Some of the most challenging and exciting areas of research, deal with various forms of ‘origin’ questions. Origin of life. Origin of the Earth. Origin of human beings. Origin of consciousness. And of course, the origin of the universe. These are not only hard problems, but also represent some of humanity’s biggest questions. It is no wonder then, that these ‘origin’ questions not only capture the attention of scientists and general public alike, but often also serve as the conduit into science for budding scientists, in high schools around the world.

But these questions also straddle the boundaries of science and religion. There is perhaps an inherent tension here, between the limits of knowable science and the beginnings of unknowable mysteries. For most people, this tension doesn’t impact their daily lives. Since the belief in miracles is quite common, not just in Muslim societies, but all around the world, it is easy to ascribe origin mysteries, and other unexplained occurrences, to the Divine. A medical doctor or an engineer may still approach their work in a pragmatic way, without being affected by their outlook on ‘origin’ miracles.

The origin of Life?

For a scientist or a scientist in training, such an approach poses problems. I have run into students and educated individuals, who take pleasure in the failure of science to provide answers. The origin(s) of life, in particular, is an area in their crosshairs. I can understand the desire for this. To use a sports analogy, science has been so successful in explaining physical phenomena, that there is an urge to root against it. If for nothing else but to say “See – science doesn’t have all the answers”. Unfortunately, they often go one step further and ascribe God’s miraculous action, as the default alternative to the as yet unsolved problem, thus unwittingly creating an either/or relation between science and religion.

Indeed, scientists do not know how life started here on Earth. But science usually thrives on the boundaries of failures and unknowns. After all, it is these very areas of unknowns, that become fertile grounds for future PhDs, that end up solving hard problems. A resort to a belief in miracles in such instances, would in fact, be anathema to this whole enterprise.

We can take lessons from history of science. Just a few centuries ago, the origins of the Earth and the Solar System were considered problems beyond the limits of science. Today, we have an excellent scientific understanding of the formation of the Sun and the planets that make up our Solar system. No gaps, no miracles. In fact, I find the ‘nebular theory of the formation of solar system’ to be quite beautiful, as it elegantly explains not only the origins of rocky and gaseous planets, but it also elucidates the reasons why planets have particular rotations around their respective axes, and the origins of asteroids and comets. If one desires, the elegance of the physical laws behind the explanations, can indeed be attributed to the Divine, but the rest is fully explained in a naturalistic framework.

In order to produce good scientists at a consistent level in the Muslim world, we have to instill a mindset in science classrooms, that eschews the notion of miracles when it comes to the physical world. All unsolved problems, including those at the boundaries of science and religion, may then be approached within the framework of methodological naturalism – an assumption that for practical purposes, all causes are empirical and natural. At the same time, we must appreciate, that beliefs in various historical miracles, are also central to most religions, including Islam, and numerous rituals, tenets, and practices revolve around these very beliefs. In this sense, a belief in miracles is about religion and not about seeking a physical explanation, of how the world works.

But this is a fine needle to thread. After all, how does one demarcate the domains of miracles and science? And if one accepts that there is a precedence of violation of physical laws (I’m using miracles here in this particular sense) in history, it is easy to extend such explanations to the present as well. Furthermore, for many, the questions of ‘origin of life’ fall squarely in the miraculous domain, and it is the encroachment of science, that is the problem. And yet, the introduction of miracles as an explanation, is an end to scientific inquiry.

This is a hard problem. But a Deistic/naturalistic approach to the physical world may be essential to building an effective scientific culture in the Muslim world. There cannot be an end to inquiry – especially when it comes to ‘origin’ questions. A belief in miracles, in this sense, will have to be banished from any scientific question, but may still play a role in religious life. When it comes to the future of science in the Muslim world, this is an important needle to thread. I hope that the scientific answer to how life began on Earth (and perhaps on other planets), comes from a laboratory somewhere in the Muslim world.

Salman Hameed is Director of Center for the Study of Science in Muslim Societies (SSiMS) and Associate Professor of Integrated Science and Humanities at Hampshire College, USA. He writes on Irtiqa blog at irtiqa-blog.com.

I was already a lecturer at a university for two years, when I realized, that real change starts at a much earlier level, in school. So, I decided to become a school teacher. It is not easy to be a teacher, rather, it is a huge responsibility. If I were a decision maker in the government, I would make it compulsory for every graduate to be a teacher for at least one year, in order to appreciate teachers and the huge role they play in crafting our new generation.

I learnt by experience, that the learning process does not comprise so much, about the curricula, the infrastructure or even technology. It is all about the TEACHER! Through out history and even now, it is the shared experience of the learning process between the teacher and student that guides, inspires, leads and stimulates the student. Education is all about lighting the fire!

Teaching is where the rubber hits the road

With the advancement of technology and accessibility to the internet, acquiring information has become very easy. In such an environment, the role of the teacher becomes even more paramount. The teacher is in the classroom to guide and inspire, to entice and engage the student. Therefore, teachers’ training and preparation becomes extremely important.

