Muslim-Science.Com Task Forces Initiative – Answering Big Questions and Shaping Dialogue on Science, Religion, and Society within the Islamic World

The Islamic World is currently in a state of tremendous flux. For the first time since the WW2, every country from Turkey to Afghanistan is engaged in a conflict radicalising not just the region but far beyond. The Arab Spring which brought hopes of new knowledge and freedoms has turned into an unforgiving summer. Many challenges of countries across the Islamic World are rooted in common problems and symptoms ranging from a shared history, culture, and religion, to socio-economic circumstances, and a lack of appropriate space within the political and civic spheres for dialogue and debate. A scientific culture rests on critical inquiry and open dialogue that draws on varied voices - scientists, philosophers, historians, theologians, and policy-makers - to deliberate on matters of importance to science and the society. Today, more than ever, this dialogue is most needed. The Muslim Science Task Forces Initiative that was launched with the support of Templeton Foundation in Sept 2013 as a 'pilot' is now well-tested and The Muslim World Science Initiative (formerly known as Muslim-Science.Com) is seeking to scale this. However, before the model could be scaled, there is a prior step of widely disseminating the results of the pilot and building broad-based support for scale. We are proposing a 21-month project with one new task force idea to advance the conversation and further build support for the Task Force model within Muslim World. The project shall also allow us to experiment with new media forms - visual comics, animations, videos, etc. - and further develop the online platform and its social media elements. These 21 months will also give the Muslim World Science Initiative an opportunity to bring other potential donors and partners from North America, Europe, and the Middle East onboard and create support for a larger initiative.