Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Visiting former Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad said the Muslim world should be enriched with knowledge of science and technology to protect themselves, not to conquer the world.
"We need knowledge, if we want to defend ourselves. Muslims don't want to be aggressive, we have no ambition to conquer the world but we have the right to defend ourselves and our religion," he said while speaking as the convocation speaker at second convocation of University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS) in the capital Dhaka on Saturday.
President Abdul Hamid, also the chancellor of the university, presided over the convocation ceremony held at Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the city.
Mahathir, popularly known as architect of the modern Malaysia, said presently the Muslims and their countries are in terrible state, they are occupied by foreigners, they are attacked and invaded.
"This is because we have no capacity to invent, to design and to produce our own weapons. We don't have ability as we haven't pursued the knowledge of technology and science. We need knowledge in all fields of science," he said.
And today, he said "it is even more important because we can communicate any party of world with the presence of information created by information and technology."
Mentioning that over the 500 years the muslim ummah has neglected this field of knowledge, Mahathir said "It is true that we must know our religion. But it is not true that we should only focus on the study of our religion. We are asked to read (Iqra).There was nothing specific what to read."
Mahathir said "We see Muslims are migrating from Muslim countries to non-Muslim countries. Why is that so? This is because we lag behind that kind of knowledge that can feel us better Muslim society."
To the new graduates of the convocation, he said "We will be imbued this wish that you will not only better your own lot but also work for building great Muslim nation."
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, UITS board of trustees chairman Sufi Mohamed Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury and UITS VC Dr Mohammad Samad spoke on the occasion.
BBN/SSR/AD-15Mar14-9:35 pm (BST)