Death Threats against Usama Hasan over the Theory of Evolution in the UK
8:51
2 Jul 2012
Evolution
Andrew Carey
Usama Hasan
This video news piece reported by Andrew Carey for CNN London (probably from 2012) presents the issues surrounding one prayer leader, Usama Hasan, trained both in religion and as a theoretical physicist, when he wrote an article in 2008 “decrying the ‘appalling state of science in the Muslim world and the Muslim consciousness.’ ” As the congregants in the mosque began to accuse him of being an apostate, others collected on Facebook to defend him. Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, interviewed for the piece, spoke in favor of Hasan’s right to speak his opinion.
Evaluation:
This piece presents the conflict from Hasan’s perspective. However, Muslim ideas are represented in their diversity.
There is little science here beyond the mention of evolution.
As the representation of a conflict that continued over several years, the details appear to be accurate.
About Usama Hasan
Usama Hasan is an Islamic scholar and university lecturer specializing in computer science. He earned a Masters degree in Theoretical Physics from the University of Cambridge and a second Masters degree in Mathematics at Kings College, both in the United Kingdom. As of 2015, he is a Senior Researcher at the Quilliam Foundation, the Imam of Al-Tawhid Mosque in the UK, and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He previously worked as a Planetarium Lecturer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich and as a Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University (2003-2012).
Hasan has also hosted a question and answer TV show on Islam Channel, participates in the Islamic Sharia Council UK, and works with the Preventing Violent Extremism Unit of the UK government. Though Hasan identified with the Salafi school of Islam in his youth, his views have become moderate over the years, and he has even faced harsh backlash from the Muslim community over his opinion about evolution.
As of 2015, Hasan maintains an active Twitter page and less active blog (last post dated November 2014), but it does not appear that he is active on any other social media outlets. A more detailed biography of Hasan may be found at the Quilliam Foundation’s website.
Selected Bibliography:
Guessoum, Nidhal. “Muslim Inquisition Today: The Plight of Usama Hasan.” Irtiqa. N.p., 28 Feb. 2011. Accessed 16 June 2015.
Hasan, Usama. Twitter. Twitter, n.d. Accessed 16 June 2015.
Hasan, Usama. Unity. WordPress, n.d. Accessed 16 June 2015.
“Usama Hasan.” Global Experts. The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, 12 Feb. 2010. Accessed 16 June 2015.
“Usama Hasan: Senior Researcher.” Quilliam. Quilliam Foundation, n.d. Web. Accessed 16 June 2015.