Arab world still far from becoming a 'knowledge society'

[MaxShimba]

In his 2006 book, My Vision, United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum outlined his goals for the Arab world, writing, "I just want [all my Arab brothers and sisters] to reach the same advanced levels achieved by developed countries."

If that's the aim, then Maktoum's brethren have a lot of work ahead of them.

The Arab Knowledge Report 2009, released on Thursday as a joint project of the United Nations Development Program and Maktoum's own Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Foundation, contains a wide range of statistics relating to the production and creation of knowledge in Arab societies. And while it reports a great deal of progress in economic freedom, many more of the statistics combine to paint a bleak picture of Arab society trailing far behind "a rapidly globalizing knowledge society."

"Knowledge is a tool and a goal that influences all levels of society equally and involves all fields," Adel Abdellatif, chief of the Regional Program Division at the UNDP's Regional Bureau for Arab States, said in a statement. "It is a primary avenue for renaissance and human development in the region."

That the report is a product of the Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Foundation - a Dubai-based NGO that Maktoum founded in 2007 with a $10 billion endowment - as opposed to a non-Arab source, renders its findings doubly significant.

"This study points to one of the most interesting, dynamic developments in the Arab public today," said Dr. Yoram Meital, chairman of the Chaim Herzog Center for Middle East Studies and Diplomacy at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba. "Arab countries are beginning to look inward at themselves, and thinking about how they can improve the domestic problems within their societies. This report is a clear reflection of this trend."


The report focused on the state of education, the use of information and communication technologies, and the importance of research in Arab countries - three factors that are connected to long-standing problems in Arab society, said Meital.

The state of education in the Arab world is a cause for "grave concern," according to the report.

Despite having spent 5 percent of its GDP and 20% of its general budgets over the past 40 years on education, more than a third of the adult population in the Arab states - 60 million people - remain illiterate, two-thirds of them women. Furthermore, close to 9 million Arab children do not attend classes, and many who do drop out after primary school.

The quality of university education in Arab countries is also a source of concern, as it often lacks emphasis on specialized science and modern techniques. As a result, the region lacks a critical mass of highly skilled professionals who are able to innovate and answer the needs of the marketplace.

Even more troubling is the state of innovation. Arab countries' investments in research and development usually do not exceed 0.3% of their GDPs, and 97% of scientific research in Arab countries depends on government funding.

The bleak situation in the education and research sectors is partially offset by gains in the use of information and communication technologies: the increase in the number of Arabic users of the Internet is the highest among the top 10 languages used on the Net. However, rates of Internet use are still below the global average of 21% in all but four Arab countries: the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.

The report concludes with an "action plan" toward integrating the region into the global "knowledge society," which rests on broadening freedom of thought and expression and responding better to development needs.

Meital said that the source of the Arab world's inability to join the information revolution is deeply-rooted, but not too deeply-rooted.

"Most studies say that there's nothing wrong with Islam in terms of what's preventing [Arab countries] from improving and developing in these ways," he said. "The problem is at the political level, in the decisions made by the government. Many states have the resources to invest in these realms and are choosing not to, and many states simply don't have these resources."

While these changes will depend on open-minded, forward thinking leaders joining Maktoum in his quest - along with fundamental, widespread change on a number of levels - the Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Foundation is confident that the knowledge society will soon welcome most Arab countries as members.

"With solid commitment and long-term vision, the route to the knowledge society will not be impossible," Adel el-Shared, the foundation's vice chairman and managing director, said in a statement.

The report concludes by stressing that "urgent action is imperative to set the Arab region on the road to a knowledge-based renaissance, a prerequisite for any significant gains in human development."

The choice of the word "renaissance" is telling: Maktoum's vision will require more than a redefinition of Arab society; it will require a rebirth.

 

[MaxShimba]

Kulani ndio sabau kubwa ya hawa kuwa nyuma kifikra.

 

[MaxShimba]

United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum leo hii amesema ukweli kuhusu Uarabu na Uislam.


Je, sababu ya society ya hawa Waarabu kuwa nyuma ki knowledge kama Prime Minister alivyo sema ni nini? Maana pesa ya Mafuta wanayo, ardhi wanayo, watu nao wapo.

