Ed Husain is an author who co-founded the counter-extremist think tank Quilliam with Maajid Nawaz. Ed has been lauded for ditching the politicized Islamic ideology of his formative years. He details this journey in his book ‘The Islamist’. Needless to say, he’s done a great amount of work challenging the Islamist narrative and he is what many would consider to be a ‘progressive Muslim’.
Earlier this week, I blogged about some concerning public comments made by the Head Teacher of St. Andrew’s Primary School in Accrington, UK regarding evolution and the Bible. I also proposed an offer to crowd source funds for a School trip to The Natural History Museum. I have followed up on that offer with the below email to the school. Please feel free to share and repost it.
From: Stephen Knight
Date: Thursday 28 January 2016
To: St Andrew’s Primary School
Subject: National History Museum Trip
Good Morning,
My name is Stephen Knight. I am a podcaster, blogger and occasional fundraiser. I read with surprise and concern the public comments made by Head Teacher Christina Wilkinson on Twitter regarding evolution and the Bible.
“Evolution is not a fact. That’s why it’s called a theory! There’s more evidence that the Bible is true”. (25 Jan 2016)
I’ve published my thoughts on these comments here.
I’m a staunch supporter of free expression and freedom of religion, however given that these comments were made in an official capacity as Head Teacher, I feel that they must be addressed by the school. Especially since Mrs Wilkinson’s views do not appear to be representative of the curriculum. There is a fundamental misunderstanding of what evolution is, what scientific ‘theory’ means and what constitutes ‘evidence’ which I find worrying.
Although I do not currently possess information to claim that the pupils of St. Andrew’s are being disadvantaged by Mrs Wilkinson’s failings in this area, given her senior role, her views do not fill me with confidence either.
With this in mind, I’d like to propose an offer. I would be pleased to launch a crowd sourcing campaign to fund a field trip to the Natural History Museum for some of the pupils of St. Andrew’s. It would be a truly enlightening and exciting experience for the young, inquisitive minds at your school. They will have the opportunity to learn about the wonders of evolution and see the abundance of evidence with their own eyes.
I hope we can work through the details of this together. It would be a fantastic opportunity and experience.
I will be also be publishing this as an open letter. I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Stephen
I will update this blog with any responses.
Stephen Knight is host of The #GSPodcast. You can listen to The Godless Spellchecker Podcast here, and support it by becoming a patron here.
Joining me on this week’s #GSPodcast will be comic book writer Sean Michael Wilson (@SeanMichaelWord). He’ll be telling me all about his book ‘Goodbye God? An Illustrated Exploration of Science vs Religion‘. We’ll be getting some insight into the process behind producing a comic and I’ll be asking Sean how one goes about drawing Hitch. Also: Kindle or Physical copy?
Also available on iTunes and Stitcher.
Please support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Image Credit: www.independent.co.uk
There was a bit of a buzz around my office on the morning of Friday the 20th of March. Soon enough, we’d be able to view an eclipse – and as the time approached we gathered near a 4th floor window and attempted to locate the sun in a gloomy Manchester sky. No easy feat, let me assure you.
As the clouds parted just long enough for us to catch a glimpse of this beautiful natural event, I was filled with a sense of awe and contentment at having experienced something truly ‘special’. I felt lucky to be around, and to be around in a time where we can understand why these things occur no less. Then back to my desk and reality.
I check-in with BBC news on my first break of the day to discover the article ‘Can religion and science bury the hatchet?’ It’s not long before I’m tutting at the usual mix of “But how can Science explain awe?” and – “both science and religion compliment each other” type sentiments. The fact remains that so long as religion makes objective claims about our reality – not only will it trespass upon the domain of science, but it’ll have its trousers pulled down by it. Read more
After debunking 9/11 conspiracy theories on The #GSPodcast back in September, Michael Shermer (@MichaelShermer) returns to the show to tell us all about his new book ‘The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom’. We touch on a number of other topics shortly before the alien mother-ship returns to take Michael home. Please see the MoralArc.com.
Also available on iTunes and Stitcher.
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
#GSPodcast Theme by Dorian Silk & The MCH
Evolutionary Behavioural Scientist Gad Saad drops in for this week’s #GSPodcast. We talk gender differences, the issue of free speech within academic institutions and…pet cloning. Consider this your ‘trigger warning’. We also cast a disapproving eye on liberal feminism’s betrayal of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. #Gadfather. Follow him on twitter: @GadSaad
Also available on iTunes and Stitcher.
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
#GSPodcast Theme by Dorian Silk & The MCH
Relevant Links
Gad Saad’s Books
Gad’s YouTube Channel
