Islamic Science is Stupid – Mountains

12:01

28 Mar 2012

Miracles / Ijaz, Geology

Yewon2001

Zakir Naik

This critical vlog (video blog) presents clips from a Harun Yahya video and a Zakir Naik video, each of which makes similar claims about the purpose of mountains as interpreted from the Qurʾān.  He points out the errors he finds in a fairly unsophisticated manner, using images found on the web.

This vlogger has two other videos critiquing ijaz videos.

The Zakir Naik clip is taken from his April 2000 debate with William Campbell, held at Niles West High School in Chicago, IL.

Evaluation:

The material presented by Zakir Naik represent interpretations of the Qurʾān that is within the bounds of what Muslims have historically understood as acceptable; the material about Jews presented from Harun Yahya is not within the bounds of what Muslims have historically understood as acceptable.  Yewon2001 tends toward the polemical with his “Islamic propaganda” labelling.

While Yewon2001 makes some valid critiques of the science in the clips, he sometimes ignores the point the speaker is making in his zeal to prove it all wrong.

There is insufficient historical material on which to base an evaluation.  It should be noted that while Harun Yahya’s organization has done much to popularize ijaz ideas, especially in video form, the ideas predate Adnan Oktar by decades, usually linked instead to the popularity of Maurice Bucaille in the 1970s.

About Zakir Naik

Dr. Zakir Naik is a Muslim preacher and international orator from India. He was born in Mumbai on October 18th, 1965 and studied medicine at Topiwala National Medical College and the University of Mumbai. He has a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS). In 1991 he turned away from practicing medicine to found the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), a non-profit charitable trust in Mumbai, whose operations were closed down by the Indian government in November 2016.  The IRF serves to promote dawah, or the proselytization of Islam. He has additionally founded the Islamic International School, which is managed by the IRF, and is the founder and president of the Islamic educational television network Peace TV.

As a speaker Naik has achieved recognition and awards within India as well as internationally. He was honored with the 2013 Islamic Personality of the Year Award presented in Dubai. He has additionally been recognized twice by Indian news publication Indian Express as one of the “100 Most Influential People in India” and four times by George Washington University’s “500 Most Influential Muslims in the World,” most recently in 2014.

Naik’s subject matter, style and platform have all contributed to his prominence as a fairly well-known and fairly controversial preacher. Naik promotes a strict, literalist version of Islam, and is famous as a preacher for extensively quoting from the Qurʾān. He has been called an exponent of the Salafi ideology, although he himself does not use this label as he rejects any form of  Islamic sectarianism. He has maintained that the only absolute authority is the Qurʾān itself, and has made a name for himself with his Qurʾānic knowledge and memory.

Naik also holds the dubious distinction of being the speaker on science and Islam most commonly spoofed.  One may occasionally find videos using his name in the title in an effort to draw viewers, even if he does not appear in the video.

In July 2016, Naik was linked to bombers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the Indian government began investigating him.  The IRF in India has closed (including its web sites), and Naik has remained out of the country to avoid arrest.  It has been reported that Naik has taken citizenship in Saudi Arabia.  He continues to give lectures outside of India.

For a longer discussion of Naik, click here.

Select bibliography:

“Dr. Zakir Naik.” Islamic Research Foundation. Islamic Research Foundation, n.d. Accessed 18 Nov. 2014.

“King Salman grants Dr. Zakir Naik Saudi citizenship.”  The Siasat Daily, 19 May 2017.  Accessed 4 July 2017.

“Zakir Naik.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Nov. 2014. Accessed 18 Nov. 2014.

Biswas, Shreya. “Who Is Zakir Naik? Were the Dhaka Attack Terrorists ‘Inspired by Him’?” India Today, 6 July 2016.  Accessed 13 Sep. 2016.

Hassan, Rashid. “Ban on Peace TV Will Be Lifted Soon: Zakir Naik.” Arab News. Arab News, 6 July 2014. Accessed 18 Nov. 2014.