Adressen:

Professor Dr. Ömer Cebeci,
Vicepresident and Member of the Science Board of the Scientific and
Technical Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK)
Contact: Handan KAZANÇ
Phone: (+90 312) 467 31 02,
(+90 312) 468 53 00 / 4402
Fax:(0312) 467 95 82
e-mail:handan.kazanc@tubitak.gov.tr

Prof. Dr. Nüket YETis, President of TÜBITAK
Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey
Contact:
Ayþegül GÜNGÖR (ÞENÖTER), Executive Assistant to President
Phone: (+90 312) 467 77 98
(+90 312) 467 30 02
(+90 312) 468 53 00 / 4400-4401
Fax:(0312) 467 95 82
e-mail: aysegul.gungor@tubitak.gov.tr

Die Website des Turkish Research Council Tübitak:
http://www.tubitak.gov.tr/home.do?ot=1&sid=554&pid=547

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Der Protestbrief

Dear Dr. Cebeci,

I am very concerned that it has not been possible for the editor-in-chief of Bilim ve Teknik, to publish a contribution acknowledging the life and research of Charles Darwin in the Darwin year 2009. If the news of the dismissal of editor-in-chief Dr. Cigdem Atakuman is accurate, this aggravates the problem. Tübitak is an institution of scientific research known and noticed also outside Turkey. If discussion and presentation of scientific results is no longer possible in the renowned journal Bilim ve Teknik, this necessitates the conclusion that political pressure groups have
prevailed over Science. I do not have to tell you, how awful the consequences of such an realignment are in the long run. Governments will succeed and people will prosper if their decisions are based on evidence and scientific evaluation of reality. Ideologically motivated preconceptions make for bad advice. There is a reason for the strong secular tradition in your country. Turkey is among the oldest centers of civilisation and it would be a pity if the country is now falling backwards.

I urge you to reconsider the dismissal of the editor-in-chief of Bilim ve Teknik and to allow the inclusion of the planned article in a later edition this year. If you feel that to be necessary, it could possibly be balanced by a guest opinion from the non-scientific side, although I would venture to claim that the teaching of evolution in no way distracts from religious worship for those of us so inclined. Accepting evolutionary theory increases the magnificence of the universe and by implication of the creator of the universe.

Finally, you may be wondering why I felt it necessary to contact you.

n e e d s p e r s o n a l i z a t i o n

So I hope you will forgive me that I feel rather strongly about this subject.

Sincerely yours,

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