Many Westerners now interested in studying Islam : academic

Antara News, Saturday, May 1, 2010 21:51 WIB

Padang, West Sumatra (ANTARA News) - A recent study has shown that many westerners have become interested in studying Islam comprehensively to find answers to questions related to nature, an Islamic acedemic said.

Interest in studying Islam among westerners was increasing because they have come up against social and economic problems, questions of nature, they cannot solve, said Mohammad Siddik MA, director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIT) , here Saturday.

Speaking on the sidelines of an international seminar themed "Islamic Epistemology and Education Reform", Siddik said the westerners had come to the realization all the sciences they had been exploring and developing could not be truly understood only with common sense.

He said a French scientist who had written a book on the Bible and the Koran had admitted that the Koran contained all-embracing knowledge about nature.

"In fact, many western scientists have therefore converted to Islam," he said, adding this was proof there was no dichotomy between Islam and science.

According to Siddik, Islam was now growing fast in the western world. In the United States alone there were now 400 mosques whereas in the past there used to be only one.

Many Americans had also converted to Islam due to emptiness in their souls, he said.