Christians aren’t the only world-faith that has had its world-view challenged by the mechanism of Natural Selection (Evolution). While Islam has not dealt with the challenge to the extent that Christians in the West have, there are the beginnings of debate within Islam as how to accommodate of view of Creation that ranges somewhere between strict Creationism and Evolution.
Salman Hameed in today’s Guardian describes the situation within mainstream Islam, particularly within its expression in Britain and then broadens his essay to write about the way the conflict threatens to fracture the community more than it already is.
The current controversy is not only about evolution. In places like Pakistan and Egypt, we are seeing a diverse range of reactions, especially regarding non-human evolution. In Europe, however, just like the issue of hijab, the rejection of evolution is increasingly becoming an issue of identity and may serve as a cultural marker among Muslim-minority populations.
A controversy such as this allows the extreme elements – both those who portray all Muslims as a threat to Europe, and those who claim that rejection of evolution is the only Muslim position – to stake their claims on it. We should resist the urge to settle for oversimplified positions that cater to stereotypes and crowd out more nuanced views.
There are many Muslim scientists out there, including evolutionary biologists, who have been able to successfully reconcile evolution with their faith. The episode of Dr Hasan should be seen within its local context, and we must resist the temptation to derive a general Muslim position on evolution from this controversy. At the same time, we must stress the importance of open dialogue and insist on a safe space for the discussion of controversial topics.