American Association for the Advancement of Science Holds Evolution & Islam Symposium

A symposium entitled "The Challenge of Teaching Evolution in the Islamic World," was held yesterday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Washington Convention Center.

Eugenie C. Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), organized and moderated the session, which was held by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Fierce debate over teaching evolution in public schools has raged across the United States since the epic courtroom battle between William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow during the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial (State of Tennessee v. John Scopes). Science education researchers are now turning their attention to the Islamic world to determine whether teaching of evolution in schools spawns similar social controversy and what that means for the future of scientific thought across the globe.

To explore these questions, Jason Wiles, assistant professor of biology in Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences, presented the preliminary results from a landmark four-year study of five, predominately Muslim countries regarding Islamic understandings of evolution and attitudes toward teaching the subject.

The study -- entitled "Teaching and Learning about Biological Evolution in the Muslim World," -- included surveys of teachers, university professors, and high-school students in Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as Muslim populations in Canada. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the study was conducted by Wiles, Brian Alters and Anila Asghar of McGill University, and Saouma BouJaoude of the American University of Beirut.

"One of the most interesting findings when talking about Islam and evolution is that there isn't only one Muslim way of thinking about evolution," Wiles says. "Thoughts about evolution in the Muslim world are just as diverse as you would expect to find in the Western world. The teaching of evolution will vary greatly by country and cultural attitudes within the country."

The researchers plan to expand the study to six more Muslim countries and to Muslim populations in the United States.

Two other scholars presented papers at the symposium. Taner Edis of Truman State University presented "A Brief History of Islamic Creationism in Turkey."

Since the 1980's, Turkey has become a prominent example of creationist influence on public education. More recently, largely due to literature appearing under the "Harun Yahya" brand, Turkey has also become the center of a popular creationist movement that has reached an international Muslim audience. Edis contends that an overview of Turkish creationism casts light on the rising appeal of creationism among modern Muslims everywhere.

Salman Hameed of Hampshire College, presented "The Future of Acceptance of Evolution in the Muslim World."

Hameed contends that low education standards, in combination with widespread misinformation about evolutionary ideas, are allowing creationist movements to gain a foothold in some Muslim countries. This reaction to evolutionary biology often varies according to the political and cultural landscape of individual countries, and for effective educational measures, it is vital to map-out and understand these variations. For this purpose, his team conducted an interview-survey of Muslim physicians and medical students in a few Muslim countries as well as in Muslim Diasporas in the West, including the US. Their preliminary results indicate a broad range of responses to biological evolution (both in acceptance and rejection), and highlight a complex set of ways by which these educated Muslims are negotiating the interaction between modern science and religion.