The approach to teaching and learning should be student centered. It is up to the teacher to creatively find the key for each student, by employing different methods and approaches.

Traditional Learning v/s Problem Based Learning

Everything is changing so fast and we don’t often know the future we are preparing our students for.   Therefore, we must change the focus of the current curricula from content and knowledge, to skills and tools, in order to be able to analyze and cope with whatever circumstances they encounter. We need to use problem based learning, games such as minecraft, that allow a student to explore, be curious, ask questions and seek answers. It has been a common practice, to shut up the curious student who questions, in every context, be it the home or the school, so they become almost like zombies.

Content should also be reevaluated. Certain topics in the science curricula of Islamic countries are not discussed because these are either religiously sanctioned or considered a taboo such as biological evolution, although they are well known facts. Students must be allowed to explore and to develop their own opinions, rather than being restricted from engaging with these subjects.

Learning through practice

Knowledge should not be in an ivory tower separate from reality. Students should learn how to use the knowledge they acquire, in their communities. Therefore service learning should be implemented. Service-learning combines service objectives with learning objectives, with the intent, that the activity changes both the recipient and the provider of the service. This is accomplished by combining service tasks with structured opportunities, that link the task to self-reflection, self-discovery, and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge content. There is a dire need to engage young learners with real-life learning.

Service Learning

Service learning combines the idea of community service with experiential learning, in a manner that helps to determine and meet real and well-defined community needs. It facilitates the transformation of a young person from a passive recipient, to an active service provider and consequently helps redefine the perception of youth in the community, from a cause of problems to a source of solutions; so that the students become change makers and doers, employing their knowledge and skills to build their society.

Reading is key to children’s development

Students need to read and write to be able to learn and express themselves. There should be more focus on training them to write and write well, to read and enjoy reading.   One of the most important challenges and core impediments to development is reading literacy (allitracy). Reading levels are very low. One major international assessment, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), found that the average student in low-income countries, as well as Muslim countries, is performing at the fifth percentile of the OECD distribution. Most Muslim countries, for instance, rank far below the average for reading scores on Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) [See infographic]. This is the same in most developing countries, negatively impacting education systems and economic outputs of the countries.

Reading is essential to development of children’s personality, imagination, and cognitive and communication skills. Through reading, a child draws upon the experience of others to recognize problems in their community and skills of others to develop solutions and the courage of others to execute the solutions in their communities. Through reading, a child learns about other cultures and people and begins to respect, understand and accept others, that leads to less conflict and more peace in the world. Though it is clear that children’s futures are not solely dependent on reading instruction, reading is a critical and necessary precondition for skill development. Children who do not develop reading skills during the primary grades, are on a lifetime trajectory of limited educational progress and therefore, limited economic opportunities.

Children must learn to love and enjoy reading to reap its benefits. Many programs attempted to increase reading levels by providing books, have failed. Research has shown that reading aloud is key in fostering the love of reading. In the West, this task is fulfilled by parents, teachers or librarians. Although these individuals are present in developing countries, the culture hasn’t embedded a sense of enthusiasm for reading aloud, and many are illiterate or lack reading skills and habits.

The love of reading

Therefore, I have developed an innovative model that provides a practical, cost efficient, sustainable, ‘grassroots approach’, that involves women and the community to increase reading levels among children aged between 4-10 years, by focusing on the read aloud experience to plant the love of reading.   The We Love Reading (WLR) program constitutes training local women to hold read aloud sessions in public spaces in their neighbourhoods, where books are routinely read aloud to children. This is our “library”.

Storytelling in the ‘We Love Reading’ classroom (courtesy We Love Reading Facebook)

WLR chooses books that are age-appropriate, attractive, neutral in content, as well as in the native language of the child. In addition to promoting the experience of reading, WLR empowers women readers to become leaders in their communities, builds ownership in the children and community members and serves as a platform for raising awareness on issues such as health and environment (video).

Reading has traditionally been considered boring or a waste of time outside of academic or religious contexts. WLR is changing attitudes and letting people know that reading is fun.

Finding answers in the right places

Students often do not like science because it requires a lot of memorization rather than understanding. But with a solid background competency in reading, science could be made a lot more fun. Education is not the amount of students enrolled in school or the type of disciplines the students favor. It is about what we are teaching our students with regards to how they should think. Or how to be independent and creative.

Once a student acquires these skills, he/she will discover the discipline that he/she enjoys, pursues, and excels in. You don’t want everyone to be a scientist but you do want some – a sizeable number – to spend their lives discovering the mysteries of nature. Unfortunately for us, we are reaping the rewards of focusing on the wrong things.

Ultimately, if we focus on teachers, creative approaches of problem-based learning, community engagement, and reading and writing, we will be able to develop a generation who can not only solve some of the most fascinating mysteries such as our origins and ends, but also address daunting challenges that we face as a community and as humanity.

Dr. Rana Dajani obtained a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Iowa, USA, in 2005; a Fulbright alumnus, she is currently Professor at the Hashemite University, Jordan.