Pakistan’s Higher Education Reform Experiment

The latest issue of Nature (Volume 461 Number 7260, September 3, 2009) published an article as well as an editorial on Pakistan’s higher education reform experiment and on the Higher Education Commission (HEC). We are sharing editorial and for article please click here (Pakistan's reform experiment). This article is jointly contributed by Athar Osama, Adil Najam, Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Syed Zulfiqar Gilani & Christopher King

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Editorial

Nature 461, 11-12 (3 September 2009) doi:10.1038/461011b; Published online 2 September 2009

Cash costs

Massive funding for Pakistan's ailing universities holds many lessons for other developing nations. Eight years ago, a task force advising Pakistan's former military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, laid out a bold plan to revitalize the country's moribund research system: initiate a fivefold increase in public funding for universities, with a special emphasis on science, technology and engineering. The proposal was a radical departure from conventional wisdom on the economics of developing nations, which favours incremental investments. Sudden surges of cash are held to be dangerous in poorer countries, which often lack the institutions or the calibre of people required to make the most of such a windfall, and the money can easily be wasted or fall prey to corruption.

Nonetheless, Musharraf agreed to the proposal. The reforms began in 2003. And the results, which have now earned a qualified thumbs-up from a group of experts in science and education policy..., offer some valuable lessons for other developing nations.

First, conventional wisdom isn't always right. Despite early doubts that Musharraf's autocratic regime could allocate the new funds effectively, the experts cite initiatives such as a free national digital library and high-speed Internet access for universities as examples of success, as well as new scholarships enabling more than 2,000 students to study abroad for PhDs — with incentives to return to Pakistan afterwards. And they acknowledge that the years of reform have coincided with increases in the number of Pakistani authors publishing in research journals, especially in mathematics and engineering, as well as boosting the impact of their research outside Pakistan.

Second, human capital matters. One concern raised by the report published in this issue is that the 3,500 candidates for Pakistan's new domestic PhD programmes have had lower qualifications than the candidates going abroad. But that is a situation that should correct itself over time as Pakistan's schools improve. For the time being, the more important point is that Pakistan has opened up the chance of a research degree to many more people than in the past — including those who do not have wealthy families, or access to influential people, or good skills in European languages. Harnessing those reserves of talent is an integral part of any nation's development.

Finally, accountability is essential. This was not a priority for the architects of Pakistan's educational reform, partly because they were working for an autocratic regime, and partly because they were in too much of a hurry. The government seemed to be living on borrowed time, Musharraf's science adviser, Atta-ur-Rahman, has recalled. On the one hand, politicians, judges and lawyers were pressing for a return to democracy; on the other, the influence of the Pakistani Taliban was increasing. Suicide bombers twice tried to assassinate Musharraf — once by blowing up his motorcade as he returned from making a speech to scientists. If the reformers didn't get their programme in place quickly, they feared they might not get it in place at all.

The result, however, is that the body created to implement the reforms, the Higher Education Commission, has operated with minimal oversight by academics, parliamentarians or anyone else. There has been some waste, although no one has yet accused the commission of egregious abuses of power. But it has exhibited blind spots that an outside influence might have corrected — notably a total lack of investment in the social sciences and policy research, disciplines that encourage the asking of questions that autocratic regimes frequently dislike answering.

This must change. Pakistan is no longer a dictatorship. The elected government, under President Asif Ali Zardari, has expressed cautious support for continuing Musharraf's education reforms. It therefore has an opportunity to build on their successes and correct their shortcomings — starting with an independent review of the commission's performance.

IIUI Signs MoU with the State University of New York at Stony Brook, USA

Islamabad. The International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, United State of American (SBU) in reconginition of their common interests in developing bilateral relations and cooperation between institutes of higher learning contributing to cultural enrichment, scientific progress, and the consolidation of friendship, have signed an MoU for Exchange of students, faculty and administrative staff. Both sides decided that instructional and cultural programs, specific mechanisms for the implementation of cooperative and collaborative activities shall be established.

The agreement shall be valid for a period of five years and at the end of each term, this agreement will be automatically renewed by mutual agreement for an additional term of five year. The MoU was signed by Dr. Anwar Hussain Siddiqui, President of the International Islamic University Islamabad and Samuel Stanley, Jr., M.D, President, Stony Brook University, New York, during recent visit of Dr. Siddiqui to the USA. Meanwhile Dr. Mohammad Sher, of the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) has been gives best university teacher award by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for playing an important role in enhancing the academic atmosphere during the year 2008.

7th Convocation of the Islamic International University, Islamabad, (IIUI)

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s popularity rose a notch higher in the student community as he, in a generous mood, interacted with them after conferring doctorate degrees on graduates and decorating 34 of them with gold medals at the seventh convocation of the International Islamic University (IIU) on Sunday.

Employment opportunities were foremost in the mind of a fresh women graduate as she raised the question of availability of jobs after leaving the institution.

Prime Minister Gilani answered that jobs would become available in the market with the improvement in the law and order situation. ‘Jobs are linked with peace and tranquility,’ he said. There was an indication here that after things settled down in Swat and Malakand, and peace returned to the area, there would be a run on jobs.

The premier also implied that peace and job availability were the products of the constitutional governments and good governance.

Prime Minister Gilani also announced a grant of Rs450 million to build a students’ hostel at the International Islamic University (IIU). He also said he believed 100 per cent in the autonomy of the Higher Education Commission. ‘Health and education is government’s priority,’ he said, adding that after the US law providing $1.5 billion to Pakistan, more money would be made available to Pakistan, meaning that gradually the allocation to the education sector would increase to five per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). HEC Chairperson Shahnaz Wazir Ali was sitting beside him as he made the announcement.

The prime minister had a good word for the university’s new direction in setting up more departments and departments for study of science and technology as well as in setting up the Allama Iqbal Centre for Research and Dialogue, because ‘education is a religious duty, and it was an extension of change and progress.’

Prime Minister Gilani, in his speech, concluded that he wanted the IIU to develop into a great institution of learning which would serve students from all over the world.

IIU Rector Prof Fateh Mohammad Malik drew the prime minister’s attention to the university’s stride in making advancements. In this regard, he particularly mentioned the Iqbal Institute of Research and Dialogue, which had organised significant seminars with the participation of a number of eminent scholars such as Karen Armstrong, and others.

IIU President Anwar Husain Siddiqui pressed for autonomy for the Higher Education Commission as well as more funds to implement the 15 per cent raise in pay for the faculty as provided in the new budget.

He said the IIU was the largest university in northern Pakistan, with enrolment of 17,000 students, of which 1,500 are 47 countries, with 560 students from China.

As many as 2,285 students were awarded graduate degrees in the convocation ceremony.
Prime Minister Gilani conferred gold medals on Samina Yasmeen and Hafiz Mohammad Haroon (Arabic); Maria Sabir, Arooj Wais, Hina Mahmood, Mehwish Huma, Saeed Afzal, Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, and Altaf Ghafoor (basic and applied sciences); Mohammad Asad(engineering); Younis Hussain, Faiza Zafar and Sania Batool (economics); Mohammad Anas and Ayesha Quratul Ain (Islamic studies); Khola Majeed, Maryam Waqar Qazi and Aminullah Sahrai (literature); Mohammad Tajul Malook, Waheeduz Zaman and Ayesha Rashid Lone, Sidra al-Hassan, Sumayya Shaheen, Shadia Noor, Sara Shuja and Shahe Naveed (management sciences); Aneesa Khatoon, Tayyaba Anwar, Maqzia Hafeez, Rukhsana and Saira Urooj (social sciences); Asim Murtaza Cheema, Hafiz Mohammad Waqas and Nadia Khanam (Shariah and law).

