Tuesday 13 September 2011

This is Islamic science?

See whether you can spot the errors in this video. (You can skip the advert, so don't be put off by it.)

In fact, let's put it a different way - see whether you spot a single scientific truth in this video of Dr. Abd Al-Baset Al-Sayyed of the Egyptian National Research Center.  (Or if you prefer to miss the genuine way that is presented with English sub-titles and want to read a transcript, you can find it here.)


I must admit that it made me smile, and yet I find it a strangely disquieting mixture of pseudo-scientific nonsense and conspiracy theory. Here are just a few quotes:


"The centrality of Mecca has been proven . . ."

"[short wave radiation] emanates from Mecca, and to be precise, from the Ka'ba"

"Imagine that you are the North Pole and I am the South Pole – in the middle there's what is called the magnetic equilibrium zone. If you place a compass there, the needle won't move"

"There's a study that proves that the black basalt rocks in Mecca are the oldest rocks in the world. This is the truth."

You can often spot a lie when someone adds "This is the truth".

I understand that the Nobel prize committee is considering its response.

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