At least now we know that the "murder of history" in textbooks is not the sole domain of Pakistan. A Texan dentist, Don McLeroy, is doing his best to include his own historical fairy tales in social studies textbooks. In case you are wondering, yes, he also believes that the Earth is less than 10,000 years old and has been fighting to weaken any mention of biological evolution in textbooks. Now I'm no anti-dentite - but this guy is an idiot! Here is a short (about 5min - but it may only play in US) ABC report on the proposed textbook changes (enjoy his logic about why men should get the credit for women voting rights):
Wow! But there is a silver lining: He was booted out in the last election. But he can, and probably will, do significant damage to textbooks before he leaves the office.
Irtiqa is Salman Hameed's blog. A few years ago (before Facebook killed many of the blogs), it used to track stories of science & religion, especially those related to Muslim societies. That is still one of its foci, but now it dovetails more of Salman's interests including film, astronomy, science fiction, and science outreach in both Pakistan and the US.
Irtiqa literally means evolution in Urdu. But it does not imply only biological evolution. Instead, it is an all encompassing word used for evolution of the universe, biological evolution, and also for biological/human development. While it has created confusion in debates over biological evolution in South Asia, it provides a nice integrative name for this blog. For further information, contact Salman Hameed.
The blog banner is designed by Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad. You can find all his creative endeavors at Orangie.
Salman Hameed
Salman is an astronomer and Associate Professor of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. Currently, he is working on understanding the rise of creationism in contemporary Islamic world and how Muslims view the relationship between science & religion. He is also working with historian Tracy Leavelle at Creighton University to analyze reconciliation efforts between astronomers and Native Hawaiians over telescopes on top of sacred Mauna Kea in Hawaii. He teaches “History and Philosophy of Science & Religion” with philosopher Laura Sizer, and “Science in the Islamic World”, both at Hampshire College. Salman and Laura Sizer are also responsible for the ongoing Hampshire College Lecture Series on Science & Religion, and you can find videos of all these lectures below. Contact information here.
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