{"id":3929,"date":"2009-02-09T17:35:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-09T17:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3929"},"modified":"2009-02-09T17:35:00","modified_gmt":"2009-02-09T17:35:00","slug":"why-are-muslims-so-backward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929","title":{"rendered":"Why Are Muslims So Backward?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Nafisa, a friend, forwarded the following e-mail to me recently. It was one of those e-mails called junk that fly about on the Internet. While I merely chuckle after reading such mails, this one is so hautingly true and real that I felt strong enough about it as to reproduce it here as food for thought for my readers. We\u2019ll conclude it next week and then I\u2019ll answer the above question. Meanwhile, read. And think.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Happy 1430 Hijrah!<br>Happy? But the situation in the Muslim world is still sad as it was 500 years ago. Global influence and power have shifted to the Christian world &#8211; and have remained there ever since. The following figures speak for themselves. They are extracts of a speech delivered by Hafez A.B. Mohamed, Director-General of Al Baraka Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Demographics:<br>o World Jewish population: 14 million<\/strong><br>o&nbsp;<em>Distribution<\/em>: 7m in America<br>5m in Asia<br>2m in Europe<br>100 thousands in Africa<br><strong>o World Muslim population: 1.5 billion<\/strong><br><em>o Distribution:<\/em>&nbsp;1 billion in Asia\/Mid-East<br>400m in Africa<br>44m in Europe<br>6m in the Americas<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">o Every fifth human being is a Muslim.<br>o For every single Hindu there are two Muslims<br>o For every Buddhist there are two Muslims<br>o For every Jew there are 107 Muslims<br>Yet the 14&nbsp;<em>million&nbsp;<\/em>Jews are more powerful than the entire 1.5&nbsp;<em>billion&nbsp;<\/em>Muslims&#8230;<br><strong>Why..?<\/strong><br>Here are some of the reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Movers of Recent History<\/strong><br>o Albert Einstein &#8211; Jewish<br>o Sigmund Freud &#8211; Jewish<br>o Karl Marx &#8211; Jewish<br>o Paul Samuelson &#8211; Jewish<br>o Milton Friedman &#8211; Jewish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Medical Milestones<\/strong><br>o Vaccination needle: Benjamin Ruben &#8211; Jewish<br>o Polio vaccine: Jonas Salk &#8211; Jewish<br>o Leukaemia drug: Gertrude Elion &#8211; Jewish<br>o Hepatitis B: Baruch Blumberg &#8211; Jewish<br>o Syphilis drug: Paul Ehrlich &#8211; Jewish<br>o Neuro muscular: Elie Metchnikoff &#8211; Jewish<br>o Endocrinology: Andrew Schally &#8211; Jewish<br>o Cognitive therapy: Aaron Beck &#8211; Jewish<br>o Contraceptive pill: Gregory Pincus &#8211; Jewish<br>o Understanding of human eye: G. Wald &#8211; Jewish<br>o Embryology: Stanley Cohen &#8211; Jewish<br>o Kidney dialysis: Willem Kloffcame &#8211; Jewish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Nobel Prize Winners<\/strong><br>In the past 105 years, the 14 million Jews have won&nbsp;<strong>180&nbsp;<\/strong>Nobel prizes whilst the 1.5 billion Muslims have achieved only&nbsp;<strong>3<\/strong>&nbsp;Nobel winners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Inventions that changed History<\/strong><br>o Micro-processing chip: Stanley Mezor &#8211; Jewish<br>o Nuclear chain reactor: Leo Sziland &#8211; Jewish<br>o Optical fibre cable: Peter Schultz &#8211; Jewish<br>o Traffic lights: Charles Adler &#8211; Jewish<br>o Stainless steel: Benno Strauss &#8211; Jewish<br>o Sound movies: Isador Kisee &#8211; Jewish<br>o Telephone microphone: Emile Berliner &#8211; Jewish<br>o Video tape recorder: Charles Ginsburg &#8211; Jewish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Influential Global Businesses<\/strong><br>o Polo: Ralph Lauren &#8211; Jewish<br>o Coca-Cola: &#8211; Jewish<br>o Levi\u2019s: Levi Strauss &#8211; Jewish<br>o Starbuck\u2019s: Howard Schultz &#8211; Jewish<br>o Google: Sergey Brin &#8211; Jewish<br>o Dell Computers: Michael Dell &#8211; Jewish<br>o Oracle Computers: Larry Ellison: &#8211; Jewish<br>o DKNY: Donna Karan &#8211; Jewish<br>o Baskin Robbins: Irv Robbins &#8211; Jewish<br>o Dunkin\u2019 Donuts: Bill Rosenberg &#8211; Jewish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Influential Policy-makers\/Politicians<\/strong><br>o Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State &#8211; Jewish<br>o Richard Levin, President of Yale University &#8211; Jewish<br>o Alan Greenspan, Chairman of US Federal Reserve (i.e. Central Bank) &#8211; Jewish<br>o Joseph Lieberman, US Senator &#8211; Jewish<br>o Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State &#8211; Jewish<br>o CasperWeinberger, US Secretary