Professor Richard Dawkins appears to have caught the attention of the media this week with a comment made about the traditional Muslim garment. Dawkins was said to have referred to the item of religious clothing as "a full bin-liner thing" during an interview with the radio times. Richard Dawkins was primarily there to discuss his upcoming documentaries, In Faith Schools Menace? These comments have lead to criticism from notable Muslim groups, as reported by UK newspaper The Daily Mail (click to read full article)
A representative of the Muslim Association of Britain, Seyyed Ferjani has responded to the comments made by Richard Dawkins as "Islamaphobic". The issue of religious symbolism and dress, specifically the Burka have been somewhat of a focal point in recent years. The debate intensified and returned to the forefront of discussion last month when the French parliament moved to ban the Burka from public places. Is this a sign of secular progression, or an infringement of ones liberties? Is there a line drawn when it comes to criticism of Religion, which informs us we should respect other beliefs? Are genuine concerns about security and the oppression of women being swept under the carpet as Islamaphobia? Please use the comment section to air your views on the Burka and whether criticism of these practices comes at a cost or if you feel peoples religious beliefs are important and should be respected.
I don't wish to "over-think" this, as Dawkin's comment was probably just a bit of humor used at the wrong time(I wasn't able to access The Daily Telegraph link).
ReplyDeleteI think when one doesn't agree with an ideology, humor is reflexively used to knock it down a peg (I myself am quite fond of humor that can be considered blasphemous). Had he prepared a composed statement enumerating his points against the garb and it's meaning, would he have invoked the same response? probably not in the same way. He may have opened a discussion which would be fruitless for either viewpoint.
As for should religious belief being respected, well, when a belief system has a built-in deterrent to self-criticism, it is the system itself that has lost respectability.
Thanks for the heads-up on the dead link, the Telegraph article appears to have been deleted or moved. I have now replaced it with an article on the same story from The Daily Mail.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that "genuine concerns about security and the oppression of women [are] being swept under the carpet as Islamaphobia". Just today, female journalists in Afghanistan have been asked to wear head scarves and less makeup on tv. Is the burka really their choice, or are they avoiding punishment by wearing it? I'm sure there's a huge range of answers, but do we really want to see those dark ghosts wandering the streets of every free country, obliterating their identities? No!
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