13 Nobel Laureates From Muslim Countries from Planck's Constant

Here are 7 ways we can help our ability to recall facts and experiences of the past.

In my article The Triumph of the English Language, I wrote that only one person (Ahmed Zewail) born in an Arabic-speaking country has ever won a scientific Nobel Prize. I was wrong; there were at least three science Laureates born in Arabic-speaking countries which I note below (marked with an asterisk).

What I should have written: only one Muslim born in an Arabic-speaking country has ever won a scientific Nobel Prize.

Please note that recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize are omitted since they were not rewarded for any intellectual achievement. In addition, allow me to mention a comment left by a reader that Muslims are ignored for Nobel Prizes because of a prejudice in Sweden against anyone born in a Muslim country. So in addition to those born in an Arabic-speaking country, let's look at those who have won a Nobel Prize and also were born in a country with a significant Muslim population.

#	Country	% Muslim	Laureate	Award	Year	Religion
1	Azerbaijan	98.4	Lev Landau	Physics	1962	Jew
2	Algeria	98.2	Albert Camus	Literature	1957	Catholic/Atheist
3	*Algeria	98.2	Claude Cohen-Tannoudji	Physics	1997	Jew
4	Bosnia and Herzegovina	41.6	Vladimir Prelog	Chemistry	1975	Non-Muslim Agnostic
5	Bosnia and Herzegovina	41.6	Ivo Andric	Literature	1961	Catholic
6	*Egypt	94.7	Ahmed Zewail	Chemistry	1999	Muslim
7	Egypt	94.7	Naguib Mahfouz	Literature	1988	Muslim
8	Iran	99.7	Doris Lessing	Literature	2007	Catholic
9	*Morocco	99.9	Serge Haroche	Physics	2012	Jew
10	Nigeria	47.9	Wole Soyinka	Literature	1986	non-Muslim Atheist
11	Pakistan	96.4	Abdus Salam	Physics	1979	Muslim
12	Pakistan	96.4	Har Gobind Khorana	Medicine	1968	Hindu
13	Turkey	98.6	Orhan Pamuk	Literature	2006	Cultural Muslim

So if the Swedish Academy has a bias against those born in Muslim countries, it is a weak bias indeed. Noteworthy is the fact that there are almost as many Jewish Nobel Laureates born in Muslim countries as Muslim Nobel Laureates born anywhere. Those pesky Jews, always making the few Muslim accomplishments look even shabbier by comparison.

By the way, just to put it in perspective:

There is 1 Jew for every 500 people on this planet while 1 out of every 5 Nobel prizes have been won by a Jew (or someone of Jewish descent).

There is 1 Muslim for every 4 people on this planet while 1 out of every 212 Nobel prizes have been won by a Muslim.

Taking out my calculator app I was able to determine that if Jews were as numerous as Muslims, then they would have won 21,250 Nobel Prizes. Sadly, there have only been 850 Nobel awards given to individuals. Perhaps that's why God made so few Jews to keep the awards ceremonies from being too over-filled with Jews.

For the names of past Jewish and Muslim Nobel Laureates see my article Muslim Inventions - Nobel Prizes

This has been a Thursday 13 post [# 105] and is updated on some Thursdays.

13 Nobel Laureates From Muslim Countries

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