Pew Survey on Muslim attitudes regarding human evolution

by Salman Hameed Earlier today, the Pew Forum has released a survey of Muslims in 39 countries. The report is titled The World's Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society and provides a fascinating look into the complex ways Muslims are negotiating the modern world (thanks to Neha Sahgal!). In the past...

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Mars triple treat: A fascinating book, an article, and a reality show proposal for a one-way trip

by Salman Hameed A few things for Sunday. Article: Last week's New Yorker had a fascinating and well written article by Burkhard Bilger on our changing perceptions of Mars. While it centers on two figures associated with the Curiosity rover, it starts with a longer overview. What struck me was the...

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Gallup: Drones on others are fine - but not on us!

by Salman Hameed Here is the least surprising hypocritical poll result: Almost two-third of Americans feel that it is okay for the US government to launch airstrikes against suspected terrorists in other countries. But only 13% say that the drone strikes are okay if the suspect is a US citizen living...

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New book on Ibn al-Nafis' work on pulmonary transit of blood

by Salman Hameed For those interested in history of science, there is a new book coming out on the work of Ibn al-Nafis: Science and Religion in Mamluk Egypt: Ibn al-Nafis, Pulmonary Transit and Bodily Resurrection by Nahyan Fancy. Here are the details: The discovery of the pulmonary transit of blood was a ground-breaking discovery in the history of the life sciences, and a prerequisite...

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Two excellent articles on Boston Bombings

by Salman Hameed By now you have been saturated about the causes for last week's bombings. And yes - things are more much more complicated than "Islam is the motivation for bombings". I would like to point you to two articles that provide a nuanced analysis of the reasons why some young Muslims living...

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SSiMS talk on Evolution in Middle Eastern Education Policy tomorrow at Noon

by Salman Hameed The Center for the Study of Science in Muslim Societies (SSiMS) and the School of Cognitive Science at Hampshire College are hosting a lunch talk tomorrow (Wednesday) by Elise K. Burton. Join us if you are in the area. Here are the details of the talk: Evolution in Middle Eastern Education Policy: The View from Iran, Israel, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia by Elise K. Burton,...

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Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) and a Washington imam for gay marriage

by Salman Hameed Globalization and modernity are bringing issues of freedom of speech and religious freedom to the forefront everywhere, including in Muslim societies. There is and will be an intense debate about the shaping of "the" Islamic response to these changes. However, as has been the case...

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Saturday Video: Robert Hazen on "The Scientific Quest for Life's Origins"

by Salman Hameed For your Saturday, here is a fantastic talk by Robert Hazen on how to think about the questions of the origins of life on Earth. There is a good chance that we will know about the origins of the life within the next decade or two. The strength of the talk, however, lies in the fact that it show how to break-up a larger question into a series of smaller steps and then...

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Thirty Meter Telescope approved on top of Mauna Kea

by Salman Hameed I have regularly provided an update on the controversy over telescopes on top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii (see here for links to earlier posts). The central issue has been the proposed construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on the volcanic mountaintop held sacred by some groups...

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Is gender segregation the new wedge issue in UK?

by Salman Hameed The organization of Turkish creationist, Harun Yahya, is apt at creating controversies in Europe. Be it ads on buses, anti-evolution lectures on campuses, or the mailing of an 800 page creationist tome to public schools in France, Switzerland, etc. The reaction in the media is also...

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The role of Al-Azhar University in shaping reproductive policies

by Salman Hameed The Chronicle of Higher Education has an interesting short piece that points to the International Islamic Centre for Population Studies and Research at Al-Azhar University (tip from Laura Sizer). In some ways, it is a good sign that Al-Azhar has taken...

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