Academies wrestle with issue of Islam's flagging science base

摘要

With the world on the brink of a conflict that is likely to reverberate for years to come, scientific leaders gathered in Trieste, Italy, last week to discuss why Islamic countries have neglected science and technology, and what could be done to end this neglect.Stretching from Indonesia to Morocco, and from Uganda to Kazakhstan, Muslim countries are home to 1.3 billion people and three-quarters of the world's fuel reserves. But their combined gross national product (GNP) is less than half that of Germany, illiteracy levels are among the world's highest, and science spending, at 0.2% of GNP, is well below the global average.The meeting of research ministers and heads of scientific academies was organized by the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues, as part of an effort to strengthen the resources and roles of scientific academies worldwide in promoting research and providing independent advice to governments.