Comments on: Censorship of science in Turkey http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/03/11/censorship-of-science-in-turkey/ ...biology and atheism in an overly religious world... Wed, 16 May 2012 14:18:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: GrumpyBob http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/03/11/censorship-of-science-in-turkey/comment-page-1/#comment-54 GrumpyBob Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:34:47 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=477#comment-54 The New Humanist Blog has an article about this case by an Oxford-based Turkish academic, Kerem Oktem (A Turkish take on the Darwin cover story controversy - <a href="http://tinyurl.com/cpmrq2)." target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/cpmrq2).</a> He provides a clear discussion of the social background, and concludes: "Most pious Muslims and probably all Islamists, even in the more moderate variety of AKP appointees like Cebeci, believe in creation and reject evolution. That their worldview is now shaping the outlook of Turkey's Research Council shows that after seven years in government, "moderate" Islamism has come close to hegemony in Turkey. And this means that evolution is either taught as one theory among other, more compelling theories like creationism. Or, Darwin is removed altogether from the debate, or, as in this case, from the cover of the country's leading science journal. Welcome to the New Turkey, goodbye to evolution!" The New Humanist Blog has an article about this case by an Oxford-based Turkish academic, Kerem Oktem (A Turkish take on the Darwin cover story controversy – http://tinyurl.com/cpmrq2). He provides a clear discussion of the social background, and concludes:

"Most pious Muslims and probably all Islamists, even in the more moderate variety of AKP appointees like Cebeci, believe in creation and reject evolution. That their worldview is now shaping the outlook of Turkey's Research Council shows that after seven years in government, "moderate" Islamism has come close to hegemony in Turkey. And this means that evolution is either taught as one theory among other, more compelling theories like creationism. Or, Darwin is removed altogether from the debate, or, as in this case, from the cover of the country's leading science journal.
Welcome to the New Turkey, goodbye to evolution!"

]]> By: GrumpyBob http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/03/11/censorship-of-science-in-turkey/comment-page-1/#comment-53 GrumpyBob Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:59:43 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=477#comment-53 I hadn't realised Dawkins' site was still banned in Turkey. It's always difficult to gauge the extent of (for example) creationist belief from web comments, especially as you can get coordinated commenting, as I suspect happened to the Nature article. Here in the UK, I think creationists are a little less strident, but we still have fundamentalist christians with a vociferous web presence - see some of my past articles for examples. I hadn't realised Dawkins' site was still banned in Turkey. It's always difficult to gauge the extent of (for example) creationist belief from web comments, especially as you can get coordinated commenting, as I suspect happened to the Nature article.
Here in the UK, I think creationists are a little less strident, but we still have fundamentalist christians with a vociferous web presence – see some of my past articles for examples.

]]> By: AcK http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/03/11/censorship-of-science-in-turkey/comment-page-1/#comment-52 AcK Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:06:57 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=477#comment-52 I am Turkish academic in the USA. I was depressed by these news. I just wanted to add my voice to say there are those of us in Turkey who are outraged by this. I know many people will say America is no better in terms of people not believing evolution. Maybe... But the US certainly does better in terms of freedom of speech. In Turkey currently access to Richard Dawkins' website is banned.... This is certainly not the Turkey Ataturk had envisioned... But worse, it's not even the Turkey I grew up in, or even the Turkey of my parents' generation... I had a very good education, and grew up in a secular environment which contributed to me becoming the successful (female STEM) scientist I am today. This shift in Turkey is a real shame... I am Turkish academic in the USA. I was depressed by these news. I just wanted to add my voice to say there are those of us in Turkey who are outraged by this. I know many people will say America is no better in terms of people not believing evolution. Maybe… But the US certainly does better in terms of freedom of speech. In Turkey currently access to Richard Dawkins' website is banned…. This is certainly not the Turkey Ataturk had envisioned… But worse, it's not even the Turkey I grew up in, or even the Turkey of my parents' generation… I had a very good education, and grew up in a secular environment which contributed to me becoming the successful (female STEM) scientist I am today. This shift in Turkey is a real shame…

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