Please be quiet, Richard Dawkins, I'm begging, as a fan

[rug]

By Tom Chivers
Last updated: August 8th, 2013

I really don't want to write this piece. I have long worshipped Richard Dawkins and sort of wish I'd never started following him on Twitter because it's ruining all my happy memories of The Blind Watchmaker.

But, I mean, come on.

He's just tweeted the following:

Richard Dawkins @RichardDawkins

All the world's Muslims have fewer Nobel Prizes than Trinity College, Cambridge. They did great things in the Middle Ages, though.

10:04 AM - 8 Aug 2013


Richard Dawkins @RichardDawkins

You can attack someone for his opinion. But for simply stating an intriguing fact? Who would guess that a single Cambridge College . . .


10:22 AM - 8 Aug 2013


Richard Dawkins @RichardDawkins

Muslims aren't a race. What they have in common is a religion. Rather than Trinity, would you prefer the comparison with Jews? Google it.

10:33 AM - 8 Aug 2013

He's absolutely right on one level, of course: Islam is a religion, not a race, and it would be ridiculous to accuse someone of racism for criticising its tenets. For instance, I actually (sorry, Mehdi) agreed with him when he said it was odd that someone of Mehdi Hasan's undoubted intelligence could believe that Mohammed was taken up to heaven on a wingèd horse. I mean, that just didn't happen, let's face it. I also agree with him that many Islamic theocracies are viciously repressive, and that many cultural practices carried out by some Muslims are horrible, notably female genital mutilation and honour killings.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomchiversscience/100230250/please-be-quiet-richard-dawkins-im-begging-as-a-fan/

https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins

[cbayer]

1. Pretty boneheaded for someone so smart.

It's a fine line between being an anti-theist and a bigot, Richard. I think you are stepping over it.

[okasha]

2. It's a pretty bright line, actually,

and Dawkins has been living on the wrong side of it for some time now.

[mr blur]

3. Context is everything -

He was tweeting about Nobel Prize winners and received a wave of comments about how civilization owes much to algebra as developed by Muslims. (the point being that intelligent people can be of any religion)

Algebra pre-dates Islam.

He did point out that this was in response to boasts by Muslims about being 1 million strong and having a rich history of scientific achievement.

Dawkins acknowledges that we have owed much scientific progress to the Middle East, but not for some centuries.

Still, bash on, eh?

[cbayer]

4. Agree that context is something, but someone as smart as Dawkins

should understand that when using Twitter, context has a back seat at best.

Bash on? Are you directing this to the author of the piece?

What do you think of the substance of his criticism of what Dawkins has said here?

[rug]

6. If you consider posting his own words bashing, so be it.

There is context within context. He has a piss-poor record on Islamophobia.

Maybe he was just being metaphorical.

[mr blur]

7. I consider posting yet another story about an atheist saying something you can sneer at bashing.

Then again you have a piss-poor record on facing up to the "sins" of your own cult.

Metaphor as opposed to facts is your department.

[rug]

8. Be my guest, although I doubt you can distinguish between sneering and discussing.

I am, of course, bound by the evidence of your postings.

[arcane1]

5. I can't really call that bigotry, especially in context

What I'm seeing is just the Twitter version of this excellent lecture:

[cbayer]

11. Not the same thing at all. NDT has never exhibited any bigotry.

[AtheistCrusader]

18. Your objection does not support your assertion.

Edit: ignoring that, fast forward the NDT video to 37 minutes.

[AgainsttheCrown]

9. It's not ridiculous to call it racism...

Islam is a religion, but it's considered a brown religion.

Think I'm wrong? Ask a Sikh or read the "sand nig---" and "towel head" slurs about the Boston bombing suspects after they were revealed to be Caucasian.

[cbayer]

10. Good points. And there is racial profiling that is meant to specifically identify Muslims.

Even travel with anyone from the middle east? It's a whole different experience.

[okasha]

12. +1

[LostOne4Ever]

14. And when has Dawkin's ever used any of those terms?

Because other people of the same skin color have used them that means he endorses them?

Further, there are other "brown" religions beyond just Islam. And he has also been a critic of Christianity. Does this mean he is racist against Caucasians also?

There are many other things to critique Dawkins on, but this accusation is ridiculous. Calling him a racist looks to me like a desperate attempt to smear him in any way possible whether he deserves it or not.

[dimbear]

13. If you haven't time to read the whole Chivers article, be assured it is mainly a list of excuses

explaining why Muslims haven't performed well in the Nobels.

That's certainly one approach.

Maybe not a deep one.

[AtheistCrusader]

15. Your first mistake was probably in 'worshipping him'.

He'll be the first to tell you, he's just a man.

[rug]

16. I assume you're replying to Chivers.

[AtheistCrusader]

17. Yes.

I could have phrased that better, but yes, it was aimed at the author of the piece, not the messenger.