Dawkins’ fury as speech axed in case he offends Muslims
A US radio station that booked renowned scientist Richard Dawkins to deliver a speech has cancelled the event over fears he would offend Muslims.
The British biologist had been due to appear at an event hosted by Californian station KPFA about his latest book until organisers cited ‘hurtful’ statements he had previously made about Islam.
But Professor Dawkins, an atheist, confronted the decision in an open letter posted on his website which accused KPFA of misrepresenting his views on Islam and demanded an apology.
Prof Dawkins – whose bestselling study of evolution, The Selfish Gene, was named the most influential science book of all time by the Royal Society last week – said: ‘I have criticised the appalling misogyny and homophobia of Islam, I have criticised the murdering of apostates for no crime other than their disbelief. Far from attacking Muslims, I understand – as perhaps you do not – that Muslims themselves are the prime victims of the oppressive cruelties of Islamism, especially Muslim women.’
He challenged the radio station to find examples of anything he had said which could be described as abusive, adding: ‘When you fail to discover any, I presume you will issue a public apology.’ It is not known whether any specific remarks prompted the cancellation to avoid offending Muslims – a move known as deplatforming – but commentators have drawn attention to a 2013 tweet in which the writer described Islam as ‘the greatest force for evil in the world today’.
Prof Dawkins added yesterday: ‘I am known as a frequent critic of Christianity and have never been deplatformed for that. Why do you give Islam a free pass? Why is it fine to criticise Christianity but not Islam?’
The 76-year-old academic went on: ‘If you had consulted me, or if you had done even rudimentary fact- checking, you would have concluded I have never used abusive speech against Islam.
‘I have called Islamism “vile” but surely you understand that Islamism is not the same as Islam. I have criticised the ridiculous pseudoscientific claims made by Islamic apologists... and the opposition of Islamic “scholars” to evolution and other scientific truths.’
A statement from Berkeley-based KPFA said: ‘We had booked this event based entirely on his excellent new book on science, when we didn’t know he had offended and hurt – in his tweets and other comments on Islam – so many people.
‘While KPFA emphatically supports serious free speech, we do not support abusive speech.’
Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard University, wrote a letter in support of Prof Dawkins in which he described the radio station’s decision as ‘intolerant, ill-reasoned, and ignorant’.
He added: ‘Dawkins is one of the great thinkers of the 20th and 21st century. He has criticised doctrines of Islam, together with doctrines of other religions, but criticism is not “abuse”.’