Our Shame: HEC Published Research Output of Pakistani Universities

Higher Education Commission of Pakistan has published and analysis of research publications from Pakistani Universities, which appeared in e-reviewed journals indexed by Thomason Reuters, ISI Web of knowledge during the years 2007-08. The databases of ISI Web of Knowledge used SCI-Expended, SCCI and A& HCI. GC University Lahore got 6th position among all public and private universities of Pakistan. Please click here for details. (Courtesy to: GCU Website)

See where IIUI stands in the list:

1. Quaid-e-Azam University: Publications in 2007: 409 and publications in 2008: 544
2. University of Karachi: Publications in 2007: 276 and publications in 2008: 419
3. Aga Khan University 186 and 311
4. University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 252 and 310
5. University of The Punjab 162 and 278
6. Govt. College University 97 and 154
7. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology 92 and 149
8. University of Sargodha 38 and 115
9. University of Sind, Jamshoro 59 and 105
10. University of Peshawar 77 and 97
11. Bahauddin Zakariya University 50 and 92
12. National University of Science & Technology 48 and 92
13. University of Arid Agriculture 49 and 87
14.University of Engineering & Technology,Lahore 38 and 55
15. DOW University of Health Sciences 11 49
16.GIK Institute of Engineering Science &Technology: 16 and 46
17. University of Baluchistan 28 and 40
18. Islamia University 22 and 40
19. NWFP Agricultural University 20 and 29
20. Lahore University of Management Sciences 19 and 27
21. University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences 11 and 26
22. Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology 07 and 26
23. Gomal University 12 and 24
24. Ziauddin Medical University 07 and 24
25. King Edward Medical University 12 and 23
26. Kohat University of Science & Technology 06 and 23
27. Baqai Medical University 11 and 22
28. International Islamic University: Publications in 2007: 05 and Publications in 2008: 21

For full list, please follow the link provided above. The list is pretty much revealing. We stand far behind in research and publications and IIUI faculty members generally don’t publish. One can argue that our faculty members do publish but largely in non-ISI indexed journals. The point is well taken but then IIUI administration should take up this matter with HEC stating the factual position and asking them to rationalize their criteria of developing such lists. This list is now almost an annual feature of HEC’s quality control procedures to identify hardworking-good guys from sluggish-bad guys. According to this list, we clearly fall in the latter category. Is anybody listening?

IIUI Scholarships

From: http://www.iiu.edu.pk/events/scholarship/hec_scholarship.html

Applications are invited from qualified persons for a limited number of HEC sponsored overseas scholarships (Male & Female) for Ph.D studies in the reputed and recognized Universities abroad for the following disciplines:-

Law
Software Engineering
Psychology
Engineering & Technology
Computer Science
Environmental Sciences
Management Sciences
Telecom Engineering
Mass Communication
Bioinformatics

Minimum eligibility Criteria

1. The applicant shall be a Pakistani/AJK National.
2. Candidates should have minimum M.Phil/MS degree (18 years of education) in the relevant discipline from HEC recognized University/Institution.
3. Should have not less than 50% marks throughout the academic career.
4. Maximum age on June 14, 2008:
a. 40 years for full time regular faculty members of public sector Universities/Colleges and employees of the public sector R&D organizations.
b. 35 years for all others.
5. Candidates must have acquired the requisite academic qualification on the cut off date of the application i.e. 11.05.2009.
6. Persons in receipt of any other scholarship offer are NOT eligible to apply.
7. Preference given to:
a. Those who hold valid admission for Ph.D
b. Candidates who have been offered admission in tuition free institution.
c. Candidates whose admission requires minimum possible fees.
d. Candidates who preferably hold admission to universities in USA, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Scandinavian countries.

Application Procedure

Candidates will be required to fill the application form online and submit printed copy of online application along with non-refundable processing fee of Rs.500/- in the form of Pay Order/Bank Draft in favor of International Islamic University, Islamabad.. Attach following documents along with the prescribed application form:-
1. CV/Resume
2. Attested photocopy of CNIC
3. Most recent photographs (4 Nos.)
4. Attested photocopies of all Educational Testimonials, Equivalence of foreign qualification/s from IBCC/HEC will be required.
5. Statement of Purpose for pursuing higher studies (max. 500 words).
6. Research Proposal.
7. NOC from the employer (in-service candidates).
8. Attested photocopy of valid NTS pass certificate.
9. Attested photocopy of confirmed admission for Ph.D.
10. Three letters of reference from academic/research supervisors.
Eligible faculty members of IIUI, if interested, are advised to route their applications through proper channel. They are not required to pay the processing fee of Rs.500/-.
NOTE:- All above documents should be in proper order.

IMPORTANT NOTE:-

1 All Scholarships will be awarded on open merit.
2 Confirmed and unconditional admission letters should clearly state that the admission is valid for a Ph.D programme.
3 In-service candidates should apply through proper channel. Advance copies will not be entertained.
4 Funding for a maximum period of 4 years will be provided for Ph.D studies. Expenses beyond the allocated fund shall be borne by the candidate himself/herself for which an undertaking will be required after selection.
5 Awardees have to execute a bond with the IIU to serve it for 5 years after completion of study. 6 Continuation of Scholarship shall be subject to satisfactory performance certified by the respective supervisor of the host University.
7 Incomplete and applications received after due date will not be entertained.
8 Selected candidates from institutions other than IIU shall have to resign from their present jobs and will be provided the jobs at IIU as per rules.

NOTE:-

The IIU reserves the right to short list the candidates and to reject any/all applications without assigning any reason.
Click here to download Applications form, duly completed in all respects should reach the Director (Academic Planning & Coordination), International Islamic University, New Campus, Sector H-10, Islamabad by May 14, 2009 through registered mail or courier service.

(Gulzar Ahmed Khwaja)Director(Academic Planning & Coordination)International Islamic UniversityNew Campus, Sector H-10, IslamabadTele: 051-9258044, 0345-5105155E-mail: gulkhwaja@iiu.edu.pk

Our traditional educational systems

The News, http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=149920

Monday, December 01, 2008

By Asad Zaman

In Orientalism, one of the most significant and influential books of the twentieth century, Edward Said describes how the European project of colonising the rest of the world distorted all academic knowledge produced about the East (the Orient). The necessity of justifying and providing a moral basis for the loot and plunder of Asia, Africa and the Americas led to the invention of a large number of western theories which made it impossible to achieve an objective understanding of the East. Imperialism and exploitation was cloaked under the noble objective of the White Man’s burden to spread the benefits of his civilisation to the rest of the world. The extremely cruel treatment of blacks (leading to an estimated 10 million slaves taken out and about a 100 million killed in the process, over the period of European colonisation of Africa), was justified by the invention of racism: according to a US court ruling Negroes were “”beings of an inferior order … they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.”

The superiority complex of the west described in Orientalism has a natural counterpart in the inferiority complex in the East. The colonial educational system was designed by Macaulay, who expressed his extreme contempt for our heritage in his famous Minute on Indian education: “(no one) could deny that a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia.” European superiority becomes an article of faith to those trained to be “Indian in colour, but English in taste” and criticisms such as the present one invoke an irritated defence combined with the platitude that if Europeans are bad, we and our ancestors are even worse.

