WATCH: Pakistani professor forced to condemn Darwin's 'Theory of Evolution', say women 'intellectually inferior' to men

In a shocking development, an assistant professor of biology was forced to give an apology on a stamp paper in Pakistan's Bannu city. The professor, identified as Assistant Professor Sher Ali of the Government Postgraduate Degree College, was forced to apologise for teaching Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution, a basic concept in biology. He was also forced to denounce mixed-gender gatherings and declare that women are inferior to men.

Assistant Professor Sher Ali gave a three-page undertaking to the Bannu deputy commissioner's office that "all scientific and rational ideas, which were in contradiction to Islamic Sharia, including Darwin's theory of evolution, are falsehood."

Sher Ali also declared that he believes that women are inferior to men "in terms of wisdom as stipulated by the Sharia and declared that unnecessary mingling of women with men is not allowed." Assistant Professor Sher Ali has an MSc degree from the University of Peshawar and an MPhil in human genetics from Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad.

The incident garnered traction on social media after Harris Sultan, the author of the book The Curse of God-- Why I Left Islam, shared the video of the incident on X formerly known as Twitter. "This is why Pakistan will remain a third-world hell hole. These radical Muslims with handsome beards force a University professor Sher Ali, to condemn the Theory of Evolution and say on record that women are 'intellectually inferior' to men as per the Quran and hadith," Sultan wrote.

The controversy around Assistant Professor Sher Ali erupted when he addressed a seminar on women's rights in view of the Constitution and the law organised in the Domel area earlier this month. His comments during the seminar did not augur well with local clerics, who accused him of "spreading debauchery and speaking against Islam and local culture" and sought strict action against him by authorities.

Soon after this, Ali clarified his position on the issue of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution as part of the course. "Chapter 24 of the biology textbook discusses Darwin's theory of biological evolution and if someone has problems with this topic, then they should approach the government for the removal of the chapter from the course," he was quoted as saying by Pakistan's largest newspaper Dawn.

The professor also said that his students would question his teaching ability if he did not teach this topic and that he always taught Darwin's theory of biological evolution after seeking his students' consent. A senior district administration official told the publication that Sher Ali told clerics in the meeting that his social media posts on the veil or women's rights did not belong to him and were "digitally altered".

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