89 research outputs found
The Debt of the Nation
No full textThe debt of the nation comprises two parts, the external debt and the internal debt. After rapidly accumulating arrears of external debt in the post-sanctions period, Pakistan has had to seek re-scheduling of her external debt as part of a financing and reform package negotiated with the IMF. While re-scheduling has not been sought for the first time, the rising burden of this debt has generated a serious debate for the first time. In the heat of this debate, the heavier burden of the costlier internal debt has been nearly ignored. Although this paper takes account of the totality of the debt towards the end, its main focus is on the problem of external debt for reasons not only of its immediacy but the prospects of forced self-reliance raised by the financial and economic fall-out of the nuclear explosions of May 1998. Section II looks for the data sources and discovers that there are as many sizes of the debt as there are sources. In its latest report, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) characterises the economy as “highly indebted” in terms of its external debt, while the latest Economic Survey (ES) does not consider the external debt as large as it appears. Section III analyses these claims in terms of the internationally recognised debt burden indicators. In Section IV, attention is devoted to debt sustainability criteria. Section V of the paper examines the question as to how debt, which also shows access to capital required for economic growth, was allowed to become a burden over time. The last Section presents main conclusions and suggests an agenda for action.
Kritik Pervez Hoodbhoy terhadap Islamic Science
No full textAbstract: One of the prominent Islamic scientists who reject and criticize the development of Islamic science is Pervez Hoodbhoy. He said that the Qur'an is not a scientific book, even though it explicitly discusses various natural events. Therefore, in this article, the author will discuss the criticism of the scientist Pervez Hoodbhoy in Islamic Science. And examines the reasons for criticism and rejection as well as the responses of several other Islamic scientists to Pervez Hoodbhoy's criticism. by using a qualitative approach, which is library research. The research results show that, Hoodboy's greatest error in understanding Islamic science was first his belief that science is secular while acknowledging the existence of divinity; second, he stated that attempts to create Islamic sciences would fail because knowledge from the West raises doubt and prediction to scientific degrees in terms of methodology; third, morality and theology in any way will not be able to create new science; and fourth, there is no definition of science. Fourth, there is no acceptable definition of science among Muslims. fifth, there is only one universal science on the globe. Sixth, religion and science have different research dimensions. Seventh, questions regarding Islamic Science in the Middle Ages, and eighth, Muslim-developed doubts about Islam's character in science.
Keywords: Criticism, Islamic Science, Pervez Hoodbooy
Abstrak: Pervez Hoodbhoy adalah salah satu tokoh ilmuwan islam yang menolak dan mengkritik pengembang islami sains. Ia menyatakan bahwa Al Qur’an bukan sebagai kitab sains walaupun secara eksplisit membahas berbagai peristiwa alam. Oleh karena itu, artikel ini bertujuan untuk mengkritik pemikiran ilmuwan Pervez Hoodbhoy terhadap Islamic Science. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif yang bersifat library research. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kesalahan terbesar Hoodboy dalam memahamai sains Islam adalah pertama, pemikirannya bahwa sains bersifat sekuler padahal ia mengakui eksistensi ketuhanan, kedua, ia menyatakan bahwa usaha untuk menciptakan sains Islam akan gagal karena pengetahuan dari barat mengangkat keraguan dan pendugaan ke derajat ilmiah dalam hal metodologi, ketiga, prinsip-prinsip moral dan teologi betapapun tidak akan mampu menciptakan sains baru, keempat, belum ada definisi sains yang dapat diterima kaum muslimin, kelima, hanya ada satu sains di dunia ini dan bersifat universal, keenam, agama dan sains memiliki dimensi penelitian yang berbeda, ketujuh, keraguannya terhadap ilmu pengetahuan Islam di abad pertengahan, dan kedelapan, keraguannya akan karakter Islam dalam sains yang dikembangkan oleh muslim.