This essay was motivated by a recent article in Dawn contending that “public education began in our subcontinent with the advent of British rule. Before that, no such system existed.” This perpetuates the European myth that we were all ignorant savages and barbarians before the white man came to educate and civilise us. The facts are so breathtakingly at variance with this picture that they will come as a shock to the average reader.

The educational system of India was one of the wonders of the world and people from many lands came to India in search of knowledge and wisdom. A contemporary account from pre-British India states that while excellent scholars are present everywhere in India, Delhi can be especially proud of the vast assortment of world-class experts in every field of knowledge as well as trade and craft. Among both Muslims and Hindus it was a religious duty to support scholars and to free them from worldly worries so they could concentrate on the acquisition of knowledge.

Scholars could and did travel the country in search of knowledge without financial constraints, since they could count on hospitality wherever they went. Private and public libraries galore, books, copyists, authors, public debates, intellectual competitions of many types, testify to a widespread culture of learning, where even courtesans boasted of literary accomplishments.

This culture survived into the early periods of colonial rule: Dalrymple writes that “He (the Muslim man) who holds an office worth twenty rupees a month commonly gives his sons an education equal to that of a prime minister. … After seven years of study, the young Muhammadan … (is nearly the equal of) … a young man raw from Oxford. “ He said research on madrasas in early colonial British India showed that the syllabus employed at the Nizamia Madrasa, which served as a model for madrassas elsewhere, represented a blend of revealed sciences, including the Quran, the hadith, fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and tafsir (Quranic commentary), on the one hand, and the “ ’aqli ‘ulum (rational sciences), including Arabic language, grammar, logic, rhetoric, philosophy, astronomy, medicine, physics and mathematics, on the other.”

Our educational systems were destroyed by deliberate British policy, which seized numerous endowments (Awqaf) set up for educational purposes, and denied jobs to all but those trained in the newly set up British educational systems. The destruction was so thorough that not only the educational institutions but the cultural traditions and even the memory of these institutions was lost:

Wae nakami, mata-e-karvan jata raha, Karvan kay dil say ehsas-e-zian jata raha. (Iqbal)

The British educational system was explicitly designed to create intermediaries between the ruling class and the public; in effect, a method of producing bureaucrats and clerks, not scholars. The greatest loss from the introduction of this system has been the transformation of the concept of education as a sacred duty which leads to spiritual transformation and enlightenment, to education as means of acquiring a job.

This problem can only be fixed by reverting to our traditions. In her book The Making of the Modern University: Intellectual Transformation and the Marginalisation of Morality, Harvard Professor Julie Reuben has described how universities in the USA abandoned their mission to build character and develop morals, opting for a purely technical education. It was not illiterate savages, but graduates of the finest educational systems of the West who designed the gas chambers used to burn millions of innocent men, women and children in Germany. David Halberstam, in his book The Brightest and the Best, has documented how graduates of Yale and Harvard ran the Vietnam War on the pattern of an efficient business, with callous disregard for human suffering: more than one million civilians died as “collateral damage” in the mass bombings and napalming, and atrocities and massacres were common. PhD physicists who developed the nuclear bomb denied any responsibility for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Leading biologists work for salaries to develop non-fertile varieties of genetically engineered high-yield grains so that multinationals can profit from the hunger of humanity. The value of technical expertise is lost if the expert will stuff his pockets at the expense of the public at every opportunity. There is substantial evidence to show that the greed of highly educated financial wizards is responsible for the current global financial crisis. There is a vital need to relearn and revive our heritage in education, which emphasised character, integrity, honesty and morality in addition to the development of competence in specialized subjects.

The writer teaches economics at the International Islamic University of Islamabad.

Email: asadzaman@alum.mit.edu

We want to hear from you!

As an IIUI faculty member and academician, have you ever heard about the meetings of university’s Board of Governors (BoG), Academic Council, Deans and Directors Committee, Board of Studies, IIUI Purchase & Procurement Committee etc.? Any chance, though accidentally, to go through the minutes and decisions of such meetings? Have you ever considered that who represents you in these meetings about certain very crucial issues of academic nature and career path? Who decides that who would be your representative and how do some handpicked representatives perform on these forums? Have they ever reported back to their constituents to solicit feedback and response formulation? Have you ever been asked at IIUI to chose your representative for various committees’ membership?

If you are absolutely shocked with these questions and finding yourself a “missing person” in the discourse then come along and share your thoughts about these issues with us for our upcoming post on this topic. Please send your thoughts to: iiuiblog@gmail.com

Not just Europe

Author: Dr. Asad Zaman, Professor, International Institute of Islamic Economics-IIUI,

Email: asadzaman@alum.mit.edu

The article below has appeared in The News (http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=142730)

Friday, October 24, 2008

Future historians writing on the basis of official US documents would be convinced that the USA selflessly invaded Iraq to bring benefits of democracy and civilisation to a barbarian nation, and to protect the entire world from weapons of mass destruction possessed by a mad dictator. They would not pick any clue in these documents to the fact that the war destroyed the lives of millions of Iraqis so that the USA could control their oil.

For the past few centuries, people of European origin have been telling us about the wonderful effects of the modernisation of Europe. The other side of the story is not well known. The self-centred and self-glorifying point of view of Europeans, which completely disregards the problems and difficulties of modernisation, is implicitly absorbed by anyone who consumes their literary, cinematic or other intellectual or social products – a category to which virtually every reader of this column belongs.

Earlier, Henri Pirenne showed how the attempt to picture themselves at the centre stage of history at all times has led Europeans to a substantially distorted understanding of world civilisations, their close interrelationships, dependency and balances, and their contributions to weaving the fabric of global history and society. Many recent books show how Eurocentric bias has led the West to claim the achievements of other cultures in the invention of (notably) democracy, universities, capitalism, individualism and science. Efforts of such scholars have led to the understanding that much of our common stock of wisdom about human beings and their history in the past few centuries is "Eurocentric."

Deep and valuable insights about ourselves emerge when we try to learn about the achievements of other cultures, and also the failures of Europe, which are all suppressed in European writings.

One of the central themes of the European view of the world is the idea that the whole world was in darkness and ignorance, and the dawn of the age of reason first occurred in Europe. The term "Age of Enlightenment" was used by 18th century European writers, who were "convinced that they were emerging from centuries of darkness and ignorance into a new age enlightened by reason, science, and respect for humanity. The period is also often referred to as the Age of Reason." This led to the "White Man's Burden" to take his civilisation and powers of reasoning to ignorant people living in darkness all over the world. This picture of world history, which ignores the presence of many ancient and advanced civilisations, is embedded deeply into Western intellectual traditions.

All non-Europeans who acquire a Western education automatically imbibe this story, which results in an exaggerated respect for Western traditions and an inferiority complex about one's allegedly savage and primitive ancestors.

