The start of a high-powered Vatican-sponsored acadmeic conference on evolution was anything but fossilized.
The third STOQ International Conference, called Biological Evolution, Facts and Theories, began on Tuesday at the Pontifical Gregorian University (picture right) under the patronage of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture.
The conference, which has been organised together with the University of Notre Dame to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, had barely gotten underway when charges of censorship and undemocratic and unacademic behaviour began flying.
At the end of the first session Oktar Babuna, a Turkish doctor and collaborator of prominent Turkish anti-Darwin campaigner Harun Yahya,asked for the floor to put forward a question. Babuna, a proponent of the Islamic creationist campaign against evolution, spoke about his view that there were insufficient transitional forms from species to species to support the theory of evolution.
After he began speaking two professors on the dias, Francisco J. Ayala of the University of California at Irvine and Douglas Futuyma of the State University of New York were visibly irritated. Someone in the hall can be heard saying “turn the microphone off” and seconds later two organisers approached Babuna. One of them abruptly took the microphone away from Babuna and another ordered him to go back to his seat. Watch it all here
“After I walked back to my seat someone said “only evolutionists can ask questions,” Babuna told Reuters afterwards. “This is very anti-democratic and very unacademic. If this is a scientific meeting … if you have scientific questions to ask, they should be responded to scientifically, everybody accepts that … if you force people to shut up and don’t let them ask any question … then it is not a scientific theory but an ideology.” The spat was filmed by Babuna’s associate Dr Cihat Gundogdu, who put 
an edited version on the Harun Yahya website.
Both men attended the conference with English and Italian versions of Harun Yahya’s super-slick mega-book Atlas of Creation (picture left) in hand. We have done numerous blogs on Islamic creationism, its proponents and its opponents. Some of the links are listed below. But what do you think about the debate and, more importantly, do you think officials at the Gregorian University were right or wrong to yank the microphone from Babuna at a scientific conference?
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If you have no proof, no evidence the only thing you can do is to prevent people to talk. Because when some people start to tell about “THE TRUTH” make them face off their lies they SCARE!.. Evolutionst scared of the truth in the conference. And they prevent Mr. Babuna’s speech. If the rely on themselves, if there is an evolution, if there is an transitional forms why do they scare? Why don’t they let him talk? Because there is NO evolution, there is NO evidence. They have been fooling the world for a long time. But Harun Yahya revealed the truth and flung the Atlas of creation in their teeth. There is nothing to say more. Evolution is dead.
- Posted by Naéla ChuwkoI think that this event shows clearly that the evolution is down. Even its most passionate defenders can’t give an answer to a simple question. I greet Dr. Babuna for his courage and efforts, because a creationist to be on this conference is like a fan of Manchester United to sit among the fans of Liverpool on the stadium.
- Posted by BaranHahah this shows how evolutionists are afraid of truths. If you have something to say why dont you answer Oktar Babuna. You just want to stop him. Because you have nothing to say. Where are transitional forms you are waiting for 150 years? There is none. So that leave evolution away, think twice, everything is created.
- Posted by barbarait isn’t right to yank the microphone from the speaker Babuna. different and opposite ideas should be taken into consideration in such kind of conferences.
- Posted by democraticI believe this can only happen in dictatorships. That censorship of Vatican Darwinism conference proves that Darwinism is an ideology without any scientific evidences. Two Darwinists Ayala and Futuyma have proven that they can not respond to any scientific evidence and in fact they have also proven that Darwinism is their ideology and not science.I received a copy of Creation Atlas too. It is the best book I have ever seen. I congratulate Harunyahya and his team for eradicating Darwinism from the world.Congratulations Dr. Babuna and Dr. Gundogdu. Organizers of Vatican Evolution Conference organizers should be ashamed of themselves.
- Posted by Roger WilsonBravo!!! Scientific MEN!!! SCIENCEPEOPLE!!?!? If you are right why do you intend to reply? Do not you have any reply for no-transitional forms? Donot you have any amoung 100 million fossils? Do not you have any one form amoung 1.5 million species living in the world now!!!????
