Turkish regime bans evolution science from schools

This video from the USA says about itself:

But Bruh, Evolution is Just a Theory…Happy Darwin Day!

12 February 2017

Out of 34 surveyed countries, guess where the United States ranked in the public acceptance of evolution?

Correction at the 3-minute and 19-second mark: I said 32 European countries, Turkey, and the US. I meant to say 31 European countries, Japan, Turkey, and the US.

The USA is 33rd out of 34 countries in that survey.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

Turkey eliminates ‘controversial and complex’ evolution science in schools

Turkey has removed evolution science from school programs throughout the country. …

Evolution science used to be part of third-grade biology courses in secondary schools in Turkey. …

The measure had been announced before and led to criticism from Turkish academics. They pointed out to the government in Ankara that strictly religious Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where evolution science is not taught.

Though the Erdogan regime in Turkey is in a proxy war in Libya with the Saudi absolute monarchy, and is on the brink of a military conflict with the Saudi regime about Qatar, that still does not seem to stop Erdogan from emulating Saudi anti-science fanaticism. Or maybe Erdogan emulates the party of ex-South Korean president, creationist and dictator’s daughter Ms Park, impeached because of her corruption.

Or maybe it is influence of the Turkish millionaire businessman known as “Harun Yahya” (real name: Adnan Oktar).

“Harun Yahya” may sound somewhat less anti-science than many Christian creationists, as he does not attack scientific evidence that some fossils of animals or plants are hundreds of millions years old; while Christian creationists tend to claim that life on earth is just a few thousand years old. Nevertheless, “Yahya” is as anti-evolution as American fellow creationism.

TURKISH police today detained a controversial Islamic televangelist and were seeking hundreds of people linked to him for alleged crimes including forming a criminal gang, fraud, blackmail and sexual abuse. Istanbul police said warrants were issued against Adnan Oktar and 234 of his followers, with raids carried out in Istanbul and four other cities: here.

In Saudi Arabia, important ally of the USA, and theocratic dictatorial monarchy, teaching evolution is illegal.

In Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad of 20 March 2010, Dirk Vlasblom and others argue that neither “Harun Yahya” nor the Saudi state represent the mainstream of Islamic thought on evolution since Charles Darwin published his Origin of Species.

Translated from Vlasblom’s article; about late 19th century Muslim scholars Al-Afghani and Hussein Al-Jisr, quoting Mohammed M. Ghaly, a contemporary Islamic scholar:

Al-Jisr was much better informed about evolution theory than Al-Afghani, Ghaly says:

“Al-Afghani said that evolutionists believe that a flea in the course of centuries can transform itself into an elephant. Al-Jisr said that according to this theory, humans, like other animals, have evolved via natural selection and that it is not impossible that humans and apes have a common ancestor. He gave the evolution theory the benefit of the doubt and concluded that it does not conflict with the Qur’an, as long as space remains within the theory for God as the ultimate Creator. The creation story in the Qur’an is quite brief, said Al-Jisr, and is intended to affirm belief in God, not for scientific information.

This religious opinion (fatwa) was taken over by scholars from Turkey, from Syria and throughout the Arabic speaking world.”

SUPERIOR

Al-Jisr wanted his “approval” of Darwin to show that Islam as a rational religion is the ally of all true science, and that Islamic belief is superior to, in his eyes, dogmatic Christianity. That position was welcomed by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid

Sultan Abdul Hamid II

who wanted progress for his empire like in other countries. He gave Al-Jisr an important award in 1891.

Al-Afghani changed his mind as well. In his book Khatirat (ideas), he wrote around 1900 that evolution theory is indeed compatible with Islam.”

The article says that Al-Jisr’s views are still the mainstream view among Muslims, though conservatives attack them.