 

[Tumain]

Tumuulize na Mizengo Peter Pinda waziri mkuu wa Tanzania sababu iliyowafanya watu wa rukwa, mbeya, makete kuwa nyuma kwa knowledge hatimaye tumuulize joseph kony wa lord resistance army (christian army) kule kaskazini mwa uganda kilichowafanya wale wakristo wa huko wawe nyuma kwa knowledge...sawa mchungaji maxi???

 

[Bull]

Leteni Knowledge statistic ya sub-sahara africa nayo tuione, tutaona waafrika tuko wajinga kiasi gani, tunashindwa hata ku-mobilize resouce zetu.

Nadhani sisi ndi vichekesho duniani, sio kwa sababu ya uislam kama wengine wanavyotaka kuleta hapa. na Nchi nying za sub-sahara afrika zinaongozwa na makafiri, je ndo tusema ni kwasababu ya dini yao ya kikafiri?


Kabla hamja wacheka waarabu au waislam,zazima tuangalie ****** yetu wenyewendio tutaona tuko wajinga kiasi gani!!

 

[October]

This article was written by a Muslim.....Please read.....

There are an estimated 1,476,233,470 Muslims on the face of the planet: one billion in Asia, 400 million in Africa, 44 million in Europe and six million in the Americas. Every fifth human being is a Muslim; for every single Hindu there are two Muslims, for every Buddhist there are two Muslims and for every Jew there are one hundred Muslims. Ever wondered why Muslims are so powerless?

Here is why: There are 57 member-countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), and all of them put together have around 500 universities; one university for every three million Muslims. The United States has 5,758 universities and India has 8,407. In 2004, Shanghai Jiao Tong University compiled an 'Academic Ranking of World Universities', and intriguingly, not one university from Muslim-majority states was in the top-500.

As per data collected by the UNDP, literacy in the Christian world stands at nearly 90 per cent and 15 Christian-majority states have a literacy rate of 100 per cent. A Muslim-majority state, as a sharp contrast, has an average literacy rate of around 40
per cent and there is no Muslim-majority state with a literacy rate of 100 per cent. Some 98 per cent of the 'literates' in the Christian world had completed primary school, while less than 50 per cent of the 'literates' in the Muslim world did the same. Around 40 per cent of the 'literates' in the Christian world attended university while no more than two per cent of the 'literates' in the Muslim world did the same.

Muslim-majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims. The US has 4,000 scientists per million and Japan has 5,000 per million. In the entire Arab world, the total number of full-time researchers is 35,000 and there are only 50 technicians per one
million Arabs (in the Christian world there are up to 1,000 technicians per one million). Furthermore, the Muslim world spends 0.2 per cent of its GDP on research and development, while the Christian world spends around five per cent of its GDP.

Conclusion: The Muslim world lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.

Daily newspapers per 1,000 people and number of book titles per million are two indicators of whether knowledge is being diffused in a society. In Pakistan, there are 23 daily newspapers per 1,000 Pakistanis while the same ratio in Singapore is 360. In the UK, the number of book titles per million stands at 2,000 while the same in Egypt is 20.

Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to diffuse knowledge.

Exports of high technology products as a percentage of total exports are an important indicator of knowledge application. Pakistan's exports of high technology products as a percentage of total exports stands at one per cent. The same for Saudi Arabia is 0.3 per cent; Kuwait, Morocco, and Algeria are all at 0.3 per cent while Singapore is at 58 per cent. Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to apply knowledge.

Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren't producing knowledge. Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren't diffusing knowledge. Why are Muslims powerless?
Because we aren't applying knowledge. And, the future belongs to knowledge-based societies.

Interestingly, the combined annual GDP of 57 OIC-countries is under $2 trillion. America, just by herself, produces goods and services worth $12 trillion; China $8 trillion, Japan $3.8 trillion and Germany $2.4 trillion (purchasing power parity basis).

Oil rich Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar collectively produce goods and services (mostly oil) worth $500 billion; Spain alone produces goods and services worth over $1 trillion, Catholic Poland $489 billion and Buddhist Thailand $545 billion (Muslim GDP
as a percentage of world GDP is fast declining).

