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The Atlas of Creationby Nicolien den Boer
27-02-2007
European schools have received tens of thousands of copies of an Islamic textbook rejecting Darwin's theory of evolution. The French education ministry has warned schools and universities not to use them in class. Here in the Netherlands, some schools have also reported receiving free copies of the book, The Atlas of Creation. Evolution biologist Gerdien de Jong of the University of Utrecht received a copy of the Dutch translation of The Atlas of Creation, Part 1. The book, which weighs around three kilograms, arrived without the name of a sender or an accompanying note. Several of her colleagues also received a copy. The 800-page book, she said, was "beautifully printed, but totally misleading and uninteresting". All the evil The book was written by Turkish author Harun Yahya, a favourite of the so-called Hofstadgroep, a group of Muslim youths several members of which have been convicted on charges of terrorist activities. The atlas, which consists primarily of coloured plates and very little text, attempts to discredit Darwin's theory of evolution. According to the author, this theory, which is taught at nearly all Western universities, is responsible for all the evil in the world, including international terrorism. The Atlas of Creation claims to prove evolution never occurred. "People did not evolve from other species", the book says, "they were truly created". Science journalist Arno van 't Hoog of Bionieuws, a news magazine for biologists, has also examined the book. He explains what author Harun Yahya's theory is based on:"This school of thought does not deny that the earth is millions of years old, but argues that animals and plants were once created and remained unchanged for millions of years thereafter". Nonsense The book includes pictures of a fossil and a modern fish in support of its theory. Indeed, the two species closely resemble each other, but Arno van 't Hoogt and Gerdien de Jong say it would immediately be clear to experts that the resemblance is only superficial. Mr Van 't Hoogt says that the book was distributed on a small scale in the Netherlands to several dozen scientists, editors and libraries. The national daily NRC Handelsblad reports that a college in the town of Amstelveen received five copies. The school says it considers the book "pseudo-scientific nonsense". Evolution biologist Gerdien de Jong expects schools will be smart enough to see through the book's theory and that they will not be used as textbooks. Intelligent design Sjoerd Slagter, chairman of the branch organisation for secondary education says that the level of media attention for the book is slightly exaggerated. He has yet to receive a single complaint or report about the book from secondary schools. The discussion is slightly reminiscent of the commotion caused by former Education Minister Maria van der Hoeven's remarks about starting an academic debate on the theory of intelligent design. This theory claims that evolution is the result of the involvement of a higher intelligence, for instance God. But the debate Ms Van der Hoeven hoped for never materialised. Deluge Elsewhere in Europe, the atlas has been distributed by the tens of thousands. In France, so many schools and universities received copies that the education ministry felt compelled to issue a warning to educational institutions not to use the book. The atlas has also been spotted in Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom. But it is still not clear who is mailing them all. Arno van 't Hoog believes the publisher, Global Publishing in Istanbul, is behind the deluge of free books. However, Global Publishing refuses to talk on the phone and the promised e-mail still has not arrived. Mr Van 't Hoog expects this is not the last we will hear from this publisher. "This was part one, there are six more to come. Watch your mailbox." This report is summarised
from Radio Netherlands.
Visit their site to enjoy further informative writing and multimedia. See also Charles Darwin - biography Creationism gains foothold in schools Intelligent design - is this the West's answer to fundamentalism? |
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