Deeply Seeking Truths

When DeepSeek came to public attention last week, I decided to try it out. I asked questions about the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China. The answer could have scripted by the CCP itself!

When DeepSeek came to public attention last week, I decided to try it out. I asked questions about the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China. Given the technology's Chinese origins, I expected bias - and that’s what I got. It responded with an absolute denial of any mistreatment, as if scripted by the Chinese Communist Party itself. 

When asked whether Chairman Xi or Mao Zedong were  good leaders, the response was neutral. But when asked about Winston Churchill, it provided a balanced answer, giving both arguments for and against.

None of this is surprising. How many of us have asked Chat-GPT questions only to find we catch it out fabricating answers, for which it duly apologises giving the excuse it is merely an AI tool. 

All technologies that deliver information - whether books, radio, television, or search engines - have their biases and flaws. But how many of us use search engines or trust Wikipedia without questioning their biases? How many have relied on outlets like the BBC or CNN, considering them objective?

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن جَآءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌۢ بِنَبَإٍۢ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓا۟ أَن تُصِيبُوا۟ قَوْمًۢا بِجَهَـٰلَةٍۢ فَتُصْبِحُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَـٰدِمِينَ 

[Surah Al Hujurat - 49:6] 

In the Quran, Allah tells us that if a wrongdoer brings you news, verify it. Yet most people, from all backgrounds, often accept what they hear or read from any source as truth. 

However, two major events in the past five years have made more people question the dominant media narrative we hear: The Covid-19 pandemic and the Gaza genocide. 

The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point in how many people questioned the ‘truths’ they were being told. Many trusted government and scientific experts, expecting them to convey certainty, yet didn’t realize that scientific conclusions are usually based on speculative opinions and data interpretations. The "trusting the experts", as if they were prophets, exposed a significant gap in understanding about ‘expert opinion’. As the pandemic progressed, skepticism grew, especially toward government actions like lockdowns and untested vaccinations.

This shift isn’t about one side being right or wrong; it's about a growing division. While many continue to trust political and scientific authorities, others have become radical skeptics, rejecting all establishment narratives - and sometimes even embracing absurd ones like the pandemic not being real; or that other factors, like 5G, were to blame; or Donald Trump’s proposal that drinking bleach was a valid treatment. 

Trump thrives of this radical skepticism. His recent claim that diversity policies causing a helicopter crash resonated with those who had lost trust in the establishment. Similarly, misinformation spread on platforms like Twitter (now X) about the Stockport murders and Muslim grooming gangs reveals how easy it is to manipulate public opinion through this anti-establishment view.

We live in a "post-truth" era, where facts and data are often ignored or redefined to fit personal narratives. Gender is self-identified, genocide are framed as "self-defense," and the aggressor is portrayed as the victim. This magnifies the polarization in society, often leading to dangerous misinformation that fuels hatred and harmful policies.

So, how do we navigate a world where "my truth" or "alternative facts" dominate, and skepticism makes us reject even basic truths? 

Islamic thought provides a useful framework. It distinguishes between observable facts, like the existence of the sun or water boiling at 100°C, and deeper spiritual truths, such as the existence of a Creator. To argue against these truths—like claiming matter created itself—is nonsensical. However, speculation about the nature of God (Allah) or the unseen is different from these solid truths.

Islamic teachings offer certainty. Belief in a Creator, the Quran, and the Prophet Muhammad are foundational, and built on certainty. (Going through the explanations of this in detail is beyond this article). Together with observable facts - like our births and inevitable deaths - they offer a strong anchor in a world that seems increasingly uncertain. Unlike the ever-shifting world of political or scientific orthodoxy, these beliefs offer clarity.

The debates over less certain matters—whether political, scientific, or theological— should be based on the strength of the arguments and evidence. In these there is plenty of scope for different opinions. 

By contrast, modern skepticism often leads to a belief that nothing is true, or worse, to embracing absurdities. The Gaza conflict, for example, has shown the world how the political and media establishment can lie and cover up injustices. The powerful claimed "never again," but they facilitated and defended genocide in Gaza. Yet the people of Gaza, enduring unimaginable suffering, remained steadfast in their belief in God and the Quran. Their conviction, based on a rational foundation, proved stronger than any media or political narrative.

Technologies like DeepSeek, ChatGPT, and Google will continue to improve, but biases and flaws will persist. The errors in these technologies will become less obvious over time. People will forget and just as people once trusted the BBC without seeing its biases, they will trust those sources increasingly. A new establishment orthodoxy will emerge, with more uncritical trust and less agitation and confusion caused by uncertainty. Until that time we will see increased polarisation and confusion. 

Those who have grounded their beliefs in tested truths, like a Muslim who has built their foundations on rigorous reasoned certainties, will find it easier to navigate this confusing world. The clarity provided by absolute truths—like the existence of a Creator and the teachings of Islam—offers a solid foundation in a world increasingly filled with misinformation.

Abdul Wahid has been active in Muslim affairs in the UK for over 25 years. He has been published on the websites of Foreign Policy, Open Democracy, the Times Higher Educational Supplement, and Prospect Magazine. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AbdulWahid_X and elsewhere: https://linktr.ee/abdulwahid101010