A DISCEPTATION BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION IN THE GEOMETRY OF GOD: AN EXPLORATION VIA BINARY OPPOSITION

Abstract

In Uzma Aslam Khan’s thought provoking artistic venture, The Geometry of God, the postmodern author has mainly focused and projected the existing and emerging conflict between Islam and Science in Pakistani society. The entire narrative of the novel whether, it is a generational gap; issues of morality; imminent threats and security hazard; issues of cold war and then war on terror; target killing; parental care, nurturing and control, education system; political system etc., all revolve around the central theme i.e. the conflict between Islam and Science projected by the novelist in her work of international caliber. The novelist talks about General Zia-ul-Haq’s Islamisation in Pakistan in the 1980s and banning of the teachings of evolution in the schools. In this way the writer develops a concept of binary opposition: liberalism vs. conservatism; free thinking vs. fundamentalism; reasoning vs. faith; evolutionism vs. creationism etc. The Geometry of God enunciates the frictions and tensions in the framework of modernism, secularism and Al Islam Wal ‘Aoulama, Islam’s interaction with globalization. Khan depicts a thought provoking reflection of this dilemma in different ways through her various characters, with some camping with science while the others camping with religion. The target text has chucked out the internal and external conflict of creationism and evolution/science and religion lacking Muslim audience support in this regard.