Slashdot Mirror
Muslim Medical Students Boycott Darwin Lectures
First time submitter Readycharged writes "The Daily Mail reports on a piece from The Sunday Times revealing that University College London have seen an increasing number of Muslim students boycotting lectures on Evolution due to clashes with the Koran. Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics, says, 'I've had one or two slightly frisky discussions with kids who belonged to fundamentalist Christian churches, now it's Islamic overwhelmingly.' He adds, 'What they object to — and I don't really understand it, I am not religious — they object to the idea that there is a random process out there which is not directed by God.' The article also reveals that Evolutionary Biologist and former Oxford Professor Richard Dawkins also experienced Muslims walking out of such lectures."
Why are we discussing a Daily Mail article?
The Daily Mail is closer to a tabloid than to a newspaper. Technically it's 'middle-market', so it has some real stories in there, but I'd never rely on it as a sole source for any opinion or discussion....which is what this summary asks us to do.
So, the article is from The Daily Mail, also known as The Daily Racist. Not that silly fairytale believing people aren't acting silly, but how big of an issue is this, really? Is there an agenda pushing this "news"?
I'm not sure about random, but if something is chaotic, it is directed by Eris.
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
http://s2.b3ta.com/host/creative/85367/1322136043/DailyMailCorrectionsbig.jpg
-- Nick "Hallo this is Beel Gates, und I pronounce weendows as
In the UK you don't get a medical license when you get a degree - you get your license from the General Medical Council. Having a degree in no way guarantees you getting your license.
Plus you have to complete two years of work in the NHS before you can practice privately - there is no other way to get a full license in the UK.
An incredibly widespread misconception...
From Einstein's letter to Max Born, 1926:
"Die Theorie liefert viel, aber dem Geheimnis des Alten bringt sie uns kaum näher. Jedenfalls bin ich überzeugt, daß der Alte nicht würfelt."
Translated:
"The theory offers a lot, but hardly brings us closer the the old guy's secret. Anyway, I'm convicted that the old guy doesn't play dice."
Einstein never said "God does not play dice", but rather used a slightly derogatory term to describe the metaphor of finding the world formula.
Other quotes by Einstein, easily verifiable:
"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish."
From what I've heard recently, the pilgrims went to the US not to escape religious persecution, but to enable it, they went to a land where they could be free to persecute the crap out of whoever they felt like in order to keep their societies pure.
AFAICT.
I suppose yes, and you should have both. Example: back to Lebanon, I left that country for many reasons, but while I don't believe in God or religion ( actually even bordering on being an anti-theist but that's another issue) I am still technically A Muslim Sunni as far the civil authorities back there. So you see you can't be without religion over there, as far the state is concerned I am still recognized as a subject of the Sunni courts in matters of heritage, marriage, death and life, etc etc. So over there you can have freedom of religion, but not from religion. I could be mistaken, but If I do get myself completely crossed out of "religion"( meaning to be officially recognized as an atheist) I can't own a land, I can't get a passport, I might lose many of my civil liberties ( there is no civil marriage in Lebanon, though it is recognized if it is done outside of the country). Now recently there have been some efforts to remove the indication of religion on some official papers, but you still belong to one, but government employees are showing a lot of reluctance ( and even out right refusing sometimes) to do the paper works for citizens who ( like me) wants to do it. So back to the original point, yes: 1) Freedom of religion means freedom to choose or not choose a religion. Whether you want to be a Sikh, worship the devil, or simply without any sort of beliefs. 2) Freedom from religion means not being subjugated to the whims of the religious groups.