In fact, the story of the Western transition to a secular system of politics and thought is not, as we are told, a story of the triumph of reason over superstition. The emergence of secular thought in the West was a consequence of the moral bankruptcy of the upper echelon of the Catholic Church. In The March of Folly, by Barbara Tuchman, the crisis caused by the openly flaunted moral corruption of a sequence of Popes (which involved living extremely luxuriously, legitimising bastard progeny, selling pardons for sins to raise money for supporting lavish lifestyles, etc.) has been termed "the most momentous event in the history of Europe." Tuchman has documented how this directly led to the rise of the Protestants, who attempted to preserve their faith while breaking from the corrupt Catholic Church. The Protestants split into several different Christian sects and factions, which fought among themselves as well as with the Catholics. The intolerance of these sects for each other, and battles, carnage, oppression and injustice, all carried out in the name of Christianity, convinced Europeans that religion could not serve as a basis for ordering a society.

Even religious leaders realised that social harmony required principles which could be agreed to by all members of the society without invoking controversial and conflicting religious principles. Secular thought developed due to the lack of character among religious leaders of Europe, and aimed at development of higher character by using reason and factual knowledge instead of religion. The Enlightenment thinkers hoped to create a more humane and just society which was free from poverty, wars and social evils of all kinds.

Have the hopes of the enlightenment thinkers been borne out by subsequent history? Religion provided the basis for morality, which has gradually become weaker and weaker in Europe. The consequences of this weaking of moral forces in the Western civilisation have been noted by many authors, and are visible for all to see.

For example, Gertrude Himmelfarb, in her book The De-moralisation of Society: From Victorian Virtues to Modern Values, has documented the increase of violent crimes and illegitimate childbirth as a consequence of the decline of Victorian concepts of morality in England. The resulting breakdown of the family in Europe and the USA has led to an epidemic of social disorder. The Social Justice Foundation in England has documented how the children of single parents, now the majority of all European children, are likely to have poor outcomes in terms of education, mental health, drug abuse and criminal offending.

Julie Reuben, in her book The Making of the Modern University: Intellectual Transformation and the Marginalisation of Morality, shows how a university education was aimed at developing character in students up until early twentieth century. However, this mission was abandoned by modern universities in favour of providing a purely technical education, without any spiritual or moral guidance. The results have been disastrous as students learn how to build bombs, but nothing about ethics of killing. About the Nazi gas chambers used to burn millions of innocent men, women and children, Holocaust scholar Franklin Littel writes that "the credibility crisis of the modern university arises from the fact that the death camps were not planned and built by … illiterates, ignorant savages, but were by-products of one of the best university systems in the world. In The Brightest and the Best, David Halberstam has documented how graduates of the best universities ran the Vietnam War on the pattern of an efficient business, with callous disregard for human suffering. Much of Vietnam became, in essence, a free-fire zone -- more than one million civilians died as "collateral damage" in the mass bombings and napalming -- and atrocities and massacres were common. Villages were torched and destroyed in order to "save" them, in the famous words of a US major. Then defence secretary Robert McNamara now repents his role in that slaughter, and urges America's leaders not to repeat a similar history in Iraq.

With the widespread breakdown of family values, and the abandonment of the moral mission by universities, children growing up in Europe and the USA have no place to learn ethics and morality. In single-parent families, now the majority, children do not know their fathers, and do not experience the warmth and love of their working mothers. In addition, Hollywood and TV promote highly immoral lifestyles; for example, people who murder innocent civilians for money are portrayed as normal, decent, loving and kind human beings in Mr and Mrs Smith and many other similar movies. This has resulted in monstrosities such as the public statement in a CBS "Nightline" TV interview by former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright that it was acceptable to kill half-a-million Iraqi children to achieve objectives of US policy. She has a vastly better public relations team than Genghis Khan and Hitler, whose names have been blackened forever in history for far lesser deeds.

Many of our leaders and modernised elites insist on blind imitation of the West as the only route to progress. For example, ministries were established to teach European dancing, music and theatre to the Turkish people, and similar efforts are under way all over the Islamic world. The point of this article is to argue that we must be discriminating. Certainly we must learn from the West, but we need to distinguish between their failures and success, and avoid the former while adopting means to acquire the latter.

The writer teaches economics at the International Islamic University of Islamabad. Email: asadzaman @alum.mit.edu

Islamic Studies Published

The latest issue of Islamic Studies, a research journal of Islamic Research Institute-IIUI, is now published.

Islamic Studies, Volume No 47, Number 1, Spring 1428–1429/2008

Contents:

1. The Notions of Dar al-harb and Dar al-Islam in Islamic Jurisprudence with Special Reference to the Hanafi School
MUHAMMAD MUSHTAQ AHMAD

2. IImages of Religious Others in Textbooks of Religious Education for the Public Primary Schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina
AID SMAJIĆ

3. Islam in Brunei Darussalam: Negotiating Islamic Revivalism and Religious Radicalism
IIK ARIFIN MANSURNOOR

Documents

Civil and Religious Law in England: A Religious Perspective

Book Reviews

Omid Safi. The Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam: Negotiating Ideology and Religious Identity
ARSHAD ZAMAN

Caryle Murphy. Passion For Islam: Shaping the Modern Middle East: The Egyptian Experience
IRFAN MOEEN KHAN

Nahid Kabir. Muslims in Australia: Immigration, Race Relations and Cultural History
SAMINA YASMEEN

Saba Mahmood. Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject
JUNAID S. AHMAD

Talal Asad. On Suicide Bombing
SADIA MAHMOOD

Absracts:

1. The Notions of Daral-Harb and Dar al-Islam in Islamic Jurisprudence with Special Reference to the Hanafi School
MUHAMMAD MUSHTAQ AHMAD

The article argues that the bifurcation of the world into two domains—Dar al-Isl┐m and D┐r al-╓arb—is essentially an affirmation of the principle of territorial jurisdiction. This principle was enunciated with a high degree of clarity and its implications were worked out with rigour and consistency by the Muslim jurists, especially those of the ╓anaf┘ school. Among the reasons that have mainly led to confusion and misgiving on the question are:

The use of the term D┐r al-╓arb gave rise to the impression that hostility should inform the relations between D┐r al-Isl┐m and all other entities.

The firmness shown by the Prophet (peace be on him) during the last years of his life to root out the forces actively inimical to Islam and establish a secure foothold for Islam in the Arabian peninsula has at times been detached from its space-time context and considered to be the norm for the Muslims in their relationship with all non-Muslim entities.

The paper argues that seventh century Arabia was a very special case and Muslim jurists, especially ╓anaf┘ jurists, consider it sui generis which may not be extended beyond its space-time context. The general principle guiding Muslims in their relationship with non-Muslim entities remains that the Muslims may engage in fighting against the non-Muslims who are belligerent towards them, rather than against non-Muslims qua non-Muslims.


2. Images of Religious Others in Textbooks of Religious Education for the Public Primary Schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina
AID SMAJIĆ

The course of Religious Education and its respective textbooks for pupils of public primary schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina could certainly make a considerable contribution to rebuilding mutual trust between Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims — the three major religious traditions of the country in the post-war period. Obviously, the extent of success in this regard will largely depend on how the Religious Education literature portrays the members of other ethno-religious communities in the country. Our analysis has shown that the greatest space for religious others is allocated in the textbooks of Catholic Religious Education. In general, textbooks of all traditional religious communities in the country tend to avoid direct negative evaluation of religious others, preferring rather to address their teachings and history of mutual encounter in a respectful manner. Exceptions, however, do exist and they are often concerned with how confessions and religious orientations other than traditional Catholic, Orthodox and Islamic are portrayed. Similarly, history and historical categories remain to be the main factors vitiating the portrayal of Muslims in Catholic and — especially — Orthodox textbooks. Accordingly, history textbooks might prove to be the main battle field in the future textbook revisions.

