Kristiane Backer Interviews Professor Salim Al-Hassani
Kristiane Backer conducted an interview with Professor Salim Al-Hassani, founder of 1001 Inventions and President of The Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC) in the TV Chat Show Matters of Faith on Ebru TV. The interview was diffused by "Matters of Faith" team on Youtube on 15 October 2010.
The interview was about the main theme of uncovering 1000 years of science and technology that emerged during the period known as The Dark Ages in many western accounts of history - the same period that is known as The Golden Age in the very cultures that invented the science and technology that the history of the west either obscures, glosses over or ignores.
Part 1 - Uncover 1000 years of science and technology I
Matters of Faith TV Chat Show, Ebru TV:Kristiane Backer interviews with Professor Salim Al-Hassani, founder of 1001 Inventions & Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC)
Part 2 - Uncover 1000 years of science and technology II
Kristiane Backer is a TV presenter and journalist based in London with a pan-European career. She currently presents a monthly travel show for Travel Channel in Germany and Matters of Faith for Ebru TV. The latter is a program that deals with different aspects of faith and culture. She also hosts galas, conferences and corporate events around Europe.
In 2009, K. Backer published her acclaimed autobiography From MTV to Mecca in Germany. The book is currently being translated into Dutch, Turkish, Arabic and English. K. Backer is engaged in interfaith and intercultural dialogue and is a Global Ambassador for the Exploring Islam Foundation. She was recently honoured by the Arab Republic of Egypt with the Presidential medal of the Sciences and the Arts for her efforts in promoting understanding for Islam in the West. See more on Kristiane Backer's offcial web site.
Matters of Faith is a TV chat show that explores the sacred, the spiritual paths of the world's many seekers and tries to answer questions about faith and its practices in the present world. This show journeys to the past, highlights the present, and takes a glimpse into the future. From Sufism to Islamic Civilization – to Ethics and Mysticism, leading scholars and teachers offer thought-provoking discussion and share their insight. You can watch it each week on Ebru TV. See the Matters of Faith TV Show's offcial web page.
Professor Salim T S Al-Hassani was raised in Baghdad, but has lived, studied and worked in the UK since the early 1960s. He became Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in 1991 and was an acknowledged world expert in the decommissioning of offshore installations and in major plant-related accident investigations. He also researched into, and has widely published on the computational modelling of biomedical processes.
Since 1968, Professor Al-Hassani has published over 200 papers in international journals and books. He has supervised 40 PhD students, 50 MSc students and numerous post-doctoral fellows from all parts of the world and holds patents on engineering.
Over the past 20 years, Professor Al-Hassani's interest has turned to promoting the cultural roots of science as a platform for community cohesion, intercultural appreciation and world peace. In order to do this, he has created a global movement aspiring to fill the 1000 years amnesia in our knowledge about the period commonly known as the Dark Ages, the Golden Age of the Muslim Civilisation, and to show their connectivity to present society. He acted until the end of 2011 as the Chairman of the Foundation of Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC) of which he is presently the President, Professor Mohamed El-Gomati being the chairman of FSTC. Professor Al-Hassani was also the founder of the academic portal of FSTC, MuslimHeritage.com and Chief Editor of the book 1001 Inventions: Muslim Heritage in Our World.
FSTC is a not-for-profit educational foundation which aims to generate social cohesion, inter-cultural appreciation, and to promote science and learning as an alternative to negative and extremist behaviour. It does this by illuminating the shared scientific heritage of humanity, with its initial efforts centring on uncovering the very significant scientific contributions by the Muslim Civilisation. In its various projects, from books to lectures, seminars, exhibitions, films and electronic publications, FSTC is supported by a large network of historians of science, academics, writers and intellectuals.
The following short survey presents a rapid overview on the life, work and achievements of Al-Jazari, the most famous mechanical engineer of his time, some 1000 years ago. Al-Jazari brought Islamic technology to a culminant point. The author provides also web links and data related to the work achieved by himself and FSTC on Islamic technology, in general, and on Al-Jazari's ground breaking work, in particular.
The complex of disciplines composed of mathematics, architecture and art in Islamic civilisation has been an important field of recent research. The scholars showed the interaction between mathematical reflexion and procedures and their implementation in designing concrete and symbolic forms in buildings, decoration and design. Furthermore, recent scholarship pointed out the amazing progress that this marriage brought about in prefiguring outstanding mathematical results that scientists proved only in late 20th century. In the following survey, Professor Salim Al-Hassani explores the various facets of this exciting subject that is still full of discoveries to come. By drawing attention to the ongoing debates in scholarly circles among physicicts, mathematicians and historians of science, art and architecture, he shows how the connection between theoretical and applied mathematics was fruitful and creative in the Islamic tradition.
In a seminar organised by the Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies in 11 January 2005, aimed at brain-storming the topic of Islam and the Environment, Professor Al-Hassani presented a short overview on the environment issue in Islam as seen from its sources and from history of Muslim practice over a 1000 years of planning and management of natural resources. The following article expands on earlier lectures and contributions made by Professor Al-Hassani including his participation in the conference "Islam and the Environment: Muslim 7 Year Action Plan to deal with Climate Change" held in Istanbul 6-7 July 2009.
In a keynote lecture pronounced by Professor Salim T S Al-Hassani in September 2003 at the European Parliament in Brussels, he used slides and 3-D animations to outline the impressive heritage which Europe received from the Muslim World which helped trigger the Renaissance. He stressed in particular the need to remember contributions in the development of science and technology in the perspective of building an environment of understanding and mutual appreciation. We publish this text as a vibrant and timely plea for integrating the Muslim dimension into the history of Europe and in particular in the schools' curricula.
Professor Salim T S Al-Hassani, Chairman of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC) and 1001 Inventions, was one of the keynote speakers at the Uniday (Students Day) conference on 22nd of October 2011 at Stadthalle in Bielefeld, Germany.
The Royal Society: European Discovery of Arabic Cultureby: The Editorial Board This public lecture was organised jointly by the Royal Society and the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC). It traced the stages in the discovery of Arabic culture by European scholars from the early middle ages until the early-modern period.
The recently released third edition (2010-2011) of The 500 Most Influential Muslims, has bestowed a deserved distinction on Professor Salim T S Al-Hassani, the President of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC).
The publication is an initiative of the The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (MABDA), which itself is an independent research entity affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, headquartered in Amman, Jordan.
Professor Salim T S Al-Hassani was selected as one of the Muslims who, by their work, represent a worldwide influence on the Muslim community, this influence being the power (be it cultural, ideological, financial, political or otherwise) to make a change that will have a significant positive impact on the Muslim World.