So, why are Muslims so powerless?


Answer: Lack of education.

source <http://www.studying-islam.org/articletext.aspx?id=1054>

 

[ByaseL]

Apart from the stereo type kind of arguments like religion I think culture plays an important part as far as shaping society is concerned. Because if religion, say like Islam, was an impediment to applying knowledge then one can not explain why Turkey and Malaysia are at the forefront of technological development. In my view the Arab culture could a problem here. Arab culture is conservative in nature and knowledge abhors conservatism. How do expect a culture which regards women as second class best, for example, to infuse knowledge in its society which could be seen as inimical to its cultural heritage? I think we all appreciate that Knowledge thrives best in an open society and I am afraid that is not the case with the Arab world at large.

As for Africa we have all sorts of problems but again I put a blame on some of our cultures which are not conducive to knowledge appilication.

 

[William John 67]

Jamani tuwe wazi wafrika wangapi wako nyuma kielimu,je dini ndio sababu?
Tuangalie yetu kwanza

 

[Bongolander]

Jamani tuwe wazi wafrika wangapi wako nyuma kielimu,je dini ndio sababu?
Tuangalie yetu kwanza

Kuna connection kubwa sana, lakini ni vigumu kuieleza wazi. Ukiangalia utakuta kuwa elimu ya shule au hii elimu ya kimagharibi kwao ni very secodary, na elimu ya kidini ndio muhimu zaidi, labda kwa kuwa wao ni waarabu. Baadhi (SIO WOTE) hata wakienda shule wanakuwa schooled tu lakini hawaelimiki, na wanatumia elimu waliyoipata kuwa destructive na hata wakati mwingine wanatumia pesa wanazopata in a destructive manner.
Mifano mizuri sana ipo huko Saudia, Iraqiya na huko Yemeniya, waarabu ovyo sana.

 

[Nostradamus]

knowledge!!! kwa tafsiri halisi, neno knowledge maana yake ni ufahamu.Haijalishi ufahamu wako ni wa kitu/vitu gani.Kwa mwanadamu yeyote anayetambua historia(na ofcause itakuja jirudia)ni kwamba jamii za kwanza kujitambua na kuwa na ufahamu mkubwa wa kukabiliana na mazingira ya kidunia ni watu kutoka mashariki ya kati(Arabs/Jews).kwa mpumbavu yeyote mwenye mawazo ya kitumwa,anaweza akaunganisha ufahamu wa hawa watu na dini(uislamu?judaism)
lakini ukweli ni kwamba sio dini wala mungu kama mnavyotaka watu waamini bali ni LACK OF ALTERNATIVES ndicho kilichofanya hawa watu wawe wabunifu na uwezo mkubwa wa kufikiria.
Mzungu siku zote anajua kuwa katika ubeberu wake,ni uarabuni tu ndiko atakapo pata upinzani wa kweli na unaotishia mustakabali wa ubeberu wao.hivyo katika tathmini ni lazima ajaribu kwa kiwango chote kuuonyesha ulimwengu kuwa waarabu si lolote na wala si chochote,ila kabla ya kuzipokea fikra za hawa wazungu tujaribu kujiuliza haya yafuatayo....

1.kama waarabu wameweza kusimamia rasilimali zao na kufaidisha mataifa yao,je waafrika tumeweza hilo? na kama tumeshindwa hata kusimamia uvunaji wa rasilimali zetu,je tuna hadhi ya kuwa katika kundi la wanadamu?

2.Hakuna mwarabu aliyepata kuchukuliwa utumwa(for international trade),lakini ni mamia ya mamilioni ya waafrika walichukuliwa utumwani bila kutoa hata upinzani. sasa je wewe muafrika na muarabu ni nani aliye na hadhi ya kuitwa mtu na nani ni mnyama?

3.Waarabu hawajawahi kuacha au kutelekeza mila na desturi zao,ila hebu ona muafrika unavyozikana na kuzikashifu mila na desturi za asili yako huku ukiamini na kuukweza uzungu ukidhani ndio ufahamu..

