Inspired by this, I did a little research to see if any other prominent Muslim thinkers had come from Basra. Because of my interest in science (I have a bachelor's degree in physics) I decided to focus on ibn al-Haytham (965-1030 C.E.), a Muslim physicist and mathematician.

Ibn al-Haytham was born in Basra but later lived in Egypt. His most lasting contributions are in the field of optics. He overturned the existing Greek idea that light was generated by the eyes and provided the first correct explanation of vision. He is also credited with being the first to develop the camera obscura.

Al-Haytham provides a biography of ibn al-Haytham. Universality and Modernity of Ibn al-Haytham's Thought looks at his lasting contributions. Alhazen, the Islamic Scholar provides selections from ibn al-Haytham's works (Alhazen is the Latinized version of his name). Finally, Arabic Civilization: Physics discusses ibn al-Haytham's use of the modern scientific method and provides an interesting comparison between him and Isaac Newton.