of Defence &#8211; Jewish<br>o Maxim Litvinov, USSR Foreign Minister &#8211; Jewish<br>o David Marshal, Singapore Chief Minister &#8211; Jewish<br>o Isaac Isaacs, Governor-General of Australia &#8211; Jewish<br>o Benjamin Disraeli, British statesman &#8211; Jewish<br>o Yevgeny Primakov, Russian PM &#8211; Jewish<br>o Barry Goldwater, US politician &#8211; Jewish<br>o Jorge Sampaio, President of Portugal &#8211; Jewish<br>o Herb Gray, Canadian Deputy PM &#8211; Jewish<br>o Pierre Mendes, French PM &#8211; Jewish<br>o Michael Howard, British Home Secretary &#8211; Jewish<br>o Bruno Kriesky, Austrian Chancellor &#8211; Jewish<br>o Robert Rubin, US Secretary of Treasury &#8211; Jewish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Global Media Figures<\/strong><br>o Wolf Blitzer, CNN &#8211; Jewish<br>o Barbara Walters, ABC News &#8211; Jewish<br>o Eugene Meyer,&nbsp;<em>Washington Post&nbsp;<\/em>&#8211; Jewish<br>o Henry Grunwald,&nbsp;<em>Time&nbsp;<\/em>magazine &#8211; Jewish<br>o Katherine Graham,&nbsp;<em>Washington Post&nbsp;<\/em>publisher &#8211; Jewish<br>o Joseph Lelyeld,&nbsp;<em>New York Times&nbsp;<\/em>&#8211; Jewish<br>o Max Frankel,&nbsp;<em>New York Times&nbsp;<\/em>&#8211; Jewish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Global Philanthropists<\/strong><br>o George Soros &#8211; Jewish<br>o Walter Annenberg &#8211; Jewish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Education\/Literacy<\/strong><br>o In the entire Muslim world (57 Muslim countries) there are only 500 universities<br>o In USA alone, 5,758 universities<br>o In India alone, 8,407 universities<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not one university in the entire Islamic World features in the Top 500 Ranking Universities of the World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">o Literacy in the Christian world &#8211; 90%<br>o Literacy in the Muslim world &#8211; 40%<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u202215 Christian-majority countries\u2019 literacy rate &#8211; 100%,<br>\u2022Muslim-majority countries with 100% &#8211; None;<br>\u202298% in Christian countries completed primary education,<br>\u2022Only 50% in Muslim countries completed primary education;<br>\u202240% in Christian countries attended university,<br>\u2022In Muslim countries, a dismal 2% attended university;<br>\u2022Muslim-majority countries have 230 scientists per million,<br>\u2022The USA has 5,000 per million;<br>\u2022The Christian world &#8211; 1,000 technicians per million,<br>\u2022Entire Arab world &#8211; only 50 technicians per million;<br>\u2022Muslim world spending on R&amp;D &#8211; 0.2% of GDP,<br>\u2022Christian world\u2019s R&amp;D &#8211; 5.0% of GDP.<br><em>Another way of testing the degree of knowledge is the degree of diffusing knowledge:<\/em>\u2022Pakistan: 23 daily newspapers per 1,000 citizens,<br>\u2022Singapore: 460 per 1,000 citizens.<br>\u2022UK book titles per million is 2,000.<br>\u2022Egypt book titles per million is only 17.<br><em>The Muslim World is failing to diffuse knowledge.<br>Applying knowledge is another such test.<\/em><br>\u2022Exports of high-tech products from Pakistan: 0.9%<br>\u2022In Saudi Arabia: only 0.2%<br>\u2022Kuwait, Morocco and Algeria: only 0.3%<br>\u2022Tiny Singapore (4mil pop.): 68% &#8230;!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>&#8230;What I Think<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Facts, it is said, do not lie. The above facts and figures, as well as the ones we published in this space last week, are proof enough that the 14 million Jews of this world have surpassed the Muslim (millions of whom are their cousins) in worldly accomplishments. From science to policy-making and politics, from inventions that changed history, to philanthropy, publishing and global business, the comparatively minority Jews have demonstrated greater clout than the Muslims (whose population is put at 1.5 billion). Here, the Jews may be seen in isolation, but their world has become part and parcel of the Christian world even though the duo have different faiths and cultural mores. From some of the reactions I received since last week, it seems that even Christians regard themselves as closer to the Jews than to the Muslims. It can, therefore, be argued that even though the focus of the above list is the Jews, the apparent competition for accomplishment in various human endeavours is strictly between the Judeo-Christian and the Muslim worlds. No doubt, the latter has been left far behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The list developed by Hafez A.B. Mohamed, Director-General of Al Baraka Bank, is not exhaustive, though. Many other prominent Jews have not been mentioned, such as CNN\u2019s Larry King and French Prime Minister Sarcozy. Nor is the role being played by