Naapa kwa jina mungu kuwa dunia ya sasa imejaa watu laghai na ambao wanatumi udhaifu wa kufikiri wa binadamu wa sasa kupanda mbegu za dharau,viburi,utengano, na ubaguzi.na hali hii imekuwa engineered na syndicate ndogo sana ya watu wenye akili sana.
na kudhihirisha ujinga wetu angalia hata hii article jinsi watu wanavyochangia,wametanguliza hayo mambo matatu hapo juu na hivyo kudhihirisha kumbe hata wachangiaji wengi wa hii forum ni watu wasio na upeo wala taaluma na hivyo kiwango chao cha utambuzi ni(KNOWLEDGE) ni kidogo sana na ndio maana michango yao imejaa kejeli na matuisi dhidi ya dini nyingine

wake up pals.mnatumiwa kama wanawake malaya bila wenyewe kujijua.na ndio maana mnajengewa madarasa halafu mnaambiwa mmejengewa shule kisha mnapiga makofi kutoa pongezi.naona aibu kuwa Muafrika

 

[MaxShimba]

Tumuulize na Mizengo Peter Pinda waziri mkuu wa Tanzania sababu iliyowafanya watu wa rukwa, mbeya, makete kuwa nyuma kwa knowledge hatimaye tumuulize joseph kony wa lord resistance army (christian army) kule kaskazini mwa uganda kilichowafanya wale wakristo wa huko wawe nyuma kwa knowledge...sawa mchungaji maxi???

Hivi Pinda anahusika na Uarabu?

Inafurahisha sana ukiona tu kitu kinawahusu Waarabu basi na Wasilamu lazima wawe ndani. Hivi Uislam ni Uarabu?

 

[Bluray]

Waarabu na waafrika tofauti yao mafuta, wote wanahitaji some sort of Renaissance na kuondoa ukondoo unaoletwa na dini.

 

[MaxShimba]

The center of problem facing Arab Muslims Countries and indeed all Muslims today worldwide is to find a new way of life-Islamic in character, which will be halfway between the West and East that will provide internal stability necessary to enable Muslims to face their problems independently. The Arab world can borrow technology from the west, but it must find the answers to it's deeper problems within itself, "Sharia problem"

What I can say is this, ignorance based on islamic religious doctrine has tied Arabs people with knot upon knot, and proceeds to analyses causes for backwardness among Muslims and Islamic Nations.

 

[Bluray]

The center of problem facing Arab Muslims Countries and indeed all Muslims today worldwide is to find a new way of life-Islamic in character, which will be halfway between the West and East that will provide internal stability necessary to enable Muslims to face their problems independently. The Arab world can borrow technology from the west, but it must find the answers to it's deeper problems within itself, "Sharia problem"

What I can say is this, ignorance based on islamic religious doctrine has tied Arabs people with knot upon knot, and proceeds to analyses causes for backwardness among Muslims and Islamic Nations.

Max,

The above assertion assumes that Islam can compromise.This notion is not only misguided, but also naive.

Isalmic principles can be said to be centred on world domination to have little regard for compromise. Any attempt to institute a halfway compromising Islamic society will be frustrated by that domineering nature of Islam.

Inherently, this nature will interfere with any compromise.Be it scientific or philosophical.

 

[MwanaFalsafa1]

I think another problem for the Arab world is over dependence on oil. Some seem to be under the notion that oil will last forever and don't seem to make any effort to prepare their economies fir a time when oil will not be the current money maker it is. Ukiacha the United Arab Emirates, there are few Arab countries who are trying to build other markets. I highly doubt that if the Arab world wasn't blessed with all it would even be at the level it is right now. But that's better than what we Africans have been able to do with our natural resources.

 

[Bluray]

I think another problem for the Arab world is over dependence on oil. Some seem to be under the notion that oil will last forever and don't seem to make any effort to prepare their economies fir a time when oil will not be the current money maker it is. Ukiacha the United Arab Emirates, there are few Arab countries who are trying to build other markets. I highly doubt that if the Arab world wasn't blessed with all it would even be at the level it is right now. But that's better than what we Africans have been able to do with our natural resources.

Perhaps one can argue that the overdependence is natural to a certain degree.In the sense that they cannot readily say "Kilimo First" or try to dig for gold.