- Posted by Ali GurcayOOppps what do you say about your theory?
Listen, science is not believing, but putting your absolute evidence for your theory, your ideas, your etc to use it in your scientific talks. If you do not have any evidence and only you talk with expectations, and thoughts, than someone will come and make you to walk away in front of all attendees. And than it is not possible for you to try to explain your wrong ideas. we have a idiom in Turkish “drawing your charisma” it is impossible to take it back.
Please donot intend to change their creation believes of our Christian Brothers. When CHRIST comes, every conflict among them and between us will be solved by HIM. And we live peace and brotherhood all thogether in a wonderful world. You never stop this changes of world.
I am shocked of such an unrespectful behavior.No matter who, you can not take a microphone away from a speaker. This is like the Davos case.I am sure the world will react to this, AND SHOULD!
- Posted by samuelThrow the Atlas of Creation on their faces..Evolutionists know the truth but they can’t handle it. Taking the microphone away at a public conference..my my they must be really afraid of Adnan Oktar ha?
- Posted by mikaelI congratulate Babuna and his teacher Yahya.The thing is it is quite suprising that Vatican can sponsor such a meeting where the faith is denied through the evolution lie! How dare can Vatican do such a thing?unbelievable!
- Posted by col19If there are no transitional forms, what can darwinists say? Nothing!!! Bravo to Mr Oktar Babuna, he was the one who is telling the truths. The truths knock down the evolutionists there. Evolution is a lie and creation is the scientific truth. hahah how futuyma flees:)
- Posted by geraldThis shows how fanatic and undemocratic the Darwinists are. They cannot even stand to hear a question against Darwinism. This also shows, they do not have anything to defend their theory. If they had even one evidence, they would stand there and defend it. Truth cannot be stopped, even by turning off the microphone. Dawkins also had rejected to have a debate with Adnan Oktar. They are aware that they have no evidence to defend their theory, that’s why they always run away! this is the real end of Darwinism. There is no one left on earth to defend it.
- Posted by kaanI am a doctor in France.I see one truth here: Babuna won a victory!this is the victory of faith against evolution,thanks to Harun Yahya, bravo!!
- Posted by mike1:0 I’m all for the creationist side. I don’t even understand what the Vatican is trying to do sponsoring an anti-Christ event posing Darwin as a holy man. Shame on you all!!!
- Posted by karenwhy do they thake the microphone away? ‘Cause they are affraid the truth will be known by everyone once more: that the evolution is a big lie! This behaviour proves once more the dishonisty of evolutionnists
- Posted by SarahOktar Babuna you are my hero. Thanks to God that God created people like hero Dr Babuna
- Posted by samedThe officials at the Gregorian University are absolutely wrong!
- Posted by ceylaIf this is a scientific conference everybody can ask any kind of question !
This is a very unti-democratic conference, it is also very suprising that this conference is sponsored by Vatican.
The creationists couldn’t talk at this conference, it is a shame !
This is an undemocratic issue like Davos. In Davos our pri-minister was prevented, in Vatican our famous dr is prevented. They were only saying that Allah created everything. Why Vatican did not let him to talk?
He is absolutely right.
- Posted by cemilEvolutionist afraid from evolutionist. When Turkish speaker Mr.Babuna was talking Futuyma couldn’t say anything. he asked if there is a transitional form show us, nobody gave answer or showed anything. This means tehre is no evolution. This conference is just shameful for vatican.
- Posted by AhmadI find this behaviour disrespecful. It is most certainly unacceptable to take the microphone away from a science person, a doctor, to keep him from pointing out his own view and asking legitimate questions at the public conference which he is attending. This is undemocratic. Anyone should be able to express his/her own view.
- Posted by Sarah RoosherdThanks to Mr.Babuna. This is the power of Muslim. real muslims must be like this. thanks…
- Posted by Elly