Censorship in Turkey

Did you know that censorship could protect peoples' privacy? If you don't know what censorship is, I'll explain it to you! But to start with, I’ll let you know how it relates to what I’m going to talk about today. A recent issue has occurred in Turkey (the country, not the animal!) that deals with this. The people of Turkey, a country located in a region far away called the Middle East, see religion as very important. The Turkish government recently censored an article in a science magazine dealing with Charles Darwin, the guy who came up with the theory of evolution. Evolution says that all living things evolve, but in more simple terms it differs from what one would learn in church about Jesus and God. By "censored" I mean that the government demanded the editors to take off the picture of Darwin and delete the article just before the issue went on sale. This is because, like I said earlier, Turkey is filled with lots of very religious people.

The article I read about the situation stated that the censorship isn’t right. It argued that scientists were outraged and that government interference shouldn’t be allowed. These two claims can be correct, but there are several points and details the author failed to mention.

Of course scientists were angry when they found out what happened. At first it does seem unfair that the government could do such a thing, but on second thought it doesn’t seem so unreasonable. Very few people believe in evolution compared to creation because of such a religious population. Another article I read stated that only one in four Turks believe in the theory of evolution. The problems that would have been caused if it were published wouldn’t have been worth the trouble. Extreme religious groups would have likely thrown a fit, and by this I don’t mean a hissy fit. In the Middle East, religious groups often riot when upset, damaging property and sometimes hurting and even killing people.

While the magazine is scientific, the editors must understand that the government reserves the right to alter it. They have the highest power in the country and, as unfortunate as it seems, the editors of the magazine have no say in the situation. The attempt to publish an article like that proved a mistake, especially with the very extreme religious views of the area.

Many would say that the Turkish government crossed the line, but since it pleased the majority of the population, the censoring is acceptable. The government isn’t trying to force any religion upon anyone; it is simply saving the population from chaos.


“Turkey Censors Evolution”, by anonymous. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v458/n7236/full/458259a.html March 19th, 2009

“Darwin in Turkey”, by Daniel Steinvorth http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,613768,00.html March 17th, 2009

-Jake