This is getting tiring. Can Berkeley ever repair its reputation for free speech? Will Dawkins get to speak? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40710165 Richard Dawkins' Berkeley event cancelled for 'Islamophobia' From the section US & Canada Dawkins has previously written: "Islam is the greatest force for evil in the world today" Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has denied Islamophobia after a US radio station cancelled his forthcoming speech. The best-selling author had been due to address an event hosted by KPFA Radio in Berkeley, California, in August. Organisers accused him of "abusive speech against Islam" when scrapping his appearance, but he argues his criticism was not directed at Islam. He called on the station to review his past remarks and apologise. In a letter to ticket-holders, the publicly funded radio station wrote: "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." The station, which is not affiliated with the University of California, said in a letter - which Mr Dawkins published online - that it does not support "hurtful" or "abusive speech". It also apologised "for not having had broader knowledge of Dawkins views much earlier". Local media report that Bay Area residents had brought attention to statements made by the author of the anti-religion book The God Delusion, including a 2013 tweet saying "Islam is the greatest force for evil in the world today". In an open letter to organisers, Professor Dawkins wrote that he "never used abusive speech against Islam". He said harsh statements he has made in the past have been directed at "IslamISM" - apparently referring to those who use the religion for political objectives - and not adherents of the faith. "I have criticised the appalling misogyny and homophobia of Islam, I have criticised the murdering of apostates for no crime other than their disbelief," Professor Dawkins writes. He also pointed out that he has been a "frequent critic of Christianity but have never been de-platformed for that". He describes listening to KPFA "almost every day" during the two years he lived in Berkeley, adding that "I especially admired your habit of always quoting sources". "You conspicuously did not quote a source when accusing me of 'abusive speech'. "Why didn't you check your facts - or at least have the common courtesy to alert me - before summarily cancelling my event?" Professor Dawkins' book about the study of evolution, The Selfish Gene, was named last week by the Royal Society as the most inspiring science book of all time. Known as the home of the Free Speech moment in the 1960s, Berkeley has recently left that reputation in doubt as far-left protesters have sought to silence speakers and academics with whom they disagree. Conservative authors Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos have each clashed with the University of California after events where they were due to speak were cancelled by the college administration out of fear for public safety.
Hah, and some people wonder why there is a growing negative perception of universities. Now it's not even limited to conservative speakers. Even highly qualified scientists are not welcome if they don't toe the "progressive" political line. If anyone had any doubt that Berkeley values left-wing propaganda above actual education, this is proof positive.
Here's more: http://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/b...kins-question-why-do-you-give-islam-free-pass Donohue Defends Atheist Dawkins’ Question: ‘Why Do You Give Islam a Free Pass?’ Bill Donohue By Bill Donohue | July 25, 2017 | 2:07 PM EDT Atheist Richard Dawkins (Wikimedia Commons Photo) Whenever I write about Richard Dawkins, it is to criticize some anti-Catholic remark he has made. I have written a fair amount about him. Today, I am on his side. He is being denied the opportunity to express his views on KPFA: the radio station has reneged on its invitation to interview him. Here is how the radio station explained its ruling. "KPFA does not endorse hateful speech. While KPFA emphatically supports serious free speech, we do not support abusive speech." It objected to Dawkins calling Islam the "most evil" of world religions. KPFA is a public radio station that features left-wing hosts and left-wing guests, and is owned by the left-wing Pacifica Foundation, based in the left-wing city of Berkeley, California. To prove its left-wing status, it supports censorship. To be fair, it does not censor hate speech against Catholics—it is quite tolerant of anti-Catholic bigotry. That is why it hosted the late Christopher Hitchens, a proud Catholic basher. Dawkins is different. He is critical of Islam, and that is not something KPFA will tolerate. That's because it only supports "serious" free speech, not speech of a less-than-serious kind. So when Dawkins mocks the Eucharist, KPFA applauds, noting the seriousness of his speech. Dawkins has been burned by the Left. It's what they do. He spoke the truth when he said of the decision to muzzle his free speech that "I am known as a frequent critic of Christianity and have never been de-platformed for that." He never will be. Dawkins also asks the right questions. "Why do you give Islam a free pass? Why is it fine to criticize Christianity but not Islam?" He deserves an answer. Islam is given a free pass by the left because it supports every effort to sabotage the West, beginning with the disabling of America. It's just that simple and just that pernicious. Bill Donohue is President and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organization. He was awarded his Ph.D. in sociology from New York University and is the author of seven books and many articles.
Leftist are no different than religious kooks they pretend to be so much smarter than. The fact that they're flaming hypocrites to boot, makes them even more easy to despise.
