Turkish Magazine Forced To Scrap Cover Story On Darwin

The deputy head of Turkey's Scientific and Technological Research Council (TUBITAK) apparently pressured the editor of the organization's popular magazine, Science and Technology, to remove this month's planned cover story honoring Charles Darwin on his 200th birthday. Media indicate that the journal's editor was also removed. AFP reported yesterday that the censorship was apparently undertaken by religiously motivated personnel who the government has favored for appointments to senior positions at TUBITAK. Turkish Muslims generally oppose teaching of Darwin's ideas on evolution. State Minister Mehmet Aydin, who oversees TUBITAK, however criticized the suppression of the article, even though he believes that evolution is a "mistaken" theory. [Thanks to Jack Shattuck for the lead.]