But as you rightly mention, the UAE, with Dubai as the prototype eye of the storm- is trying to build some semblance of a knowledge work based nation-state complete with integration into the world financial market, though the timing, with the current world economic conditions is not the best.Some would go so far as to say that they were hit by the now proverbial "Economic Hitmen" with overhyped projections and overoptimistic models which gave rise to overnight skylines now hosting ghost skyscrapers, that remains to be seen.

The curse of "natural resources wealth" is well documented as the "El Dourado Effect" in Neil Fergusson's book "The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of The World" in which he argues that being blessed with natural resources is not as pivotal as being blessed with enterprise, and that the former may even cultivate a spirit of complacency.This explains the perceived unresourcefulness of the average Saudi and Brunei. Norway to an extent, although not on a par with the two for it's natural resources / population ratio, may give a good example of a nation that despite it's natural resources, it is not complacent in economic diversification and the spirit of enterprise.

 

[Ngonalugali]

Always remember, you can not attract what you criticize!!!
The lack of knowledge is killing poor arab and the very bad of it they have impregnated that poor knowledge to some africans.

 

[Ngonalugali]

Tumuulize na Mizengo Peter Pinda waziri mkuu wa Tanzania sababu iliyowafanya watu wa rukwa, mbeya, makete kuwa nyuma kwa knowledge hatimaye tumuulize joseph kony wa lord resistance army (christian army) kule kaskazini mwa uganda kilichowafanya wale wakristo wa huko wawe nyuma kwa knowledge...sawa mchungaji maxi???

Ni lini mtanzania ataweza kujitambua kama mtanzania na kumuacha muarabu kuwa mwarabu????

Je, ni kweli kwamba ukiwa mwisilam unakuwa umeshakuwa mwarabu? Basi tuna warabu wengi tusiowhitaji tz

 

[MaxShimba]

Max,

The above assertion assumes that Islam can compromise.This notion is not only misguided, but also naive.

Isalmic principles can be said to be centred on world domination to have little regard for compromise. Any attempt to institute a halfway compromising Islamic society will be frustrated by that domineering nature of Islam.

Inherently, this nature will interfere with any compromise.Be it scientific or philosophical.

Let me give you some exhibits:
The Turkish republic has formally separated religion from State as law. It’s founder Mustafa Kamal (Ata Turk) has enacted the removal of Islam from the constitution and abrogation of Shariat, which ceased to be a part of the law of the land.

Now, Turkey is one of the country in europe, ambayo inaonyesha maendeleo makubwa after removal of Sharia laws from the State. Rushian Jews are there, and all that side of the world they are now in Turkey doing business. There has been some move like this in ‘Bath’ party that once ruled Iraq and is in now strong in Syria.

Thus for Muslims, Islam is not merely a system of belief and worship, a compartment of life so to speak distinct from other compartments which are the concern of non religious authorities administering non religious laws. It is rather whole of life and its rules include civil, criminal and even what we would call constitutional law

Democracy and modernity appear to be at the infinity in Muslim world ( Turkey is an exception) and everything centers around the scripture.

 

[Bluray]

Let me give you some exhibits:
The Turkish republic has formally separated religion from State as law. It's founder Mustafa Kamal (Ata Turk) has enacted the removal of Islam from the constitution and abrogation of Shariat, which ceased to be a part of the law of the land.

Now, Turkey is one of the country in europe, ambayo inaonyesha maendeleo makubwa after removal of Sharia laws from the State. Rushian Jews are there, and all that side of the world they are now in Turkey doing business. There has been some move like this in &#8216;Bath' party that once ruled Iraq and is in now strong in Syria.

Thus for Muslims, Islam is not merely a system of belief and worship, a compartment of life so to speak distinct from other compartments which are the concern of non religious authorities administering non religious laws. It is rather whole of life and its rules include civil, criminal and even what we would call constitutional law

Democracy and modernity appear to be at the infinity in Muslim world ( Turkey is an exception) and everything centers around the scripture.

You are not trying to validate a rule by citing an exception now, are you?

You are not saying something similar to "All Africans are black, the exception being Moroccans and other North Africans who are white, this is a white Moroccan African, therefore all Africans are black" ?