Kuala Lumpur : Tan Sri Zakri Abdul Hamid, the Science advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, kicked off on Tuesday the meeting of the Task Force on Science at Universities in the Muslim World, with an emphasis on education issues, Bernama news agency reported.
The initiative, launched by Muslim-Science.Com, seeks to jumpstart a serious discussion on critical issues and big questions at the intersection of science and religion within the Islamic World.
The Task Force focuses on science education, bringing together 13 leading global experts from the Islamic World and beyond to explore the big question of whether universities are contributing to the impoverished state of scientific development in the Muslim world, the participants will explore the positive roles that should be undertaken by the universities.
Tan Sri Zakri Abdul Hamid, the chairperson for the Task Force, reiterated the importance of kicking off this initiative saying, “We hope this Task Force will bring forth a consensus that could lead to policy action across the Islamic World”.
The task force is hosted by the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT). Prof. Nidhal Guessoum of the American University of Sharjah (UAE) is the Coordinator of the Task Force, and Datuk Dr. Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman, President and CEO of MIGHT is the Co-Convenor of the Task Force.
A launch event will take place in June 2015 to formally release the report of the Task Force and to seek partners that will work with the Task Force to implement the recommendations.