It is by now a truism that science and religion can be anathema to one another, with the familiar refrain that religious ideology and its adherence to strict interpretation of divine texts can usurp the very possibility of scientific progress. It would be pointless to argue that this conjecture has not been true of many societies and cultures throughout world history. But a relatively frequent topic discussed today is the extent to which Islamic countries in particular lag behind the rest of the world in scientific understanding.

Ideology and repression of ideas can take place any time and in diverse societies. Perhaps societies never fully 'immunize' themselves against irrationality and/or the imposition of ideology onto scientific pursuits? In the best of circumstances, however, science is conducted in a way that researchers say it should be done, with the state functioning as a benefactor for and, at times, a regulator of science. Alas, this is not the case today in many countries of the world.

Many commentaries have pointed to Islamic countries as places where religious belief has been particularly hostile to science. Yet some of the 'pinnacles of open society' themselves have been plagued by repression of scientific ideas. In the USA, for example, religious views have considerably influenced discussions of stem cell research, abortion and evolution. President George Bush's veto of stem cell research legislation, as well as the recent battle in Kansas between those who favor intelligent design and those who favor evolution, exemplify this influence. Evidence that such issues reflect a broad underlying current includes a recent Gallup poll showing that 60% of Americans believe the earth, created as is by God, is about 10,000 years old. Certainly, ideologically driven hostility to scientific ideas and progress deserves swift and strong criticism wherever it is found, whether in Kansas or in the Islamic world.

In this issue of Nature Immunology, we focus on the fact that scientific ideas do flourish in the Islamic world. Basel al-Ramadi, Adrian Hayday and Wilhelm Schwaeble provide an overview of the Third Al-Ain International Immunology meeting held in the United Arab Emirates 17–20 March 2008. And in an upcoming issue, Basel al-Ramadi and colleagues will discuss the status of scientific funding for immunology research and the prospects for future achievements in key countries of the Middle East.

Although scientific progress may not be moving quickly in all Islamic countries, we hope these two reports will demonstrate the vitality of immunological scientific inquiry in the United Arab Emirates and beyond. Such examples provide hope that scientific inquiry does live in harmony with Islamic religious belief.