McGill Symposium on Islam and Evolution

How is evolution taught & understood in Islamic societies?

How do Muslim students, parents, and teachers understand evolutionary science in relation to their religious beliefs?

These questions form the basis of the McGill Symposium on Islam and Evolution, where international experts in Islamic and Religious Studies, Science Education, and Biological Evolution will meet to discuss their views on this important topic. The aim of the symposium is to contribute to the broader dialogue and understanding of the relationship between Islam and modern science, an increasingly relevant subject in today’s society.

Islam is the second-largest religion in the world, and the fastest growing religion in Canada as well as other western countries. It has been estimated that if current growth trends continue, Islam will become the most popular world religion sometime in the mid 21st century. The Evolution Education Research Centre, funded by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, has collected data from a wide range of countries with Muslim populations, including Canada, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Indonesia. These findings will be presented, and their implications discussed, as our panel examines the relationship between Islam and Evolution.