Ayatollah Khamenei

Iran's Khayyam is better known in the west than among our students!

In the western world, Khayyam is known as a great scholar and mathematician, but even if our students know him, it is for his clay pitchers. They do not know who Khayyam was.

We should revive the spirit of national self-confidence in students. It is common to say national pride. Some people say that pride is not a very good and meaningful word, but it is common anyway. What we mean is national honor and national self-confidence.
We know the names of ancient Greek scholars - for example, Thales - and different other western scholars in the area of geometry and chemistry. Our lessons have been like this from the beginning. The same is true of other scholars.

We do not know our scholars as much as we know a science historian like George Sarton. I took a look at both Pierre Rousseau's book - which is a history of science - and George Sarton's book which divides the eras of Islamic science into the Jabir ibn Hayyan era, Kharazmi era and other eras. Our students do not know our scholars, but they do!

In the western world, Khayyam is known as a great scholar and mathematician, but even if our students know him, it is for his clay pitchers. They do not know who Khayyam was. Notice that these things will shatter national self-confidence. They will prevent our students from having enough knowledge about their scientific background and glories and their great legacy. This is one of the tasks that should definitely be carried out in academic environments. I do not know what you want to do in this regard. Perhaps, you might want to hold different classes and do different promotions. These are not related to me. What I know is that this task should be carried out.

Statements made during a meeting with heads of universities and officials in charge of higher education on Aug 14, 2006


 

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