Science: Scientific thought is the common heritage of mankind

The pursuit of science is one of those few endeavours that transcends individuals, communities, countries and generations. Though such a statement in reality is a bit of a hyperbole, it is an ideal that, most, if not all scientists hold dear.

The progress of science requires, especially in this day and age, access to the international community. A concept Dr Abdus Salam was very much aware of and for which reason he established his institute of Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy for physicists hailing from the East and less developed countries.

It is therefore highly alarming when scientists call for boycotting a particular country due to its political stance. Though the relationship of science and politics is a complicated one, it is clear that in whichever manner scientific progress is used every country will have rights to scientific knowledge.

Recently, various scientists have called for an "academic boycott" from the universities of Israel, due to its "violent repression" of Palestinian people. The essence of enlightenment is knowledge and education, deprive a nation of that and you deprive it of progress and any chance of civil peace. An interesting discussion on this issue is taken up by Steve Caplan in the Guardian. 

The Ahmadiyya Post, Science. By Muddassar Rashid. 12 Sept 2012