the Jews in the life of various countries, such as Nigeria where their companies have built bridges, roads and other structures, as well as their consulting in security matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The question then arises: Why are the Jews powerful and why are Muslims powerless? To answer the question, I must stress the fact that I\u2019m not talking about spiritual superiority but achievements in mundane issues. Secondly, I am not saying Muslims did not achieve anything in history. After all, it is a known fact that Muslims had built one of the leading civilisations in world history, with Islam as the fastest growing religion in the largely Judeo-Christian Europe and America. And yes, many Judeo-Christian scientists that have etched their names in the annals of history used the seeds of knowledge and discoveries of early Muslim scientists and astronomers. Moreover, many scientific theories were found in Qur\u2019anic verses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But why are the Muslims less influential than the Jews and the Christians in the last 500 years? Why do the Muslim nations rely heavily on Western technology and other expertise for their comfort and security, as well as for developing their societies economically and socially? Is there anything like Muslim science and technology today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hafez A.B. Mohamed, in his speech, has given us reasons why Muslims are so backward compared to the Jews. In simple term, he summarised the problem thus: \u201cThe Muslim world lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.\u201d This does not, I reckon, mean that the Muslims had never produced knowledge; otherwise the accomplishments of early Muslim scholars would not have been possible. The stark reality is that Muslims seem to have&nbsp;<em>ceased&nbsp;<\/em>producing knowledge. They have, in addition, failed to&nbsp;<em>apply&nbsp;<\/em>the knowledge that their ancestors had produced. Instead, they have embraced Western expertise, upgrading it to the status of universal knowledge. In contrast, the Chinese, for example, have been applying their pristine knowledge system even as they use the West\u2019s in some respects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the e-mail I received last week, Hafez A.B. Mohamed was quoted to have advised Muslims (or was it the view of an e-mailer?) thus: \u201cPlease educate yourself and your children. Excuses like lack of money, ability or opening are nothing more than that &#8211; excuses. Always promote education, don\u2019t compromise on it. We hate to be weak, illiterate and poor but are we too weak to give our children the opportunity to break the curse?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDon\u2019t ignore your children\u2019s slightest misguidance from education&#8230; and please, for Allah\u2019s sake, don\u2019t use your personal contacts to promote your children in their education. If they fail, let them because it will make them learn the sweetness of success. Remember, if they can\u2019t do it now, they can\u2019t ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith knowledge comes power, and with it even the small can rule over the big. We are world\u2019s biggest but sadly NOT strongest nation&#8230; Our opportunity to save all humankind is best through knowledge, creativity, literacy&#8230; And nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are other reasons for the Muslims\u2019 backwardness. Muslims are divided on most of the important issues. The&nbsp;<em>ummah&nbsp;<\/em>has lost its grip on the rope of unity which the Almighty decrees for it to hold fast. Islamic political and religious leaders have created the disunity and ensured that it remains so because they benefit from its fallouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muslims are also averse to self-criticism. A self-reappraisal of Muslim society and attitude is misinterpreted by some as an attack on the religion. This dogma is promoted by some zealots who, in turn, derive benefits from it. The problem is global: from Saudi Arabia to Malaysia and from Canada to Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muslims have no reason to be overtaken by the Jews in human endeavour. We must break the psychological chains that hold us back. Five hundred years of Judeo-Christian ascendancy has created enough reasons to galvanise us to attain greater heights. This is the wake-up call of any serious-minded Muslim. Barack Obama has just announced a new dawn for America. When will the Muslims wake up to their own?