Winged Horses (23/04/13)
Richard Dawkins has upset the God Brigade again with his comments about a journalist at the New Statesman - Mehdi Hasan - who believes, apparently, that the prophet Muhammad really did fly to heaven on a winged horse.
Now another journalist at the Guardian - name of Andrew Brown - leaped to Mehdi Hasan's defence with a furious denunciation of Dawkins, claiming that he's a believer too - but in his own mythology, whatever that means.
Baloney, I say.
For sure, Richard Dawkins ridiculed Mehdi Hasan - who's no slouch himself it has to be said when it comes to criticising other people for their political views - so why should he or Andrew Brown get their knickers in such a twist when they get a taste of their own medicine?
The story goes that Richard Dawkins posted the following tweet on via Twitter last weekend:
"Mehdi Hasan admits to believing Muhamed [sic] flew to heaven on a winged horse. And New Statesman sees fit to print him as a serious journalist."
For some reason, possibly out of political solidarity, Tom Watson, the Labour MP and former henchman of Gordon Brown, tweeted back:
"You really are a gratuitously unpleasant man".
To which Dawkins replied
"Actually no. Just frank. You'd ridicule palpably absurd beliefs of any other kind. Why make an exception for religion?"
"A believes in fairies. B believes in winged horses. Criticise A and you're rational. Criticise B and you're a bigoted racist Islamophobe."
Now I can't see anything offensive about that - I have to say.
Yet Andrew Brown goes on to suggest that what Richard Dawkins is really saying is that people who believe in winged horses or the Norse God Loki - should not be employed by respectable magazines such as the New Statesman.
Which is nonsense - and Andrew Brown must know it's nonsense.
Because that kind of religious discrimination would be unlawful in the UK - though not in many Islamic countries where Sharia law operates, of course - and where believing in anything other than winged horses or the second-class status of women, for example, could prove to be rather injurious to your health.
But if you'll excuse me, I have to dash - as my mate's just arrived on Winged Pegasus and we're popping down the road to the pub for a couple of beers.
Now another journalist at the Guardian - name of Andrew Brown - leaped to Mehdi Hasan's defence with a furious denunciation of Dawkins, claiming that he's a believer too - but in his own mythology, whatever that means.
Baloney, I say.
For sure, Richard Dawkins ridiculed Mehdi Hasan - who's no slouch himself it has to be said when it comes to criticising other people for their political views - so why should he or Andrew Brown get their knickers in such a twist when they get a taste of their own medicine?
The story goes that Richard Dawkins posted the following tweet on via Twitter last weekend:
"Mehdi Hasan admits to believing Muhamed [sic] flew to heaven on a winged horse. And New Statesman sees fit to print him as a serious journalist."
For some reason, possibly out of political solidarity, Tom Watson, the Labour MP and former henchman of Gordon Brown, tweeted back:
"You really are a gratuitously unpleasant man".
To which Dawkins replied
"Actually no. Just frank. You'd ridicule palpably absurd beliefs of any other kind. Why make an exception for religion?"
"A believes in fairies. B believes in winged horses. Criticise A and you're rational. Criticise B and you're a bigoted racist Islamophobe."
Now I can't see anything offensive about that - I have to say.
Yet Andrew Brown goes on to suggest that what Richard Dawkins is really saying is that people who believe in winged horses or the Norse God Loki - should not be employed by respectable magazines such as the New Statesman.
Which is nonsense - and Andrew Brown must know it's nonsense.
Because that kind of religious discrimination would be unlawful in the UK - though not in many Islamic countries where Sharia law operates, of course - and where believing in anything other than winged horses or the second-class status of women, for example, could prove to be rather injurious to your health.
But if you'll excuse me, I have to dash - as my mate's just arrived on Winged Pegasus and we're popping down the road to the pub for a couple of beers.
