Science Journal Editor in Turkey Fired over Darwin Cover Story

[Mk]

Surprised I didn't find a discussion on this here...
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,613768,00.html

No issue divides Turks more than the country's alleged creeping Islamization. Early last week, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (Tubitak) sparked an international controversy after it prevented the publication of a cover story about Charles Darwin's evolution theory in Bilim ve Teknik (Science and Technology), one of the country's leading science journals. The publication's editor-in-chief, 41-year-old Cigdem Atakuman, claims she was fired as a result of the incident.

Secular Turks are outraged and the world is watching. Did Tubitak, which publishes Bilim ve Teknik, censor a feature about the theory of evolution under pressure from the conservative Islamic-oriented AKP-led government because it couldn't be reconciled with Muslim religious beliefs?

 

[waht]

We did our part already, we extended our lending hand, as a brother to a brother would, yet they still reject the greatest gift that can be given to a human being: "knowledge." I think it's time to leave them alone.

In 30 years we are going to be building bases on the moon, while they will still be making annual pilgrimages to Mecca. Which is kind of ironic since the crescent moon is on the Turkish flag.

 

[Oerg]

We did our part already, we extended our lending hand, as a brother to a brother would, yet they still reject the greatest gift that can be given to a human being: "knowledge." I think it's time to leave them alone.

In 30 years we are going to be building bases on the moon, while they will still be making annual pilgrimages to Mecca. Which is kind of ironic since the crescent moon is on the Turkish flag.

going on annual pilgrimages to Mecca has nothing to do with being backwards in thought. I think you should choose your words more carefully as they seem easy to offend.

 

[lubuntu]

going on annual pilgrimages to Mecca has nothing to do with being backwards in thought. I think you should choose your words more carefully as they seem easy to offend.

It absolutely does have entirely to do with being backwards. How apt to quote that bumper stick that says "Sciences flies you to the moon, Religion flies you into buildings"

 

[misgfool]

We did our part already, we extended our lending hand, as a brother to a brother would, yet they still reject the greatest gift that can be given to a human being: "knowledge." I think it's time to leave them alone.

In 30 years we are going to be building bases on the moon, while they will still be making annual pilgrimages to Mecca. Which is kind of ironic since the crescent moon is on the Turkish flag.

You should familiarize yourself in population structure changes. In 30 years it may be that the technology for the trip to the moon is made in the West, but it will be their flag waving in there.

 

[waht]

going on annual pilgrimages to Mecca has nothing to do with being backwards in thought. I think you should choose your words more carefully as they seem easy to offend.

Muslims are not backward. They are as capable of understanding science as any other human being. And Mecca is a great symbol of Islam, that every Muslim should at least once visit in their life time because of their deep faith. So by analogy, as they are visiting Mecca, they are practicing Islam which is a driving force that rejects science, (great) while the rest of the world will pick up and do wonderful things with technology. So this is rather a choice, than an offense.