This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ The Creation-Evolution Debate: An Islamic Perspective Thomas, Paul Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. 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THE CREATION-EVOLUTION DEBATE: An Islamic Perspective PAUL THOMAS A Dissertation submitted to King’s College, London, University of London, in accordance with the requirements of the degree of PhD in Education in the Department of Education and Professional Studies May 2012 1 Abstract 2009 marked the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of “On the Origin of the Species”. Much has been written about the creationist views of fundamentalist Christians but relatively little about the creationist views of Muslims. The general aim of this study is to gain some insight into the worldview of British Muslims and the manner in which this informs the creation- evolution debate. Using semi-structured interviews, 25 (of whom 9 were females and 3 imams) candidates were interviewed between March and August, 2011. All interviewees had completed their GCSEs in the UK, and the majority were University graduates (17) based in London. The responses were considered in light of the theory of evolution as taught in Key Stage 4. The responses show a remarkable degree of uniformity despite differences in ethnicity and education. 24 of the 25 respondents rejected the theory of evolution as a scientific theory. 17 individuals wished to see the cessation of the teaching of evolution in schools. Responses reveal some trepidation to the effect that Muslim children are deliberately targeted at a tender age to counter the creationist teachings inculcated at home. One of the main objections to the theory of evolution was their understanding of the word “theory”. Their responses indicated that theory meant no more than conjecture. Emboldened by such an understanding, they felt strongly that creationism ought also to be presented as an alternative and competing theory in the science classroom. Furthermore, responses indicated a general dissatisfaction with the quality of teaching on the theory of evolution in schools. The interviewees alleged that the teaching was instrumentally tailored to meeting the syllabus stipulations and passing exams, but failed to grapple with ambivalent or dissident views. To their mind, variation and adaptation are integral to the process of evolution, but did not lead to speciation. The majority of the respondents saw a link between evolution and atheism. Statements made by high-profile scientists such as Dawkins confirm such assumptions, in their view. 2 Acknowledgements Pigmaei gigantum humeris impositi plusquam ipsi gigantes vident Translation: ‘If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.’ (Sir Isaac Newton to Robert Hooke, 5 Feb. 1676). As with all such projects, this PhD dissertation is indebted to several individuals who played the role of intellectual provocateurs: the guidance and help of my supervisors Dr Philip Barnes and Professor Alister McGrath, the gatekeepers who were instrumental in the task of accessing the participants and the research participants themselves who gave me the honour of exploring the subject of this project. My supervisor, Dr Barnes, has always been approachable, responsive, honest, interested and supportive. I feel very fortunate to have been supervised by him. Laurence Clark Powell astutely noted that a writer “...must be alone, uninterrupted and slightly savage if he is to sustain and complete an undertaking.” This has unfortunately been true for my long-suffering family who put up with my hermit-like existence and coped with the psychological absence. Without their patience this project would not have been completed. I have benefited much from the published work of a plethora of scholars. Some of these debts will be visible in the bibliography section. I would like to take the opportunity to particularly thank, among others, Michael Reiss, Denis Alexander, Michael Ruse, John C. Lennox, Nidhal Guessoum and T. Shanavas whose publications on the creation-evolution debate I have found particularly inspiring. Special thanks goes to Mohamed Ali Adan whose assistance proved indispensable in more ways than one. Much needed cognitive dissonance was furnished by the very knowledgeable AbdulRazak Mohamed and Ahmed Omar Ali. Finally, I am grateful for the financial assistance given by the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund. Without their support this project would not see the light of day. 3 Select Glossary of foreign and technical terms Alim Islamic theologian, jurist, religious teacher. Burqa Complete covering for the female body. Dar al-harb House or land of war. Dar al-kufr House or land of unbelief. Fatwa Expert advice of a jurist on a specific legal problem. Such opinions usually involve the application of Islamic law to new and varied circumstances that arise in the Islamic community. They are often accorded a great deal of respect within the Islamic tradition, although their impact and extent of their acceptance are often dependent upon the perceived legal knowledge of the issuer. Fiqh Technical juristic elaboration of detailed content; science or discipline of Islamic law whereby legal opinions (fatwas) are derived from the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (hadith). Five Pillars of Islam The foundations of the religion of Islam. They are: 1. attesting to the Divine unity (there is no other god but God); 2. performing the ritual prayer (salat) five times daily; 3. paying the annual tithe (zakat) on one’s wealth and possessions; 4. fasting during the month of Ramadan; and 5. performing the pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca, if health and wealth permit. Hadith The collected sayings of the Prophet of Islam. The hadith, which comprise the Prophet’s sayings, actions and tacit approvals, constitute the second most important source of Islamic teachings after the Qur’an, though in volume they far exceed the Qur’an. Ijma Consensus of the Muslim community on a particular legal issue. It is seen in most schools of Islamic law as one of the four primary sources of the sharia, along with the Qur’an, sunna, and qiyas. Ijtihad The exercise of human reason. A creative but disciplined intellectual effort to derive legal rulings for new situations from the accepted juridical sources of Islam. Ijtihad is not just one “religious” judgement among many, to be weighed against economic, political, and other judgements in deciding how to act; it is itself an “all-things- considered” ethical judgement based on spiritual principles, taking all other factors into account. Imam Religious leader, one who leads prayer in the mosque. Jihad Struggle, strenuous effort; the greater jihad is considered to be the struggle to overcome inner personal weaknesses while the armed struggle or “holy war” is the lesser jihad. Jinn Spirits created by God, some good and others evil. 4 Kalam Seeks to define the articles of faith, but is mostly a polemical and at times apologetic discipline. Khalifa Vice-regent or representative of God. The Qur’an teaches that human beings were created to be God’s vice-regents on earth. For many this refers to the proper role of the human being in relation to creation. In Islamic political thought, the khalifas or Caliphs are the vice-regents or the successors of the Prophets. Masjid Mosque.