On February 24, an audience of approximately 500 students, journalists, scholars and scientists gathered to hear five speakers present an international perspective on intelligent design in Instanbul’s Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall. The conference, which was sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, featured speakers from Turkey, Britain, and America. Already recognized as a success by the local leadership, the conference introduced intelligent design to the people of Turkey and was covered by mainstream Turkish media.

According to this report, “The Origin of Life on Earth” conference covered:

• Mustafa Akyol’s criticism of Turkish intellectuals who equate science with materialism.
• David Berlinski’s critique of Darwinism.
• Paul Nelson’s introduction to the theory of intelligent design.
• John Lennox’s analysis of reductionism in science and ethics.
• Alpaslan Açıkgenç’s explanation of how Islam looks at science, nature, and life.

It is plain to see that intelligent design is picking up steam on an international level, and we are privileged to witness these exciting events. Expect to hear more about the conference as we receive reports from some of the attendees and presenters.
The report was made available on The White Path, Mustafa Akyol’s excellent website, which covers a wide array of intriguing subjects in Turkey, not the least of which is intelligent design.