Teaching and Learning About Biological Evolution in the Muslim World

Evolution, the explanation of the unity and diversity of life via descent with modification from a common ancestry, is accepted, world-wide, by the scientific community and considered to be of central importance to understanding the biological sciences. Yet, social controversies over the teaching of evolution are common in North America and other Western settings, especially with regard to creationism rooted in particular Judeo-Christian doctrines. Little is known in the West, however, about how Muslims have reacted to evolutionary science, and perhaps even less is known about how evolution is taught in Islamic societies. Herein, we summarize findings derived from data collected in several Muslim nations via questionnaires and interviews administered to students, teachers and university scientists as well as from reviews of official curricular documents during a four-year study of Islamic understandings of and attitudes toward evolution and the teaching thereof. As Islam is reported to be rapidly growing in the West, and as teachers and students are influenced by their cultures and societies, the question of Islamic understandings of and reactions to evolution will likely be brought into classrooms. This study seeks to inform scientists and educators in the West about how Muslims might perceive evolution, thus facilitating a greater understanding of the diversity of Islamic thought on evolution, evolution education, and science in general.