3. Islam in Brunei Darussalam: Negotiating Islamic Revivalism and Religious Radicalism
IIK ARIFIN MANSURNOOR

Bruneians have shown great earnestness in their adherence to Islam. Religious life in Brunei, however, is characterised by a marked degree of peace and harmony which is indicated by the absence of schismatic tensions.

Moreover, the Bruneians’ allegiance to Islam did not problematise their encounter with the religious others.This paper attempts to study the phenomenon and seeks to explain it. While its fuller explanation requires a multi-dimensional analysis, the paper focuses on a careful examination of the religio-ideological factor and arrives at the conclusion that the characteristic Islamic orientation in Brunei—its inclusive approach, its accent on moderation, its ability to incorporate change without creating social convulsion, etc.—is largely because of the Bruneians’ adherence to a well-established traditional Islamic school in which they are firmly rooted.

The Dark Side of the Enlightenment Project

Author: Dr. Asad Zaman, Professor, International Institute of Islamic Economics-IIUI, Email: asadzaman@alum.mit.edu

The article below has appeared in Turkish Daily News (https://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=89584), and also in The News, Pakistan.

An extremely important element in the current thinking and psychology of Europeans is the "Enlightenment Project" undertaken by large numbers of European intellectuals. Achievements of Newton, Galileo,and many other prominent scientists created a dramatic impact on the mindset of Europe. A few simple laws could lay bare the secrets of the movements of the stars, and a few observations could upset centuries of belief in the central place of man (and his planet) in universe.Imagine what progress would be possible if these principles of utilizing observations and fact, and building upon them in the light of reason, were applied on a much larger scale. Enlightenment thinkers were inspired by fantastic achievements of science, and technology.They thought that application of the scientific method in all areas of human thought would lead to a radical improvement in the human condition. All social problems such was wars, famines, disease, misery were due to traditions and superstition (that is, Christianity).Opposing tradition, establishment, encouraging fresh and innovative ways of thinking, and subjecting all ideas to the iron test of reason would lead to the improvement of the human race, and to 'moral progress'.

The first and second world wars came as a shock to believers in the Enlightenment project. The scale of violence, barbarism, and cruelty of Europeans to others was easily equal to the worst happenings in the 'dark' and unenlightened times before the triumph of reason. Centuries of diligent study and application of scientific methods to shape minds and construct societies did not appear to have improved human beings judged as humans. Blind faith in progress through application of science was tempered by a dark dose of reality. Warnings that the Enlightenment project might not turn out so well on the human front had been present all along, but the few naysayers had been ignored by the enthusiastic mainstream. Hume had clearly stated that moral values could not be discovered or established by the scientific method.Everyone saw that morals, integrity and honesty were necessary for civilization. Religion, custom and tradition form the basis formality. Enlightenment thinkers felt confident that they could find alternative bases for a superior morality on the solid foundations off acts and reason. The far-sighted Nietzsche saw much more clearly than his contemporaries the implications of the rejection of religion as superstition, and the magnitude of the task facing the Europeans in constructing an alternative basis for morality, and human behavior.He described this in the parable of the madman who claimed that "We have killed God" – meaning that we Europeans have lost faith in God.He goes on to say the this tremendous news has not yet reached the ears of men, even though they did the deed themselves. That is, the full implications of loss of faith have not been absorbed by European intellectuals, who continue to believe that rational foundations for morality can be found. The implications of living without any basis for morality have not been absorbed.

The twentieth century can be viewed as a report card for the Enlightenment project. As recorded by philosopher and ethicist Jonathan Glover in his Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century, the report is not good. Violence, murders, atrocities,destruction of entire cities, and large masses of innocent people using deliberately cruel methods, has been done on a scale never before seen in the annals of history. Glover writes that the challenge of Nietzsche, to find an alternative basis for morality, has not been met, although he continues to be optimistic that a solution may be found. Many authors have written books and articles on the decline of morals in the West, which has been extremely rapid in the last fifty years. As a small but significant illustrative example, consider the affair of Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Only twenty years prior to this event, similar scandals could and did bring down governments and terminate political careers. However, with the erosion of moral values, this affair was dismissed as a personal quirk which was so widespread in the society that it would be hypocritical to chastise the leader too severely for it. According to contemporary conceptions of morality, this is a trivial personal matter, and to take it seriously is the sign of a narrow minded prude. Clinton's affair is the butt of many jokes and limericks it would be improper to cite herein a public forum. Nonetheless, there is a very serious dimension to this affair. If the wives of leaders of the Western world cannot trust them to keep their promises, and to not deceive them, then who can trust them? Surely it is not the case that a person is compartmentalized so as to behave with integrity in public affairs,and not in his personal affairs.

For us living in the Muslim world, there are some very important lessons to be learned from this history of the Enlightenment project.Those of us who have absorbed the lessons of the West have learned to consider tradition and religion as inferior to reason and observation– this lesson permeates all Western thinking, literature, and other media. The fact is that the science and religion occupy different spheres, and experience shows that science offers no guidance on moral affairs. Physics can lead to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and also provide atomic power. Biology is capable of genetic manipulation of crops to enrich multinationals at the expense of the masses, and equally capable of providing substantial increases in production to feed the starving. We are living in a world which has lost its moral bearings,at least partly as an outcome of commitment to Enlightenment principles. The law of the jungle prevails in the international arena.Any country with sufficient power can invade, capture, occupy, and kill innocents and large numbers without even the pretext of a moral justification. Our Islamic tradition offers strong moral guidance,which is becoming more and more a desperate need of the times.

Islamic Economics: An Alternative Perspective

The debate of Islamic economics, banking and finance has come a long way since last 20 years and the theory is now somehow put into practice. The International Institute of Islamic Economics-IIUI was among the pioneering attempts to teach and disseminate the cause of Islamic economics in an academic setting. However, things have substantially changed over the last several years and we can see many "Islamic" banks operating all over the world with Shariah compliant products under the supervision of a whole bunch of Shariah Advisers. A Karachi based "family of scholars" have really made their fortune out of this boom and they are now "green" cardholders when it comes to Islamic Banking. Quite understandably there is a dissent too and we are sharing here a critical voice of a young scholar who is raising some very crucial concerns about what is happening in the name of Islamic economics. The reason why we are sharing it here is pretty straightforward: the nexus between IIUI-IIIE and contemporary Islamic banking & finance.

This is a series of articles which Muhammad Zahid Siddique Mughal (National University-FAST, Karachi) is currently writing in monthly Al-Shariah. Because of space constraints, we are only giving links to both parts of the article:

Part 1: http://www.alsharia.org/articles/monthly_alsharia/2008/Aug08/islami_maeeshat.html

Part 2: http://www.alsharia.org/articles/monthly_alsharia/2008/Sep08/islamiMuashiat_zahidSiddique.html

After Musharraf

Editorial

From Nature 454, 1030 (28 August 2008) doi:10.1038/4541030a; Published online 27 August 2008,
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7208/full/4541030a.html

Pakistan's elected governments should break the habit of a lifetime and give due priority to science.

