Derbyshire, Unhinged Again

Poor John Derbyshire can't seem to understand the difference between Intelligent Design and Creationism (in this case Muslim creationism, whatever that means):

"Teaching the Controversy"... [John Derbyshire]

...in Tehran. The current (7/21/06) issue of Science has an article on science in Iran. From which:

A glance at the evolution exhibit at Tehran's museum of natural history reveals the tension below the surface. Wave after wave of schoolgirls in matching headscarves file past a row of glass cases containing meticulously arranged fossils. A label next to a trilobite, for example, says that the specimen, discovered in the nearby Alborz mountains, came from the Devonian, a period 400 million years ago when those sediments were submerged in a shallow sea. Along the opposite wall, a diorama chronicles the evolution of life on earth. Painted scenes of ancient life look as if they've been copied directly from the latest biology textbooks. But the exhibit takes a sharp detour from science in the final display case where evolution is summed up. In an open tome representing the Koran, phrases in calligraphy proclaim that 'God willed an atmosphere created from gases' and 'God created man from water.' Above that is a poster—published by the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, Texas—describing how Earth was created in a few days by an omnipotent being.

For the benefit of other mathematicians who feel compelled to comment on matters in which they have decided to remain poorly read, let me recap: creationism is when you try to interpret the data through the lens of Scripture. ID, on the other hand, draws conclusions from scientific observations only, not from sacred texts. It's not a terribly subtle or complicated difference. I cannot explain Derb's continued obtuseness on this issue, except to surmise that his condition is purposefully self-inflicted.