Ankara - Controversy erupted in Turkey on Tuesday after a science institute withdrew a planned cover story about evolution theory founder Charles Darwin from its magazine and sacked the publication's editor who had approved the article.

The television news channel CNN Turk, on its website, accused the state-run Turkish Science and Research Institute (TUBITAK) of "unbelievable censorship" in removing the planned cover story marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of the the British scientist.

"Whilst dealing with Darwin with extreme strictness, (Islamic creationist author) Adnan Hoca has been successful in getting his books into Parliament and into various schools," the unsigned editorial piece posted on CNN-Turk's website said.

The March edition of Bilm ve Teknik (Science and Technology) came out a week late after TUBITAK Deputy Director Omer Cebeci ordered the cover be changed and that a 15-page article on Darwin and the theory of evolution be removed, Turkish media reported Tuesday.

Cigdem Atakuman, the editor of the magazine who had approved the original cover, was sacked last week.

The opposition immediately pounced on the issue, posting a number parliamentary questions demanding that the government explain the decision to ban the original cover story.

The Islamic-rooted government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been accused in the past of placing its own conservative Islamists in positions of power at TUBITAK. Many Muslims completely reject Darwin's theories as being against their beliefs. (dpa)