionislam.com). Women enrolment for Higher education is more than men in many Muslim countries, including Tunisia, Malaysia, Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain and Libya.
There is no doubt that the Muslim world is taking necessary steps, largely because of economic strength of Oil Producing Muslim countries, to compete with the West for the eradication of poverty and illiteracy; still a lot is yet to be done. It is unfortunate that out of about 500 Nobel Awardees in Sciences from 1901 to 2013, only two are from the Muslim world, namely Ahmed Zewail (Egyptian) who got Nobel Award in 1999 for his Chemistry Research and Aziz Sancar, also in Chemistry, from Turkey in 2015. According to a report by Islamic Research Foundation International, U.S., had there been Nobel Prize, of course under different names, during the Middle Ages, all the prizes would have gone to Muslim Scientists (Report 2013).
A redeeming feature in the rankings is the fact that in 41 universities, female students are higher in numbers than male students. Eleven universities have more than 65:35 female:male ratio with Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (22,257 students) of Saudi Arabia having the highest ratio of 81:19, followed by United Arab Emirates Univ. (7,492 students) 79:21, Qatar Univ. (13,342 students) 73:27 and Kuwait Univ. (37,752 students) with the ratio of 72:28.
[This article is extracted from the book entitled MUSLIM SOCIETIES – RISE & FALL -Revival Efforts by Dr. M. I.H. Farooqi, 2nd Ed. 2020]