Kata Kunci: Kritik, Sains Islam, Pervez HoodbooyAbstrak: Pervez Hoodbhoy adalah salah satu tokoh ilmuwan islam yang menolak dan mengkritik pengembang islami sains. Ia menyatakan bahwa Al Qur’an bukan sebagai kitab sains walaupun secara eksplisit membahas berbagai peristiwa alam. Oleh karena itu, artikel ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji kritik ilmuwan Pervez Hoodbhoy terhadap Islamic Science dan alasan-alasan kritik dan penolakannya serta tanggapan beberapa ilmuwan Islam lainnya terhadap kritik Pervez Hoodbhoy. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif yang bersifat library research. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Pertama, menurut Hoodbhoy, di dunia ini hanya ada satu sains yang bersifat universal. Tidak ada sains Islam, sains Hindu, sains Kristen, sains Yahudi dan sains Konghucu, serta sains-sains lain yang ditunggangi dengan ideologi tertentu. Ia berpendapat, apabila sains, ditunggangi oleh sebuah ideologi keagamaan, maka akan sangat berbahaya, sebab, bagaimana mungkin Islam sebagai agama yang mengandung kebenaran disandingkan dengan teori sains yang kebenarannya berubah-ubah sesuai waktu, perkembangan dan kajian para saintis. Kedua, menurutnya, agama dan sains memiliki dimensi penelitian yang berbeda. Ketiga, kritik yang paling tajam adalah pertanyaan Hoodbhoy mengenai kesuksesan ilmu pengetahuan Islam di abad pertengahan apakah benar-benar sains Islam atau sains muslim. Sebagaimana kita ketahui bersama bagaimana fakta keemasan peradaban Islam.
Kata Kunci: Islamic Science, Pervez Hoodboo
Recognizing the Position and Validity of Science in Understanding Religion: The Perspectives of Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas and Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy
No full textRecognizing the position and validity of science in understanding religion has led to very diverse algorithms in the Islamic world. It must be admitted that before the fourteenth century, there were no views on the confrontation of or separation of the realm of science and religion. Although after the nineteenth century, the advent of modernist discourse in the Islamic world's cultural, social, and political programs and methods set the grounds for a dialectic path on the connection between religion and science. In this regard, Muslim thinkers have given distinct responses to Western modernization, such as agreeing, rejecting, or transforming this claim according to Islamic attitudes. This article seeks to conduct a theoretical interpretation and investigation of the foundations and arguments of two Muslim thinkers, Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas and Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy with “functionalism” and “symbolism” approaches to science. These two thinkers have paid special attention to religion, science, and modern technology, while they have different fundamental views on the relationship between science and religion
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Capacity and Preoperative Markers of Inflammation
No full textExplanatory mechanisms for the association between poor exercise capacity and infections following surgery are underexplored. We hypothesized that aerobic fitness—assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET)—would be associated with circulating inflammatory markers, as quantified by the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and monocyte subsets. The association between cardiopulmonary reserve and inflammation was tested by multivariable regression analysis with covariates including anaerobic threshold (AT) and malignancy. In a first cohort of 240 colorectal patients, AT was identified as the sole factor associated with higher NLR (P=0.03) and absolute and relative lymphopenia (P=0.01). Preoperative leukocyte subsets and monocyte CD14+ expression (downregulated by endotoxin and indicative of chronic inflammation) were also assessed in two further cohorts of age-matched elective gastrointestinal and orthopaedic surgical patients. Monocyte CD14+ expression was lower in gastrointestinal patients (n=43) compared to age-matched orthopaedic patients (n=31). The circulating CD14+CD16− monocyte subset was reduced in patients with low cardiopulmonary reserve. Poor exercise capacity in patients without a diagnosis of heart failure is independently associated with markers of inflammation. These observations suggest that preoperative inflammation associated with impaired cardiorespiratory performance may contribute to the pathophysiology of postoperative outcome
Evaluation of cost benefit analysis of municipal solid waste management systems
