Self-loathing Americans occasionally get concerned about evolution acceptance in America - like with Republicans who accept climate change but not global warming, the issue is more one of nuance and some don't like any nuance at all. Leaving the possibility open that some divine entity may have created the spark of life and man evolved from there gets people lumped in as 'creationists' with the kookier 'young earth creationism' minority by angry atheists, so people shut down when a hot button question like evolution is asked - they are looking for the linguistic catch.
American skepticism is legendary and its our freedom-loving nature that makes it possible, even if it can be irritating when it comes to anti-vaccination, anti-agriculture or anti-climate change believers. Imagine the icy chill in a place like Britain, where an imam of an east London mosque has received death threats for supporting the science of evolution.
Dr. Usama Hasan, vice-chairman at Leyton mosque and a Middlesex University lecturer in engineering, ran for the hills when protesters disrupted his talk and began shouting for his execution - inside the mosque. The mosque's response? Not supporting Hasan or calling for moderation or peace, they suspended him for antagonizing the community.
An online petition against Hasan has apparently attracted 1,100 signatories, although they are not listed publicly. The petition says they are "horrified" by his views on evolution and call for him to be removed before the mosque becomes a "hotbed of modernist extremism".
Hasan is a brave, brave man. "I'm not leaving," he said. "I've been here for 25 years and I fear that the mosque could fall into the hands of extremists. There are plenty of other mosques in the country that have gone that way. My supporters [at the mosque] don't want that and are encouraging me to stay to fight our corner."
Evolution has some detractors on the religious fringe in the US but professors are not forced to leave their house with bodyguards - so biologists will continue to fight for science but at least have the comfort of knowing they are not fighting for their lives.
H/T RealClearScience
