Muslims bring creationism to Europe.
The week's news at a glance.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Netherlands
Nicolien den Boer
Radionetherlands.nl
America isn’t the only place where science is under siege, said Nicolien den Boer in Amsterdam’s Radionetherlands.nl. Muslim creationists are waging a stealth campaign to try to make Europeans doubt the truth of evolution. They have blitzed European schools with copies of an 800-page Islamic textbook called The Atlas of Creation. The Turkish author, Harun Yahya, holds that Darwin’s theory “is responsible for all the evil in the world, including international terrorism.” Unlike some American creationists who claim that the world is only 6,000 years old, Yahya contends that the earth is millions of years old, but that all of its species were created at once and remain unchanged. Copies of the book have appeared “by the tens of thousands” in many European languages. So many French schools received multiple copies, in fact, that the French Education Ministry had to warn schools not to use the book. It does have a certain seductive appeal, with its beautiful binding and its hundreds of color plates. But secular Europeans needn’t worry. Most education ministers believe school principals “will be smart enough” to see the book for what it is: “pseudoscientific nonsense.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why is the Trump administration talking about ‘Western civilization’?Talking Points Rubio says Europe, US bonded by religion and ancestry
-
Quentin Deranque: a student’s death energizes the French far rightIN THE SPOTLIGHT Reactions to the violent killing of an ultraconservative activist offer a glimpse at the culture wars roiling France ahead of next year’s elections.
-
Secured vs. unsecured loans: how do they differ and which is better?the explainer They are distinguished by the level of risk and the inclusion of collateral