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| Britain |
| Richard Dawkins causes outcry after likening the burka to a bin liner |
| 2010-08-10 |
| The 69-year-old author and Oxford academic said he is filled with “visceral revulsion” when he sees women wearing the traditional Islamic covering. But he held back from advocating a ban on the all-enveloping cloak, insisting that such legislation would fly in the face of Britain’s liberal tradition. Professor Dawkins referred to the burka as a “full bin-liner thing” in an interview with the Radio Times in which he discussed his forthcoming documentary on the dangers of faith schools. He has sparked fury among Muslim groups, who have accused him of being “ignorant” and “Islamophobic”. But he stood by his remarks last night, telling the Daily Mail: “I do feel visceral revulsion at the burka because for me it is a symbol of the oppression of women.” But he added: "As a liberal I would hesitate to propose a blanket ban on any style of dress because of the implications for individual liberty and freedom of choice." Last month the French government voted to ban the burka from public places. It also banned the niqab – a piece of cloth covering the face. Seyyed Ferjani, of the Muslim Association of Britain, accused Professor Dawkins of “Islamophobia”. She said: “This kind of thing has been on the rise for some time. Britain is a diverse and free society. “It is a woman’s choice if she wishes to wear a burka, a niqab or not. Why does it matter to this man what a woman is wearing?” |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #5 Bin liners make excellent emergency raincoats, just poke a couple of holes in the ends to see out of. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-08-10 21:00 |
| #4 Two obvious differences between a bin liner (trash bag) and burqa: 1) a bin liner lacks eye holes 2) no one was ever killed for not putting a bin liner over their head. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2010-08-10 19:35 |
| #3 Richard Dawkins still fails to grasp the implications of Islam on individual liberty and freedom of choice. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-08-10 18:57 |
| #2 well LA te DAH. When is he gonna advocate snatching Muslim kids from their parents and raising them to be atheists, like he's advocated to be done to Christian kids? Methinks the man is gonna quickly discover that Mohammed and Jesus differ radically in the way they react to being spat in the face. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2010-08-10 18:44 |
| #1 He has sparked fury among Muslim groups, who have accused him of being "ignorant" and "Islamophobic". I view that as a badge of honor. Your not Islamophobic if it's real. It's not like there are not plenty of justification for having such feelings--just an honest guy. Yea for Professor Dawkins for not being PC. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-08-10 18:34 |