Military strongmen have ruled Pakistan for longer than elected politicians — and, paradoxically, have treated that nation's scientists far better than the much less stable civilian administrations.
General Pervez Musharraf, whose nine-year rule ended with his resignation on 18 August, was a prime example: his regime greatly strengthened the foundations for a Pakistani knowledge economy, instituting reforms that included bigger research budgets, an ambitious university-building programme, a nationwide digital library, a scheme to attract international faculty, and performance-related pay for professors. Many of the changes have been praised in external evaluations within the past year, including those of the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development and the British Council.

But a week after Musharraf was forced to go, the governing coalition of political parties that replaced him has collapsed. Worryingly, Pakistan's governance of its science seems all set to revert to the situation that prevailed under previous elected governments, when the science and education ministries were often afterthoughts — and, in the case of science, with laughable budgets, no ministers and no leadership.

Is history repeating itself? Pakistan has lacked both a science and an education minister for several months, important projects are on hold and budgets have been cut. Only one out of nine planned new universities with international partners is to go ahead on schedule and, in spite of earlier promises to the contrary, the higher-education budget for the fiscal year 2007–08 has been cut from US$438 million to US$364 million. Vice-chancellors at 12 universities have had to take out bank loans to pay salaries.

The future of Atta-ur-Rahman, the former president's long-serving science adviser, is also uncertain. Atta-ur-Rahman, a professor of natural product chemistry at the University of Karachi, was the chief architect of reforms under Musharraf, who once boasted that he had so much confidence in his adviser that Atta-ur-Rahman's ideas would be funded "without reservation".

But amid the turmoil, there are reasons for optimism. Nina Fedoroff, science adviser to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was in Islamabad earlier this week for talks on ramping up US assistance to Pakistan's science programmes. The United States and Pakistan together contribute $150 million to what is the world's largest Fulbright programme of fellowships, enabling Pakistani students to go to the United States for postgraduate study and research. In addition, Pakistan is slated to receive a further $7.5 billion in US aid over the next five years and Pakistani officials would like 20% of this earmarked for science and innovation.

Another reason to be optimistic is that this round of non-military government could be stabler and stronger than previous ones. The incoming government will be dominated by the Pakistan Peoples Party, led by Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of the murdered ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Should Zardari become the new president, this will bring a measure of stability and an opportunity for real change. Previous elected governments dropped the ball on science and education because they were weak and spent a lot of effort — unsuccessfully — keeping the generals at bay. Zardari's party has a majority in parliament and Pakistan's military is so far showing little interest in returning to politics.

But the Peoples Party has some learning to do. Its previous record on science is among the most misguided of all Pakistan's elected governments, and Zardari himself has served time in prison on corruption charges — which he denies. In the late 1970s, the party's founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto diverted scarce resources and personnel into building the nuclear bomb. His daughter Benazir's contribution during the 1980s and 1990s was a science ministry without a dedicated minister.

A return to the pre-Musharraf era would send Pakistan back to the scientific stone age. The new government needs to recognize that regardless of how much it disliked him, the general bequeathed it a foundation in science and technology on which it can build.

Islamic Studies Published

The latest issue of Islamic Studies, a research journal of Islamic Research Institute-IIUI, is now published.

Contents

A Comparative Study of the Intended Sacrifice of Isaac/Ishmael in the Bible and the Qur’┐n
AYAZ AFSAR

Ibn ‘Arab┘’s Metaphysics of the Human Body
QAISER SHAHZAD

Modern Historiography: The Relevance of the Crusades
KHURRAM QADIR

Documents

Islam at Universities in England: Meeting the Needs and Investing in the Future

Book Reviews

David R. Smock. Ed. Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding.
MUHAMMAD KHALIFA HASAN AHMAD

Elma Ruth Harder in consultation with Muzaffar Iqbal. ConcentricCircles: Nurturing Awe and Wonder in Early Learning — A Foundational Approach
SHABANA MIR

Arthur John Byng Wavell. A Modern Pilgrim in Mecca and a Siege in Sanaa
MURAD WILFRIED HOFMANN

Saba Mahmood. Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject
JUNAID S. AHMAD

Tim Wallace-Murphy. What Islam Did For Us: Understanding Islam’s Contribution to Western Civilization.
UZMA ABID ANSARI

Muhammad Arif Zakaullah. The Cross and the Crescent
MADIHA YOUNAS

Annual Table of Contents

Abstracts

1. A Comparative Study of the Intended Sacrifice of Isaac/Ishmael in the Bible and the Qur’┐n
AYAZ AFSAR

This article is an attempt to make a comparative study of the story of the intended sacrifice of Isaac/Ishmael in the bible and the Qur’┐n. The texts are analysed from a narratological perspective without concerning ourselves with the question as to which one has a better composition or definitive version. The focus is on considering not only to look at what the texts tell but also to find out how they tell it. The analysis shows that the texts are significantly different in the presentation of subject matter, characterization and worldview. It is suggested that further analysis on the same grounds may give a more accurate and exact relationship between the two scriptures.

2. Ibn ‘Arab┘’s Metaphysics of the Human Body
QAISER SHAHZAD

In his important study Religion and the Order of Nature Seyyed Hossein Nasr has pointed out that it is in Ibn ‘Arab┘ that one finds the most elaborate picture of the sacredness of body in the Islamic tradition. The present article relates doubly to Nasr’s work. Inasmuch as it discusses Ibn ‘Arab┘’s views on human body, it aims to carry forward Nasr’s discussion. It differs, however, from the latter in taking into account the variety of approaches to human body in the traditional doctrines by concentrating on the views that are disparaging to human body. What emerges from such contrast is the existence of considerable variety among the traditional mystico-religious views on human body. We try to show that Ibn ‘Arab┘’s views on human body, which are extraordinarily positive, are immersed in his unique understanding of the Qur’┐n. In the conclusion an explanation of the difference in attitudes to body in Christianity and Judaism-Islam is offered in the light of Frithjof Schuon’s work.

3. Modern Historiography: The Relevance of the Crusades
KHURRAM QADIR

Historiography in the modern West, particularly during the last century, has made many contributions to the study of the Crusades whereas Muslim scholars are few and far between. Muslim contributions to this subject generally come from lands that suffered from the event directly or they emanate from pens of Muslims who work in research institutions of the West today. A view that gained converts among Muslims since the birth of Israel, which registered a surge among the intelligentsia of Pakistan when Iraq was attacked, is that military advances of the West are an attempt to achieve the unfinished agenda of the Crusades. However, not much seems to have been written on the subject in the Muslim world. In contrast, European historians have contributed considerably to the subject in recent times. Some of the works have been reconciliatory and some defied the apologetic trend regarding the “modern crusade.” The present paper seeks to compare three British works in the light of general trend of scholarship on this subject in the English language.

Latest Publications by IIUI Faculty Members

1. Suicide attacks and Islamic law
International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 90 Number 869 March 2008
http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FIRC%2FIRC90_869%2FS1816383108000040a.pdf&code=edcb8a0645f5fd3f3f42f347c677729f

By Muhammad Munir, Assistant Professor of Law at the Department of Law,
International Islamic University, Islamabad.

Abstract

Suicide attacks are a recurrent feature of many conflicts. Whereas warfare heroism and martyrdom are allowed in certain circumstances in times of war, a suicide bomber might be committing at least five crimes according to Islamic law, namely killing civilians, mutilating their bodies, violating the trust of enemy soldiers and civilians, committing suicide and destroying civilian objects or properties. The author examines such attacks from an Islamic jus in bello perspective.

