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Allah's Atlas

By Michael Weiss
Posted Friday, July 20, 2007, at 6:05 PM ET

Bloggers are all over the new Atlas of Creation, Islam's contribution to the anti-evolution cause. Also, how will Hillary Clinton's cleavage affect her campaign, and why do President Bush's weekend plans terrify liberals?

Allah's Atlas: Turkish Islamist Adnan Oktar, going by the name Harun Yahya, is peddling what is, by all accounts, a gorgeous book of antiscientific bunkum. Atlas of Creation is his 12-pound, 800-page reply to Darwinism that suggests evolution is a sham since, well, species alive today are very much like those alive millions of years ago. No one's quite sure where Yahya gets the money for these free textbooks, though at least one blogger has a theory.

Muslim Humanist Ali Eteraz writes of Harun Yahya that he "has been stalking Muslim circles in the West for quite some time. I saw his books at every major Muslim bookstore I have ever been to, along with every single Muslim convention." Eteraz also did some digging into Yahya's backers and comes up with the following conclusions: "Harun Yahya is most likely a front [update: or ally] for Christian right-wing's version of Creationism. Funny thing is that Harun Yahya seems to be using the Christianists the same way they are using him." "American heathen" Hrafnkell at A Heathen's Day writes: "It's a shame really, when Islam led the way in science during the early Middle Ages, that they have turned their back on it and embraced unthinking religious fundamentalism instead."

It's all "creationism on crack," writes Bonzai, a commenter at celebrated atheist Richard Dawkins' Web site. "But it is not the only pseudo science in the Islamic world. Another, even more ludicrous and more influential movement is so called 'Quranic science'. The proponents claim that the Quran contains all of modern science from general relativity to embryology by torturing meanings into vague Quranic verses. … Unlike creationism and ID, which are basically education lobbies with no influence in research institutions, many otherwise respectible universities in the Arab world have departments on 'Quranic science'."

At Evolution Minute, the blog of a radio show by the same name, biologist Shelley Greene and evangelical youth minister Peter share their separate letters addressed to Yahya. Here's Greene: "If I were you, I wouldn't expect a high return rate on your promotional effort. Look at France's weak response. We are just as stubborn and intractable as they are. And honestly, America does not need another variety of religious fundamentalism." Here's Williamson: "The Atlas of Creation is an inspiring work, and like the beauty of a cathedral, will lift the spirit of those who enter. Even those who aided and abetted the faithless in the Dover case grudgingly admitted The Atlas of Creation is truly a beautiful book. God works in mysterious ways!"

Read more about Islamic creationism.

Hillary's sexy wardrobe: The Washington Post's Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion writer Robin Givhan, who's previously garnered attention for critiquing the Dick Cheney's ski parka and Condi Rice's power boots, now weighs in on Sen. Hillary Clinton's seemingly newly discovered cleavage. [Disclosure: Slate is owned by the Washington Post Co.] "Once again, she is playing the fashion field," Givhan writes.

D.C. blogger NewsCat is shocked, shocked: "It's almost like Hillary is some kind of…woman? What is she doing with those breasts of hers! (I don't know...talking about education or something...I wasn't paying attention)."

At lefty Firedoglake, Christy Hardin Smith offers Givhan a few fashionista tips: "A v-neck shell or blouse is slenderizing, as any reader of In Style magazine or browser of People at the hairstylists could tell Ms. Givhan…Women have boobs, which result in cleavage, and sometimes we wear v-neck shirts because we like them, they are comfy on hot days and, frankly, they look nice. Millions of women wear them. Including me…right now."

Inquiring minds want to know: When is it Obama's turn? Geekesque at DailyKos describes the front-page décolletage treatment as "[f]urther proof that even as Hillary Clinton makes a strong bid to be the most powerful human being on the planet, there will be those who see her as nothing but a pair of jugs. I look forward to the Post's next article in the series: 'Did you see Obama's bulge?' And from Gawker: meme: "Thanks, Robin! Now if we can just get a little ass-crackery from Obama, we'll be able to make our decision on who to support!"

Read more about Hillary's cleavage.

President Cheney, mwa ha ha: President Bush will undergo a colonoscopy Saturday, during which time he'll cede power to Dick Cheney. Dread liberal fantasy-mongering competes with yawns about how this only formalizes a de facto state of affairs, anyway.

At Internal Monologue, liberal Californian Zachary Drake sees nothing good coming from this temporary transfer of power: "So making Dick Cheney acting president for maybe an hour or two. Hmmm. Checklist. 1. Invade Iran. 2. Rule Pat Leahy 'Special Legislative Enemy Combatant' ".

Ana Marie Cox at Time's Swampland wonders what'll change when Bush gets probed "'temporarily.'… That's just really funny. BUT SERIOUSLY: Colonoscopies aren't funny. I mean, they ARE, but they're not. So, you know, make jokes about Cheney but sked something anyway if you're in that, uhm, demo. It's not like you need the blood of a thousand virgins to stay alive."

Read more about the veep's big day.

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Michael Weiss is the New York editor of Pajamas Media. His personal blog is Snarksmith.
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