I think the detachment from reality stems from the left not caring about that which doesn't happen to them. Just wait until it does then we'll never hear about the end of it.
Atheism has been ******** on ALL religions forever. They **** on Christianity just as much and the left joins in it. Back in the mid 2000s this sort of thing was considered leftist and the right was trying to shut them up, now it's done a 180 and Richard Dawkins is some sort of evil racist bastard. It's disgusting. The left ought to be ashamed. Deeply ashamed of their fascist anti-free speech position.
The article doesn't say, but was his speech to be about Islam, or about his field of study, evolutionary biology? It doesn't sound like the intent was to keep him from saying "hateful" (read "true") things about Islam in his speech, but to punish him for things he has said in the past.
Strange, the left LOVED Richard Dawkins when he focused almost exclusively on Christianity. But for him to go after Islam? That's a tad "icky" for our progressive friends.
Even an uber lib like Dawkins has finally figured that out. So now he's got it, but it's a bit too late. The revolution is eating it's own. I must say, as sad as I am for the decline in free expression in America, it does provide some entertainment from time to time (I still wish Dawkins were allowed to speak though).
Here's more: http://www.investors.com/politics/columnists/ben-shapiro-why-the-left-protects-islam/ Ben Shapiro: Why The Left Protects Islam BEN SHAPIRO6:34 AM ET FacebookLinkedInPrintTwitterShare Reprints Richard Dawkins is no friend to conservatives. The atheist author has spent much of his life deriding Judaism and Christianity. He once stated, "An atheist is just somebody who feels about Yahweh the way any decent Christian feels about Thor or Baal or the golden calf." Dawkins says that even moderate religious people "make the world safe for extremists." He's far to the left on politics: He's pro-abortion rights, and a supporter of the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats in Britain. Autoplay: On | OffBut he's also smart enough to recognize that radical Islam is a greater threat to human life than Christianity or Judaism. He explains: "I have criticised the appalling misogyny and homophobia of Islam, I have criticised the murdering of apostates for no crime other than their disbelief. ... Muslims themselves are the prime victims of the oppressive cruelties of Islamism." Such language makes him a pariah among leftists. This week, Dawkins was scheduled to speak at an event with KPFA radio in Berkeley, California. All went swimmingly — until leftists realized that Dawkins had said some untoward things about Islam. The station then canceled the event, citing his "abusive speech." It explained: "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. KPFA does not endorse hurtful speech." This is no shock. The same left that barred Dawkins from his Berkeley event cheered this week while Palestinian Arabs rioted over metal detectors at the Temple Mount. Those leftists proclaim that the true obstacle to peace in the Middle East isn't Palestinian Arab violence — it isn't Palestinians who stab Israeli Druz officers on the Temple Mount; or the Palestinians who invade homes and slaughter old men and women; or the Palestinians in government who cheer, honor and financially support such behavior. No, the problem is the Jews. The same left that blames metal detectors for murderous assaults and Richard Dawkins for offending Islam makes excuses for radical Muslim and Women's March on Washington organizer Linda Sarsour, who has called for certain apostate Muslims to have their genitals removed, says that Zionists cannot be feminists and stands up for terrorists and terror supporters. Why does the left seek to support radical Islam so ardently? Because the left believes that the quickest way to destroy Western civilization is no longer class warfare but multicultural warfare: Simply ally with groups that hate the prevailing system and work with them to take it down. Then, the left will build on the ashes of the old system. In this view, Dawkins is an opponent — how can the left recruit Muslims to fight the system if Dawkins is busy alienating them? They support the Palestinian terror regime — how can that colonialist outpost, Israel, be defeated without a little blood? They applaud Sarsour — she's an ally, so she must be backed. Alliance with nefarious forces calls your own morality into question. KPFA has a lot more to answer for than Dawkins. But the left will never have to answer such questions so long as it focuses in on its common enemy: a supposedly conservative establishment that must be fought with any tool at its disposal. Shapiro is host of "The Ben Shapiro Show" and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com.
The formerly brilliant Dawkins has been on a slow slide into irrelevance since he abandoned his brilliant scientific writing and became a raving evangelical atheist. That being said, of course he should be allowed to speak, as with the previously banned conservative speakers. While Berkeley did an end run around responsibility by allowing the radio station to take the heat this time, third strike.
Isn't it funny? 3 of the 4 "New Atheists" - Dawkins, Harris, and the late Hitchens, have all been attacked by the left over their positions in Islam. These three writers were beloved by the left over their anti-Christian viewpoints, but apparently going after Islam is "bigotry" and the left can't have that.
