A controversial book by an evangelical Muslim – claiming to prove that God created the earth, and calling evolution a “deceit” that was responsible for the Holocaust, communism and the 9/11 attacks – is being sent unsolicited to Scottish universities. Seven copies of the lavishly-produced Atlas Of Creation by Harun Yahya have arrived at the University of Edinburgh, while the University of Glasgow has received two, leading to concerns that they may appear in schools as well. Last year, the book caused uproar in France when it turned up in classrooms, prompting human rights watchdog the Council of Europe to report on Yahya, his writings, and his method of distribution. I find it quite staggering,” said Aubrey Manning, emeritus professor of natural history at the University of Edinburgh. He houses his seven copies in a cupboard in the zoology department’s staff room. “Every academic I know says they’ve got one of those. And it’s peddling an absolute, downright lie.” He said the appearance of the books and the rise of creationist voices in the UK, within both Christian and Muslim groups, didn’t affect his teaching but that he was “much more worried about primary and secondary school classrooms”. Edd McCracken reports.
