The following are excerpts from Dr. Iqbal’s letter to us commenting on Dr. Ziauddin Sardar’s article:

He [Dr. Sardar] writes:

The recent special issue on ‘Islam and Science’ of the prestigious journal Islamic Studies, for example, is devoted almost exclusively to the notions of time and space in mystical thought, the cosmology of certain Sufi groups, mystical principles in natural theology and other similar topics. The issue is guest edited by Muzaffar Iqbal, a Pakistani mystical (al)chemist, who has recently established a Centre for Islam and Science, in Sherwood Park, Canada.

This special issue, like all special issues focused on only one aspect of the Islamic scientific tradition and this choice was made by me as guest editor. I never claimed that one issue of a journal could cover the whole spectrum of the tradition.

He [Dr. Sardar] writes:

Iqbal’s institution, supported by the Berkeley based Centre for Theology and Natural Sciences, exclusively promotes Nasr and his accolades.

* Both claims are totally untrue. Center for Islam and Science is NOT supported by the Berkeley based Center for Theology and Natural Sciences; there is no connection between the two institutions, whatsoever.

* CIS is not devoted to promoting “Nasr and his accolades”. CIS is an institution with its own vision, mission, methodology and program. Our website (www.cis-ca.org) can be visited by anyone to ascertain the truth of this statement; Ziauddin, on the other hand, has not an iota of evidence to support his claim.

Muzaffar Iqbal

President

Center for Islam and Science

www.cis-ca.org