Old-Earth Creationism Growing in Islamic Countries

Muslims object in particular to the idea of human evolution.

SUMMARY: Creationism is growing among Muslims, but it appears to be primarily of the old-Earth variety and is still the minority view in Muslim countries, academics at a meeting in Massachusetts were told. While the Koran, the holy book of Islam, says the universe was created in six days, it leaves the door open for an older Earth by adding that a day is "a thousand years of your reckoning."

Salman Hameed, who convened the two-day conference at Hampshire College where he is a professor, said that views of scientific evolution are clearly influenced by underlying religious beliefs and that there is no young-Earth creationism. More and more Muslims, while accepting the views of astronomers and geologists, are quarreling with modern biology. The degree of acceptance of evolution varies among Islamic countries.

High school textbooks in Pakistan cover the theory of evolution although also containing quotations from the Koran, a practice that suggests religion and evolution can coexist. A survey of high school students there found 28% were basically creationists with 60% holding to evolution. Some 86% thought that fossils showed life has existed for billions of years and changed over time.

The situation in Turkey has been changing. A conference participant said he never encountered creationism while growing up in the 1970s. Now creationist books appear in bookstores in the science sections and the teaching of evolution has largely disappeared below the university level. In Indonesia fewer students support evolution than in Turkey, but 85% still believe fossils indicate life has existed for billions of years and changed over time.

What many Muslims can’t tolerate is the idea of human evolution. The Koran states that Allah created Adam, the first man, separately out of clay. Pervez A. Hoodbhoy, a prominent atomic physicist, says that when he lectures about the evolution of life beginning with the Big Bang, everything goes pretty well until he gets to the time when “the apes stand up.” Then he hears objections. Biology education in Muslim countries may include evolutionist views, except for the origins of humans.

Islamic creationists have readily borrowed arguments from Western creationists, minus the young-Earth aspects, and Muslims living in the West appear to have more strongly adopted creationism. Muslims of high school age living near Toronto were far more doubting of evolution than students living in Indonesia or Pakistan. Many Canadian Muslims even are young-Earth creationists, with only half the students surveyed at Islamic schools in the Toronto area agreeing that fossils showed life has existed for billions of years or changed over time.

(Picture of Muslim mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia from Wikimedia Commons)

To read the entire lengthy article, click on this link to THE NEW YORK TIMES.

COMMENT: Some people may be surprised at the similarities of the creation account in the Bible and in the Koran. We need to remember that the Islamic religion did not originate until the 7th century B.C. when it is said that the prophet Muhammad received special revelations and recorded them in the Koran. It seems pretty obvious that he had access to the Bible. In fact, Muslims, like Christians and Jews, trace their history to Abraham. Muslims also honor Jesus Christ, but as a prophet and not as the Savior God.

Perhaps the growing acceptance of creationism, even young-Earth creationism, among Muslims in the West might provide an opportunity to reach them with the Gospel. Because of the similarity of the creation accounts, these followers of Allah might be open to learning about the fall of Adam and Eve and the promise of a Savior. If St. Paul could be converted by the Holy Spirit from a murderer of Christians to a brave preacher of Jesus as Savior, then any other person by the grace of God could also. May we all pray for Muslims and for those Christians who are working to bring the wonderful message of salvation to them.

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QUESTION OF THE DAY

Is the demand for software engineers increasing or leveling off?

Increasing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a need for more than 324,000 new software engineers by 2016. But the Computing Research Association found only 10,000 undergraduate computer-science degrees were awarded by major universities in 2008.

Source: Parade (10/18/09)

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