Religious Leaders Comment on Science and Progress for hls attempt to reconcile Islam with Westen -hle the nineteenth century saw the rise of secular Ideologles such as lberallsm, sociallsm, and nationallsm, religlon con- tinued to shape the vlews of most people around the world. The excerpts below Illustrate the Impl- catlons of modern Industrial Ideologles for rellglous falth as Interpreted by a Sunnl Muslim scholar and sclence. The second passage ls by Pope Plus IX (r. 1846- 1878), who became a staunch conservative when Roman revolutionarles forced him to temporarlly flee the Vatican In 1848. Plus IX greatly Increased papal authority when he proclalmed the doctrine of papal Infallblity, which stated that the pope's state- ments on central Issues of falth were to be regarded as coming directly from God and could not be chal- lenged. His criticism of the loss of splritual focus In the face of materlallsm has been a consistent theme a Roman Cathollc pope. The first selection comes from Sayyld Jamaal ad-din al-Afghani (1838-1897), who was edu- cated In Islamic schools In Afghanistan and Iran and then spent twenty years In British-ruled Indla, also travellng to western Europe and the Ottoman Emplre. Al-Afghanl saw pan-Islamic unity as nec- essary for effective resistance to European doml- nance and worked to heal divislons between the of the Roman Cathollc Church ever since. Sunni and Shi'te Muslim communitles. His efforts did not, of course, go unchallenged. Sufl mystics and Wahhabl purlsts, for example, had little use Sources: Excerpt cited and translated in Nikki Keddle, Soyld Jamal od-din "al-Aghani": Apolitical blography (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1972), pp. 161, 186. Re- printed by pemislon; excerpt, Pope Plus IX, Quanta Cura (Condemning Curent Errors), from www.ewtn.com. Sayyid Jamāl ad-din al-Afghani that has no connection with any nation, and is not distinguished by anything but itself. Rather, everything that is known is known by science, and every nation that be- comes renowned becomes renowned through 1. "Lecture on Teaching and Learning" (1882) If someone looks deeply into the question, he will see that science rules the world. There was, is, and will be no other ruler in the world but science. ... In reality, sovereignty has never left the abode of science. However, this true ruler, which is science, is continually changing capitals. Sometimes It has moved from East to West, and other times from West to East. ... The acquisitions of men for themselves and their govemments are proportional to their science. Thus, every government for its own benefit must strive to lay the foundation of the sciences and to disseminate knowledge.... The strangest thing of all is that our ulama [scholarly community] these days have di- vided science into two parts. One they call Muslim science, and one European science. Because of this they forbid others to teach some of the useful sciences. They have not understood that science is that noble thing science.... How very strange it is that the Muslims study those sciences that are ascribed to Aristotle with the greatest delight, as if Aristotle were one of the pillars of the Muslims. However, if the discussion relates to Galileo, Newton and Kepler, they consider them infidels. The father and mother of science is proof, and proof is nei- ther Aristotle nor Galileo. The truth is where there is proof, and those who forbid science and knowledge in the belief that they are safe- guarding the Islamic religion are really enemies of that religion. The Islamic religion is the clos- est of religions to science and knowledge, and there is no incompatibility between science and knowledge and the foundation of the Islamic faith....

Religious Leaders Comment on Science and Progress for hls attempt to reconcile Islam with Westen -hle the nineteenth century saw the rise of secular Ideologles such as lberallsm, sociallsm, and nationallsm, religlon con- tinued to shape the vlews of most people around the world. The excerpts below Illustrate the Impl- catlons of modern Industrial Ideologles for rellglous falth as Interpreted by a Sunnl Muslim scholar and sclence. The second passage ls by Pope Plus IX (r. 1846- 1878), who became a staunch conservative when Roman revolutionarles forced him to temporarlly flee the Vatican In 1848. Plus IX greatly Increased papal authority when he proclalmed the doctrine of papal Infallblity, which stated that the pope's state- ments on central Issues of falth were to be regarded as coming directly from God and could not be chal- lenged. His criticism of the loss of splritual focus In the face of materlallsm has been a consistent theme a Roman Cathollc pope. The first selection comes from Sayyld Jamaal ad-din al-Afghani (1838-1897), who was edu- cated In Islamic schools In Afghanistan and Iran and then spent twenty years In British-ruled Indla, also travellng to western Europe and the Ottoman Emplre. Al-Afghanl saw pan-Islamic unity as nec- essary for effective resistance to European doml- nance and worked to heal divislons between the of the Roman Cathollc Church ever since. Sunni and Shi'te Muslim communitles. His efforts did not, of course, go unchallenged. Sufl mystics and Wahhabl purlsts, for example, had little use Sources: Excerpt cited and translated in Nikki Keddle, Soyld Jamal od-din "al-Aghani": Apolitical blography (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1972), pp. 161, 186. Re- printed by pemislon; excerpt, Pope Plus IX, Quanta Cura (Condemning Curent Errors), from www.ewtn.com. Sayyid Jamāl ad-din al-Afghani that has no connection with any nation, and is not distinguished by anything but itself. Rather, everything that is known is known by science, and every nation that be- comes renowned becomes renowned through 1. "Lecture on Teaching and Learning" (1882) If someone looks deeply into the question, he will see that science rules the world. There was, is, and will be no other ruler in the world but science. ... In reality, sovereignty has never left the abode of science. However, this true ruler, which is science, is continually changing capitals. Sometimes It has moved from East to West, and other times from West to East. ... The acquisitions of men for themselves and their govemments are proportional to their science. Thus, every government for its own benefit must strive to lay the foundation of the sciences and to disseminate knowledge.... The strangest thing of all is that our ulama [scholarly community] these days have di- vided science into two parts. One they call Muslim science, and one European science. Because of this they forbid others to teach some of the useful sciences. They have not understood that science is that noble thing science.... How very strange it is that the Muslims study those sciences that are ascribed to Aristotle with the greatest delight, as if Aristotle were one of the pillars of the Muslims. However, if the discussion relates to Galileo, Newton and Kepler, they consider them infidels. The father and mother of science is proof, and proof is nei- ther Aristotle nor Galileo. The truth is where there is proof, and those who forbid science and knowledge in the belief that they are safe- guarding the Islamic religion are really enemies of that religion. The Islamic religion is the clos- est of religions to science and knowledge, and there is no incompatibility between science and knowledge and the foundation of the Islamic faith....