Author Richard Dawkins once again accused of Islamophobia
Richard Dawkins, the prominent atheist and author of multiple atheist-themed books like The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion, has come under fire on social media.
The Oxford University professor has been accused of bigotry again. Critics have labeled him a racist after the academic tweeted a picture of himself with text sitting on a bench in the Winchester Cathedral grounds in Hampshire, England. The text of his tweet compared the pleasant noise of Christian church bells to the aggressiveness of an Islamic call to prayer.
Listening to the lovely bells of Winchester, one of our great mediaeval cathedrals. So much nicer than the aggressive-sounding “Allahu Akhbar.” Or is that just my cultural upbringing? pic.twitter.com/TpCkq9EGpw
— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) July 16, 2018
Defenders of Dawkins point out the concluding sentence of his tweet where he has openly stated that he may find the Christian sound sweet due to his cultural upbringing. They mention that the question mark at the end indicates that Dawkins is open to discussion on the issue.
Dawkins has mocked almost all religions in his distinguished career. He had previously insulted Christianity, Buddhism, and Judaism along with many others. The scholar has repeatedly said that he does not think individual Muslims are evil, but sees them as victims of a backward-looking religious institution. He has pointed out that it is hypocrisy for critics to ridicule his comments concerning Islam, but stay silent when he attacks other religions.
A few academicians have also condemned Dawkins. Amarnath Amarasingam, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, argued that Dawkins seems obsessed with attacking Islam.
Dude can’t sit on a park bench on a sunny day without turning it into something islamophobic. It’s not your culture. It’s you. https://t.co/WYwhGamgjE
— Amarnath Amarasingam (@AmarAmarasingam) July 17, 2018