2. Customer acceptance of online banking in developing economies

Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, April 2008, vol. 13, no.1
An open access Internet journal (http://www.arraydev.com/commerce/jibc/)

By Tahir Masood Qureshi, PhD, Assistant Professor, International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan; Muhammad Khaqan Zafar, MBA-IT Research Associate, Management Sciences Faculty and Muhammad Bashir Khan, PhD, Professor/Consultant, Management Sciences Faculty, International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan.

Abstract

Technology is affecting the life of every individual in this present age. Online banking is also one of the technologies which are getting recognition around the globe. There are a lot of customers around the world who are accepting this technology very quickly but in growing countries like Pakistan the adoption ratio is very high. There are many banks which are providing these facilities to customers. The basic purpose of this research is to evaluate the customer acceptance of online banking. Almost 50% of the clients shifted from traditional banking to online banking system. The core reason of this transfer is perceived usefulness, security and privacy provided by online banking.

Keywords: Pakistan, customer acceptance, online banking, perceived usefulness, security and privacy, amount of information, perceived ease of use.

3. Globalization and a coalition for peace: the issue of global action by an enlightened and concerned Public
http://english.safe-democracy.org/2008/06/26/globalization-and-a-coalition-for-peace/
By Sohail Mahmood, Professor of the Department of Politics & IR, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

As globalization increasingly provides access to resources necessary for the spread of militant radicalism, it also allows valuable opportunities to begin healing animosities between certain Western countries and the developing world. The slogan of the environmental movement, think globally and act locally, would be an appropriate point of departure for building a global peace movement.

4. The law of insider trading in Pakistan
Publisher Federal Law House-Pakistan, July 2007.

By Samia Maqbool Niazi, Assistant Professor of Law at the Department of Law, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

The book was published in July 2007 and it surveys the insider trading regulation law in Pakistan with several policy recommendations for reforms and amendments. Some of the recommendations are now taken up through the Finance Bill 2008.

5. Therapeutic Jurisprudence in the Context of Islamic Legal and Judicial System: Judges and Amicable Settlement
Paper presented at an International Conference on "Justice and Policing in Diverse Societies" held under the Auspices of John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York. http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/ic/IC_Program.pdf , San Juan, Puerto Rico on 9-12 June 2008.

By Muhammad Ahmad Munir, Lecturer, Islamic Research Institute International Islamic University, Islamabad.

6. Common Fixed Points of Fuzzy Mappings

By Muhammad Arshad Zia, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

Presented at Conference on Recent Advances in Mathematical Methods, Models & Applications, April 26-27, 2008, Centre for Advanced Studies in Mathematics, Lahore University of Management Sciences

7. 'Al-Hadanah'
'Hamdard Islamicus': Quarterly Journal of Studies and Research in Islam published by Bait-ul-Hikmah at Madina-tul-Hikmah, July-September 2007, Vol: XXX

By Mrs. Mudasra Sabreen, Lecturer, Faculty of Shariah and Law, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

8. Concept of Rights in Islamic Law
'The Islamic Culture': Research journal published by Sheikh Zayed Islamic Centre, University of Karachi, Vol XII 2006

By Mrs. Mudasra Sabreen, Lecturer, Faculty of Shariah and Law, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

9. Marriage in Islam: A Civil Contract or a Sacroscant?
XXXI, No. 1, Hamdard Islamicus, January-March 2008, pp. 77-84

By Muhammad Munir, Assistant Professor of Law at the Department of Law, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

10. Stipulations in a Muslim Marriage Contract with Special Reference to Talaq al-Tafwid Provisions in Pakistani Law
12 YIMEL (2005-2006), pp. 235-262

By Muhammad Munir, Assistant Professor of Law at the Department of Law, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

11. International Islamic Law: Siyar
VII Research Papers (No. 1-2), (2007), pp. 923-940

By Muhammad Munir, Assistant Professor of Law at the Department of Law, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

Dr. Siddiqui & Recent Faculty Appointments

What is the basic difference between the way Dr Ghazi used to run IIUI and Dr Siddiqui does now? There might be a number of differences and answer may differ from person to person but the most important difference that sets both apart is their attitude towards disposing off the day to day affairs of IIUI. People who are experienced in the affairs of IIUI would testify that Dr Ghazi used to take much longer in deciding about matters and marking the files. The eye-witness accounts of Ghazi sahib’s marking practices show that Dr Ghazi would keep on classifying the files that he would inspect for marking. He would mark some and leave some unmarked. He would keep some files after marking on his right side and some on his left. Some of the files would go to the ground and some would go to one of the cabinets. Dr Siddiqui is very straight in this matter. He must be appreciated for his uprightness as well as his quickness in deciding about the files that come to him and he does not leave his office until all the files of the day are marked and returned. Now in this quickness, there is a possibility that some decisions are not as sound as others but in all honesty, it is better than never deciding the matters.

Dr Siddiqui should also be appreciated for developing the physical infra-structure of IIUI in terms of accommodations for students as well as faculty blocks. It would have a long term impact on the expansion of IIUI in future. Similarly, the way he upgraded the posts of IIUI faculty as per the decision of HEC is also worth appreciating. One of the recent actions of Dr Siddiqui for which we want to pay him a tribute and which has raised the eyebrows of many at IIUI is the appointment of some faculty members as full professor in BPS 21. We think that the faculty should also join us in appreciating Dr Siddiqui’s bold decision. We think it is for the first time in the history of IIUI that some members of the teaching faculty have seen their rise to a scale that was earlier the sole monopoly of simple graduate bureaucrats. The IIUI faculty is also aware how people on the administrative side in IIUI with a lowly qualification rose to grades higher than many teachers. So in the context of such examples, the faculty at IIUI should be happy and they should also try to improve their qualification and publish papers which are a prerequisite for such promotions and use the recent promotions as a precedent for their case.

This is not to suggest in any way that merit should be trampled at IIUI. Any promotion bypassing merit must be condemned. As far as we have been able to investigate, we believe that the two recent appointments in the department of Computer Science (Professor Muhammad Sher) and department of Law (Professor Farkhanda Zia) appear to be in accordance with the merit. Those interested to see the works of Muhammad Sher, please check the following link:

http://www.av.tu-berlin.de/?sher

The case of Farkhanda Zia is more interesting in the sense that she is a graduate of IIUI who has made her mark in the legal world by publishing research in internationally reputed journals. Faculty of Shari’ah and Law and IIUI should be proud of her and we believe that she has been rightly rewarded. Some of the following links and papers demonstrate her ability and skills to publish:

http://lsr.nellco.org/uconn/cpilj/papers/32/

http://perseus.herts.ac.uk/uhinfo/library/c90671_3.pdf

Farkhanda Zia-Mansoor, “The dilemma of child soldiers: Who is responsible?” published by King’s College Law Journal (Summer 2005)—(35th item)
http://www.cameronmay.com/store/index.php?ProductID=92

Farkhanda Zia Mansoor, "Exploitation of child domestic labourers: the limits
of the current law", International Journal of Discrimination and the Law,
2006, 8(3), 169-189?

WTO Obligations And Opportunities: Challenges of Implementation / Editors, Koen Byttebier And Kim Van Der Borght ; Associate Editors, Jan Wouters & Farkhanda Zia Mansoor.

