Islam and Evolution beyond school: The history of Darwinism in Egypt

Special presentation by Amir Yassin.

Evolution is being increasingly portrayed in controversial terms in Muslim societies where arguments rooted in Islamic creationism against evolution are popularized by some Muslim intellectuals and religious scholars.  Recent studies on worldwide acceptance of the theory of evolution have shown Egypt to be among the most rejecting countries, even among Muslim nations. This situation is surprising given the long tradition of Darwinism in Egypt (Darwin's work was first translated in the1870s) and the fact that Evolution is taught at high school. This talk traces the socio-political foundations of this rejection and provides some recommendations for the future.

More about Dr. Yassin:

Born Alexandria (Egypt) where he grow up and stayed until he got an MSc in Genetics in 2004, Dr. Yassin moved to France where he got a PhD in Evolutionary Biology in the University of Paris 11 in 2007. He worked for one year in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris before working for another two years in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He is currently an associate researcher in the Institut Jacques Monod (CNRS) in Paris. Although his main work has always been on Insect systematics and evolution, Amir has a deep interest in promoting the theory of evolution in Egypt either during his work as assistant teacher in the University of Alexandria (2002-2005) or through his participations in many conferences on bridging Islam and evolution in Alexandria and Paris. He is currently a member of the scientific committee of the Arabic Encyclopedia of Life in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Cohosted by : Dr. Ehab Abouheif (McGill Biology, Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Developmental Biology), Anila Ashgar (McGill Faculty of Education) and the Evolution Education Research Centre (McGill).

IMAGE: Ancient Egyptian funerary stela, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Image by ChrisO (source Wikimedia Commons)