More Islamic Pseudo-Science

By. TH Huxley

2005/09/26

Maria, is a diehard Muslima. She has known about faithfreedom.org for a long time. However, her faith in the absurd has remained unwavered. She is among those individuals who will never see the light and only will wake up from her deep slumber when she dies to find Muhammad deep in the hell. (Just using Islamic terminology. Don’t be alarmed)

Larry, one friend who is set to help Maria and a bunch of other Muslims to wake up from their slumber, regularly emails articles that he copies from this site to all these Muslim friends. Of course he receives his share of insults, but thanks to his desire to help these Muslims and his thick skin, he just carries on, hoping that haply one of them may come to their senses and see the light. Larry has also included me in that mailing list.

Maria does not just sit there reading what Larry sends her but also responds with her "proofs" of the miracles of Islam. A couple of days ago, she sent the most “amazing” discovery. Here is the text.

Psychological research on word "ALLAH"

Vander Hoven, a psychologist from Netherlands, announced his new discovery about the effect of reading the Quran and repeating the word ALLAH both on patients and on normal persons. The Dutch professor confirms his discovery with studies and research applied on many patients over a period of three years.

Some of his patients were non-Muslims, others do not speak Arabic and were trained to pronounce the word "ALLAH" clearly; the result was great, particularly on those who suffer from dejection and tension.

Al Watan, a Saudi daily reported that the psychologist was quoted to say that Muslims who can read Arabic and who read the Quran regularly can protect themselves from psychological diseases.

The psychologist explained how each letter in the word "ALLAH" affects healing of psychological diseases. He pointed out in his research that pronouncing the first letter in the word "ALLAH" which is the letter (A), released from the respiratory system, controls breathing. He added that pronouncing the velar consonant (L) in the Arabic way, with the tongue touching slightly the upper part of the jaw producing a short pause and then repeating the same pause constantly, relaxes the aspiration. Also, pronouncing the last letter which is the letter (H) makes a contact between the lungs and the heart and in turn this contact controls the heart beat.

What is exciting in the study is that this psychologist is a non-Muslim, but interested in Islamic sciences and searching for the secrets of the Holy Quran. Allah, The Great and Glorious, says,

“We will show them Our signs in the universe and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (Quran) is the truth.” (Holy Quran 42:53)

This "discovery" is published in more than 800 Islamic sites. Of course if it is published in the reliable Saudi Daily Al Watan, it must be true.

Well there is one problem. Here is what our dear friend THHuxley wrote:

Another fake article. But it's the best Muslims can do, I guess.

Thoughtful people, when confronted with a bogus story such as this, tend to ask some obvious questions. Like....

1. Where was this discovery "announced?"

There is no mention of a publication, a peer reviewed journal, an academic publication... nothing to indicate where someone would go to actually find this "announcement." This is (of course) because no such announcement really exists.

2. Where did this "research" take place?

There is no mention of a University or similar institution where such research could have possibly taken place. The researcher is identified as a “Dutch professor” hinting that he teaches at a University, but the University is never named. This is (of course) because no such research ever really took place.

3. What do “psychological diseases” have to do with the “contact of heart and lungs?”

Nothing at all, actually. The funniest part of this fraudulent little article is the very weird pseudoscience about individual letters and certain PHYSIOLOGICAL (not PSYCHOLOGICAL) effects. Funniest was the claim that “pronouncing the… letter (H) makes a contact between the lungs and the heart and in turn this contact controls the heart beat.” The lungs and the heart are always “in contact,” even among people who are not speaking at all.

One would expect a real scientist to actually know the science he is supposedly discussing. The disconnect is (of course) because the writer of this fake article is a scientific illiterate.

4. Who is this mysterious Dutch professor?

Vander Hoven is not the name of any identifiable person in the Netherlands, let alone a published research psychologist. Now “Vanderhoven” is a real Dutch LAST name, but there is no one with that name who holds a position in psychology, physiology or science at any Dutch university. If Vanderhoven is this guy’s last name, why doesn’t the article give us his first name as well?

This is (of course) because the “Dutch professor” is a figment of the fabricator’s imagination.

It is a sign of the pathetic status of Islamic science, that even when faking bogus research reports such as this one, they try to give their report credibility by inventing fake Western scientists as their sources.

Anybody who believes this article is true deserves the blighted, benighted circumstances that they find themselves in.

Sadly, that would include most of the Muslim world.