We hope that Dr Siddiqui would not hesitate rewarding other IIUI faculty who fulfil the conditions for a specific post and the faculty members would consider it an incentive for them.

Developing IIUI Research Profile

Dear IIUI Faculty members

Assalam-o-Alaikum!! Hope you are well and busy in your work. If you have recently published a book/research paper or you have recently been to a conference to present your research findings, please share with us and we will be very happy to present it to the world through our blog. Please include the title, the publisher, year of publication and if possible, link to the on-line version of the paper. Please send your mails to iiuiblog@gmail.com

We hope that through this we will be able to develop a virtual database of all the research being produced at IIUI. We regret that this should have been done before by the IIUI administration and should have reflected at the IIUI official portal. But it’s never too late. Please respond promptly and we hope that in a short span of time we will be able to gather a lot of data and possibly write a report on the research output of IIUI.

Wishing you all the best!!

I I U I Blog Team

IIUI Mathematics Department Marches ahead

IIUI Mathematics Department Marches ahead
From: http://www.iiu.edu.pk/news/june_08.html#mathematics

Two Faculty members of the Department of the Mathematics, International Islamic University Islamabad, Drs. Ambareen Afsar and Tariq Javed have successfully completed their Ph.D degree from Quaid-i-Azam University. It is worth mentioning that Dr. Tariq Javed and Dr. Ambreen Afsar have published 12 and 06 research papers respectively in HEC recognized ISI journals during their Ph.D studies. In another development, Prof. Javed Ahsan of the same department has published a book entitled, "A Homological Approach to the Theory of Monoids" of international level. This book is a new addition in Mathematics literature for the research students of pure Mathematics.

The first batch consisting of seven students have completed their MS in Mathematics, of these students, two have published their research work in the international journals recognized by HEC.

Dr. Rahmat Ellahi Chairman Department of the Mathematics, International Islamic University Islamabad, has published 12 papers in ISI approved journals of HEC in 2007-2008. The details of the papers are given below for the interested researchers.

1. Exact solutions for Couette and Poiseuille flows for fourth grade fluidsActa Mech Vol. 188 (2007), 69-78, Austria
2. The influence of variable viscosity and viscous dissipation on the non-Newtonian flow: An analytical solutionCommunication in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulations, Vol. 12 (2007), 300-313, USA.
3. Unsteady magnetogydrodynamic non-Newtonian flow due to non-coaxial rotations of a disk and a fluid at infinityChemical Engineering Communication, 194 (1) (2007) 37-49, USA
4. The influence of a Partial Slip on Flows of a Second Grade Fluid in Porous Medium Journal of Porous Media, Vol. 10(8) (2007) 797-805, USA.
5. Couette flow of a Burgers fluid with rotationFluid Mechanics and Research, Vol. 34(6) (2007) 548-561, USA
6. Some MHD flows of a second grade fluid through the porous medium Journal of Porous Media, Vol. 11(4) (2008) 389-400, USA
7. Hall effect on the unsteady flow due to non coaxially rotating disk and fluid at infinityChemical Engineering Communication, 195(8) (2008) 1-19, USA
8. Exact solution of a thin film flow of an Oldroyd 6-constant fluid over a moving beltCommunication in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulations, (online available) 2008 USA
9. On the analytic solution of non-linear flow problem involving Oldroyd 8-constant fluidMathematical and Computer Modeling 2008 (online available), Austria
10. Exact solutions for thin film flow of a third grade fluid down an inclined plane Chaos Solitons & Fractals (online available) 2008, USA
11. Effects of the slip boundary condition on non-Newtonian flows in a channelCommunication in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulations, (online available), 2008 USA.
12. Effects of variable viscosity in a third grade fluid with porous medium: An analytical solutionCommunication in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulations, (online available), 2008 USA

Muslehuddin Trust Fund, the Rector Scholarship and now IIUI Scholarships: A continuation of same sorry tale?

Muslehuddin Trust Fund, the Rector Scholarship and now IIUI Scholarships: A continuation of same sorry tale?

We have already shared a news from iiu.edu.pk on this blog regarding the announcement of 29 HEC sponsored PhD scholarships in selected fields. This is definitely a welcome move given the impression that IIUI was somehow lagging behind in hunting HEC sponsored scholarships. Though many IIUI students and some faculty members are already pursuing research studies in various countries under HEC’s open merit scholarship program but the need was felt to negotiate a comprehensive scholarship program with HEC especially for IIUI faculty development and capacity building. Several public sectors universities are already undertaking such programs and this funding for IIUI is marvellous by all standards. Our thanks to all who dedicated their times and efforts in this regard!

Being an “old” IIUI fellow now, this recalls me the state of affairs before few years when young, exited, energetic and ambitious faculty members were desperately looking for funding opportunities to accomplish their PhD projects but virtually not a single prospect was there within IIUI. Whenever the matter was raised and needs were identified, people were reminded about the history of faculty members’ cheat and deception. Yes, I am referring to the same IIUI fairytale: the sad demise of Muslehuddin Trust Fund and the Rector Scholarship. My generation of Islamians does not know much about the Muslehuddin Trust and by the time we reached there, accounts were desiccated with beneficiaries flown and ledgers closed!! We have been told that some very promising, shining and intelligent people came, won the grants, left for different destinations and finally they never came back—at least to IIUI. There can be some exceptions as usual but by the end of the day given the lack of resources, the Trust’s scholarships program was abandoned. This was a generational tribute to a legendary scholar of Islamic Law: Dr. Muslehuddin.

In a relatively short span of time, the history was repeated again in the corridors of IIUI. With precisely the same plot and shooting locations, the victims were again IIUI faculty members who really wanted to undertake PhD projects with no funding available from their institutions. Once again, some very shining, high spirited and deeply motivated souls came, got the scholarships from the Rector Funds, secured their degrees (and in some cases even did not bother to do that or secured degree in disciplines their than their designates area of specialization) and finally they never came back!! Of course, exceptions were there as usual but the Fund was not left with adequate surplus to support further foreign scholarships. This was the tribute of our generation Malik Miraj Khalid.

Since then the talk of scholarship became a taboo at IIUI. I still recall that how Dr. Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi-our then President- used to tell us that there was no funding as some “cheaters” had managed to be our predecessors! Most of them could not come back on account all sort of reasons ranging from opportunity costs to IIUI’s poor internal working environment and academic culture. Perhaps we should not get into merits of their arguments here and let them make their own case if they are at all willing. From IIUI perspective it is important to analyse this situation for the sake of institutional integrity and future planning. Most of the scholarships given under the aforementioned two programs were sort of hand picked choices. In the absence of a transparent, merit based and consultative robust process, if you would award a scholarship then the subsequent generations must not share the burden of others’ guilt. We would always insist that all “cheaters” should be categorically named and shamed along with those who were responsible for secretive and non transparent allocations and the onus of proof is conspicuously two way in this regard. But for sure, it should not have any negative implications for future generations as it used to be.

What’s the morale of this story for our new HEC sponsored scholarships program should not be a missing link by now. If we-at IIUI- can learn some lessons from our previous failures by following a merit-based, equitable and transparent award mechanism then no one would be writing a third sorry tale for our next generations. We wish that history may not repeat itself this time but the onus here rests solely on current bosses.

Research & Faculty Development

In this section you can share research & faculty related information. Any article, research piece or comment contributed by IIUI academicians can be posted here for wider dissemination.