Saturday, February 26, 2005

Bioinformatics: As a Tool for Da'wah.

We exist, but do we matter?

A simple question, but therein lays big responsibility upon our shoulders. The question was raised by Dr. Azizan Baharudin, during a seminar I attended last week. Immediately as she speaks, I was utterly inspired.

Dr Azizan mentioned different thesis done on relationship of science and religion, and concluded that this world behave on contingency principle, which I have to dig up some more if I were to write about it here. But that’s not my main point. There were some other points that struck my head, as per below:

1. Limitation of scientific method.

Dr Azizan was saying that, principally, methodology of science is limited. To some extent, as the scientists were studying and researching about science of chemistry, biology and physics, they will find the answer to the answers and ultimately, they will reach the boundaries for respective field they are in. Nowadays, chemistry and physics are at their peaks, and biology yet promises the most progress. This, in my opinion due to the nature of biology itself; biology studies life, and life is in fact, everywhere. So long as all of us and every single life around us are not dead, there is biology to be studied. Thus, in light of my chosen field, I am indeed should have no regret for taking this path!

2. The ninth challenge

Towards achieving Vision 2020, the ninth challenge aims Malaysian to produce, to create, to invent science. Not to use science only, anymore, as Dr Azizan puts it, “to create science which is ours”. Some people say that Vision 2020 is not more than rubbish, while some others highly regard it as a perfect framework of achievement. To me, there’s always moderation. Vision 2020 might have driven many successful Malaysian scientists to international level, which at the same time brought Muslim label to the world. So we simply cannot ignore those facts.

I think what we lack is exposure. I read one article about how Malaysia is short of product of our own, scientists and professionals of our own. But we are actually not. That’s the lesson I grasped from the seminar, I got the chance to know so many knowledgeable people. And surprisingly, most of them are marvellously excellent at both of their field and Islamic understanding. Meanwhile, some others that are not were so openly and willingly learning and discussing from each other during the paper presentation. I must say, I was in fact mesmerized by ‘the knowledge atmosphere’ at the time.

Other factors might include, as Sis Aizi says, we failed to express ourselves as successful Muslim to the global world by lack of communication skills, confidence and self-esteem. Well, that sounds very much like me.

3. Wisdom

Science of the heart, the capacity to see, to feel and to act as if future depends on you and it does.

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