THE news that Universiti Malaya has achieved 87th place in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University Rankings is a cause for celebration for Malaysians. With Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia at 184th, Malaysia now boasts two top- ranked universities in the Muslim world.
Despite these achievements, the fact remains that the academic performance of universities in Muslim countries lags behind the rest of the world.
At this time of contemplation for all Muslims and the dawn of a new era for Malaysians, it is appropriate to ask “why?” Here are some reflections.
ARE WE DOING AS WELL AS WE SHOULD?
No. Muslims represent a quarter of humanity. Based on population, there should be around 50 universities from Muslim countries in the top 200 QS ranking. But, there are only three (King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia is ranked 189th).
Perhaps Muslims don’t really have an academic tradition of scholarship?
Nonsense. While most students are dazzled by the antiquity of universities like Oxford and Cambridge, they remain unaware that the first universities were founded in Asia and Africa, predating European universities often by hundreds of years. Which Muslim student knows that the University of Al Quaraouiyine, founded in Morocco in 859 AD by a woman (Fatima al-Fihri), is the oldest existing, operating and degree-awarding educational institution in the world?
Western mathematicians and scientists owe a debt to the Islamic scholars who helped Europe emerge from the Dark Ages.
WE DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES
Not true. Muslims are among the richest people on Earth. Based on per capita income, six of 25 richest countries are Muslim countries — here at least we meet our quota. Of course, individual wealth in a few small, rich countries is not a measure of the wealth of our resources. But, here again, we have no excuses.
From the fossil reserves of the Middle East to the biodiversity of Asia, Muslims can claim more than their share of the planet’s bounty. Malaysia alone hosts five per cent of the world’s plant species, and some of the richest sources of terrestrial and marine biodiversity on the planet. Muslim countries span a “fertile crescent” from Senegal (further west than Ireland), Kazakhstan (further north than Denmark) and Indonesia (further east than Japan and further south than Brazil).
IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT LEAGUE TABLES
True, but even if we ignore the blunt tool of university rankings, research from Muslim countries is less cited than from elsewhere. No author in the 100 most cited papers in the prestigious journal, Nature, was from a Muslim country. Despite forming the majority population of 57 nations and citizenship of most others, only three Muslim scientists are among the more than 900 Nobel Prize laureates.
Muslim countries rarely
feature in metrics of research performance, spending or scientific discoveries.
MUSLIM COUNTRIES DO NOT FACE CHALLENGES WORTHY OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY
Really? Almost half of the global poor live in the Muslim world. Sixty per cent of Muslims are aged below 30 and most of them live in rural poverty. Unemployment is often high, especially for women and youth. At the same time, many Muslim countries depend on food imports since they cannot feed their own people. If we built a “Trumpian Wall” around the Muslim world, many of us would starve.
HOW WILL UNIVERSITY RANKINGS HELP?
By themselves, they won’t. For too long, scientists have been encouraged, indeed rewarded, for working in narrow disciplinary silos with a single objective — to publish. It is easier to follow the “publish or perish” maxim than to cross its boundaries. Cited publications remain the currency of academic success.
However, to solve existential challenges (such as climate change), scientists must increasingly work in multidisciplinary, multinational teams. They must welcome contributions from colleagues who neither look nor think like them, but bring new perspectives to a common challenge. This means that we must share, and not compete for, resources, welcome new ideas and encourage debate. We must ask whether our research is relevant to the challenges facing our communities and learn lessons from elsewhere. Publications will not empower communities, shared experiences may.
ISLAMIC FINANCE: A UNIQUE MECHANISM
Islamic finance offers unique instruments to build climate resilient communities. Its principles and modus operandi bring a different perspective to sustainability. For zakat funds to be used for their purpose, an additional condition needs to be met, that is, the beneficiaries must be poor. The institution of waqf can help communities cope with humanitarian crises resulting from climate change. Waqf foundations can directly engage in provision of goods and services related to climate mitigation and adaptation.
Islamic Green funds and Green Sukuk can contribute to research on climate change. While the principles of Islamic finance can support climate change research, it is researchers who must work with communities to deliver climate resilience.
FINANCES ARE NOT ENOUGH — WE NEED INNOVATION
In this new era, we must rethink how we can support and reward academic research. Innovation, not only publications, should be our yardstick. Instead of being its nemesis, bureaucracy should facilitate innovations, encourage collaborations, reward achievements, remove restrictions and cherish diversity. Rather than simply counting their publications, academic hierarchies must allow young researchers to challenge the status quo and find innovative solutions to the challenges that we face.