PM asks Muslims to work together to regain lost glory in science, tech

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged the Muslim community to set aside their differences and work together to regain the glorious heritage the Islamic world once had in science, philosophy, medicine and other fields of enlightenment.

“Today, Muslims are in possession of a significant amount of wealth. We can bring back our lost heritage by using this resource for the development of science and modern technology. I believe it,” she said.

The prime minister was addressing as the chief guest at the 35th Convocation Ceremony of Islamic University of Technology (IUT) held on its campus. IUT Chancellor and also OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha presided over the function.

Hasina said Muslim scholars had reached the pinnacle of success in the fields of science, history, literature, philosophy, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, geography, and in many other branches during the golden age of the Islam.

She said Muslim scholars of that era dominated the world in culture, knowledge acquisition, scientific discoveries, and contemporary literature.

The prime minister stressed the need for analysing the reasons behind the fall of the Muslims who once had the glorious heritage. Internal conflict, lack of mutual respect and harmony between Muslim countries, lack in knowledge and science and many other issues have factored in the collective fall of the Muslim ummah, she said.

“To regain this lost glory, I think we the Muslim ummah will have to work united, forgetting differences,” she said adding that the Muslim countries will particularly have to invest more in the education and science for the students of the Muslim countries and thus to develop science and modern technology.

In this modern era, three Nobel prizes have been awarded to Muslim recipients that sadly are the true reflection of the contribution of the Muslim ummah in the fields of research and development, she said.

She said the Muslim nations need stronger endeavours in the fields of science and technology so that they can contribute more. The Muslim community should not fall behind in tackling the challenges presented by the 4th Industrial Revolution especially in the sectors of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things, Quantum Computing and others, she added.

She said Bangladesh being a proud host of Islamic University of Technology, a subsidiary organ of OIC, will continue support for its smooth functioning. “I want to assure that we vow to keep on supporting IUT in future as well,” she said.

She said Bangladesh takes immense pride in being the host and being a part of every success story of such a prestigious institute like IUT. “I personally believe that education is a lifelong pursuance for achieving greatness,” she said.

Hasina said the IUT graduates are not only serving Bangladesh and OIC member states, they are also making contributions all across the globe.

She hoped that today’s graduates will continue to grow their skills by working closely with technologists, innovators and scientific communities around the world in the days to come.

“I strongly believe that IUT will play a pivotal role in showcasing the calibre of Muslim ummah …by spreading her fame as a state-of-the-art institute,” she said.

The prime minister congratulated the IUT graduates on their successful completion of the academic curriculum.

In the convocation, Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique was conferred with the OIC Gold Medal and four others with the IUT Gold Medals for their outstanding academic performance.

Education Minister Dipu Moni and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen spoke at the function, while IUT Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Rafiqul Islam delivered the welcome speech.