No full textThe rate of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in developing countries is continuously growing in proportion to the gross national product. Landfilling, incineration, composting, and waste to energy (WtE) have a brief history as management strategies for MSW in India. Economic evaluation via cost benefit analysis (CBA) of MSW is establishing the most appropriate treatment/disposal strategy and it is often a major concern for solid waste management (SWM) policymakers. Thus, this study aims to analyze the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) activities in India's capital, Delhi, and the CBA of MSWM systems to identify the major problems and limitations involved. Sixty-six samples totaling 6,600 kg were collected and analyzed at random from various locations, including the sources of generation, composting plants, and disposal sites. Storage, collection, transportation, and recycling information were gathered from departments such as Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and self-surveys. The total costs of each MSW option were calculated for cost analysis. The results revealed a high organic moisture content, indicating the possibility of composting and bio-methanation, except for waste from commercial, institutional area and restaurants that can be used to develop Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). It was also revealed that only about 80% of the garbage generated in Delhi is collected. In terms of treatment and disposal, the MCD has proposed additional facilities such as disposal through sanitary landfills with linings, as well as a system for leachate collection and disposal. Furthermore, construction and demolition waste are used in the construction of various pavement components, such as base coarse, surface coarse, and so on. The total social value added by garbage trade operations in Delhi is expected to be INR 358.7 crores (approximately 46.60 million USD) between 2017 and 2020. Recycling saves the municipal budget about INR 17.6 crores (approximately 2.3 million USD per year).(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
The Secular Side of Islam: a Case Study of Tariq Ali’s Islam Quintet
No full textThe present study discusses the secular side of Islamic civilization in Tariq Ali’s Islam Quintet. Against the misrepresentation of Islam in the western discourse, Ali’s Islam Quintet depicts the past history of Muslims that highlights the secular, tolerant, pluralistic and intellectual side of the Islamic civilization. The study is qualitative in nature. The technique of content analysis was used to analyse the texts of three novels – Shadows of the pomegranate tree, The Book of Saladin, A Sultan in Palermo – of Islam Quintet to argue that the author deconstructs the western notions about Islam and retells the history from other’s perspective. The analysis of the Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree demonstrates that the Muslims of Banu Hudayl lived secular lives and their actions and decisions were determined by material and economic motives. Furthermore, the study highlights the intellectual, rational, tolerant and secular side of some significant historical and fictional characters in “the Book of Saladin” and “a Sultan in Palermo”. Keywords: Christian Europe, Islamic civilization, Islam Quintet, Orientalism, Secular aspec
Metabolic dysfunction in lymphocytes promotes postoperative morbidity
No full textPerioperative lymphopenia has been linked with an increased risk of postoperative infectious complications, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We tested the hypothesis that bioenergetic dysfunction is an important mechanism underlying lymphopenia, impaired functionality and infectious complications. In two cohorts of patients (61-82 years old) undergoing orthopaedic joint replacement (n=417 and 328, respectively), we confirmed prospectively that preoperative lymphopenia (≤1.3 x 10(9)·l(-1); <20% white cell count; prevalence 15-18%) was associated with infectious complications (relative risk 1.5 (95% confidence interval 1.1-2.0); P=0.008) and prolonged hospital stay. Lymphocyte respirometry, mitochondrial bioenergetics and function were assessed (n=93 patients). Postoperative lymphocytes showed a median 43% fall (range: 26-65%; P=0.029; n=13 patients) in spare respiratory capacity, the extra capacity available to produce energy in response to stress. This was accompanied by reduced glycolytic capacity. A similar hypometabolic phenotype was observed in lymphocytes sampled preoperatively from chronically lymphopenic patients (n=21). This hypometabolic phenotype was associated with functional lymphocyte impairment including reduced T-cell proliferation, lower intracellular cytokine production and excess apoptosis induced by a range of common stressors. Glucocorticoids, which are ubiquitously elevated for a prolonged period postoperatively, generated increased levels of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, activated caspase-1 and mature interleukin (IL)-1β in human lymphocytes, suggesting inflammasome activation. mRNA transcription of the NLRP1 inflammasome was increased in lymphocytes postoperatively. Genetic ablation of the murine NLRP3 inflammasome failed to prevent glucocorticoid-induced lymphocyte apoptosis and caspase-1 activity, but increased NLRP1 protein expression. Our findings suggest that the hypometabolic phenotype observed in chronically lymphopenic patients and/or acquired postoperatively increases the risk of postoperative infection through glucocorticoid activation of caspase-1 via the NLRP1 inflammasome
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