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(THIS PIECE WAS PUBLISHED IN &#8220;LEADERSHIP&#8221; NEWSPAPER, ABUJA, RECENTLY. IT GENERATED A LOT OF RESPONSES FROM MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS ALIKE, MOST OF WHOM WERE UNITED ON THE FACT THAT MUSLIMS MUST WAKE UP IN ORDER TO TAKE THEIR RIGHTFUL POSITION IN GLOBAL ISSUES)<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_3929\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"3929\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nafisa, a friend, forwarded the following e-mail to me recently. It was one of those e-mails called junk that fly about on the Internet. While I merely chuckle after reading such mails, this one is so hautingly true and real that I felt strong enough about it as to reproduce it here as food for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_3929\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"3929\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-columns"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":44,"today_views":0},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Are Muslims So Backward? - Ibrahim Sheme<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Are Muslims So Backward? - Ibrahim Sheme\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nafisa, a friend, forwarded the following e-mail to me recently. It was one of those e-mails called junk that fly about on the Internet. While I merely chuckle after reading such mails, this one is so hautingly true and real that I felt strong enough about it as to reproduce it here as food for [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ibrahim Sheme\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-02-09T17:35:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nafisat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"IBRAHIM SHEME\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3929#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3929\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nafisat\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4\"},\"headline\":\"Why Are Muslims So Backward?\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-02-09T17:35:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3929\"},\"wordCount\":1834,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Columns\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3929#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3929\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3929\",\"name\":\"Why Are Muslims So Backward? 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It was one of those e-mails called junk that fly about on the Internet. While I merely chuckle after reading such mails, this one is so hautingly true and real that I felt strong enough about it as to reproduce it here as food for [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929","og_site_name":"Ibrahim Sheme","article_published_time":"2009-02-09T17:35:00+00:00","author":"Nafisat","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"IBRAHIM SHEME","Estimated reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929"},"author":{"name":"Nafisat","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#\/schema\/person\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4"},"headline":"Why Are Muslims So Backward?","datePublished":"2009-02-09T17:35:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929"},"wordCount":1834,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Columns"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929","url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929","name":"Why Are Muslims So Backward? - Ibrahim Sheme","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#website"},"datePublished":"2009-02-09T17:35:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3929#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Are Muslims So Backward?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/","name":"Ibrahim Sheme","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#organization","name":"Ibrahim Sheme","url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IshemeLogo.png?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IshemeLogo.png?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Ibrahim Sheme"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#\/schema\/person\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4","name":"Nafisat","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e999cea8cab471727b3785d6d6c13039b2fc941be9c3077e56e254375b4b48f5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e999cea8cab471727b3785d6d6c13039b2fc941be9c3077e56e254375b4b48f5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e999cea8cab471727b3785d6d6c13039b2fc941be9c3077e56e254375b4b48f5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Nafisat"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com"],"url":""}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3929\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}