151. Who wants to kill the elderly?

Comment #153489 by Dinah on April 1, 2008 at 1:59 pm

I think there is a difference between 'killing old people' and not keeping people alive who are suffering unbearably. This is a difficult moral area, but we are often more compassionate to animals in this respect than to other human beings, being encouraged to put a pet out of its misery - sometimes risking prosecution for not doing so - but forbidden on pain of prosecution to do the same for our own kind. Of course, the religious lobby who believe life is bestowed and taken away by their god will always oppose any kind of euthanasia, no matter how much suffering this means for individuals.

Lord Joffe's Bill allowing voluntary euthanasia in very limited circumstances has been continually opposed by the religious in Parliament.

Anyone worried about being kept alive against their wishes should make a Living Will. There is no guarantee its instructions will be followed, but it is better than doing nothing.

152. Beware the Believers

Comment #151835 by Dinah on March 29, 2008 at 2:36 pm

Having seen the film, I don't think I'll bother with the book or the tee-shirt...

153. Saudi Arabia Leader Calls for Interfaith Dialogue

Comment #150180 by Dinah on March 26, 2008 at 2:29 pm

The majority of atheists, being rational affirmers of life, would not be willing to die for the atheist cause, and probably no atheist would kill anyone for opposing atheism. Some fundamentalist religious types are prepared to die for their religion, and many more to kill those who don't subscribe to their version of the supernatural. (Suicide bombers of course both kill themselves and others in the name of religion.) Does this mean in the end the forces of unreason will always defeat the voices of reason?

154. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #150156 by Dinah on March 26, 2008 at 1:52 pm

Happy Birthday! (And a huge THANK YOU for your relentless hard work in the cause of atheism, and for having the courage to stand up to the champions of irrationality, superstition and the supernatural.)

155. Wicked untruths from the Church

Comment #150111 by Dinah on March 26, 2008 at 1:11 pm

I have no idea what the collective noun for Ancient Male Virgins in Frocks is (a Pontification perhaps?) but we've certainly been subjected to much ranting and hand-wringing from a Proliferation of them over the past week or so. As we have come to expect, it's been the usual triumph of dogma and irrationality over compassion and humanity. Evidently, a few cells in a Petrie dish with no consciousness or nervous system have more value than adult human beings in the throes of MS, Parkinson's or Motor Neurone Disease, conditions which might be alleviated if this research were allowed to go ahead.

Of course, we can be certain if any of these holier-than-thous end up with fatal conditions themselves, they will eschew any curative treatments gleaned from embryo research, preferring instead to choke to death or drown in their own secretions. 'No, no!' they will sob, pushing the proffered medicine away, 'Think how many poor little embryos went into one tablet! And besides (gasp) suffering is so ennobling! What a fine example we are setting to (gnash of teeth) healthy people, reminding them about all the ennoblement they are missing out on, not having the opportunity to suffer like us!'

156. It looks like Man crucified

Comment #148493 by Dinah on March 23, 2008 at 7:55 am

'Only someone with the brain of an Easter egg could seriously believe that the influence of religion over our lives is on the rise today'

Only someone with the brain of an Easter bunny could have failed to notice the rise and rise of Islamic fundamentalism over the last few decades.

157. EXPELLED!

Comment #147932 by Dinah on March 21, 2008 at 4:02 pm

It is hardly surprising that a bunch of ID aficionados failed to recognise Richard Dawkins, since they have devoted their lives to evading reality, and are thus particularly well-qualified in the art of not seeing what is staring them in the face.

As for the references to Nazism, etc in the film - I do not know whether the Nazis were influenced by Darwinism, but if the discovery of a scientific fact leads to unpleasant outcomes that doesn't turn the fact into fiction. Or, as Richard Dawkins far more eloquently expresses it, 'a disagreeable consequence cannot undermine the truth of a premise'.

158. Jesus saves

Comment #147198 by Dinah on March 20, 2008 at 3:06 am

Re Comment #147047 'I'd rather see that money spent on research to find out why people eat Brussel's Sprouts.'

To get the wind up? (Or down?)

159. Religion 'linked to happy life'

Comment #146324 by Dinah on March 19, 2008 at 12:43 am

Life can be sad, hard and difficult. Being unhappy at times is a natural response to some of the things which happen to us. Some Christians will not allow themselves to admit this: they think being unhappy is a sin, a kind of affront to their god. They end up living a lie, hiding behind a facade of relentless false optimism. Sometimes, and I have seen this for myself, the facade cracks and they end up being treated for depression and other psychiatric disorders.

160. Religion 'linked to happy life'

Comment #146132 by Dinah on March 18, 2008 at 4:45 pm

In my experience, religion is far more likely to screw people up than make them happy. Happy people who turn out to be happy because they have dedicated their lives to a delusion should be pitied or despised rather than envied.

161. The atheist delusion

Comment #144490 by Dinah on March 16, 2008 at 8:06 am

Re Comment #144406 'I don't think he's a religious man'

I heard John Gray speak at a local literary festival recently. He declared himself a 'sceptic' without any religious faith. Following his profoundly pessimistic talk (during which he took a passing swipe at 'The Selfish Gene') someone asked him why any of us should bother getting up in the morning. He replied the best thing to do was to choose the set of religious myths we were most comfortable with, and use these as a way of getting through life. Another person who evidently thinks religion is good for everyone other than himself.

162. The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing

Comment #144413 by Dinah on March 16, 2008 at 2:56 am

Re Comment #144292 by Damien Trotter - "What I would like to know is where the good professor gets all his energy from! Book tours, lectures, writing, compiling (the above), TV programs and radio, personal appearances, world travel."

Good genes perhaps?

163. When blasphemy bit the dust

Comment #140503 by Dinah on March 7, 2008 at 2:58 pm

It is great news that the Blasphemy laws have been abolished, but one reason many believers were in favour of its abolition was that it only applied to Christianity and not to other faiths. As noted in the Guardian article, there is a religious hatred law on the statute books, albeit in a watered-down form from what was originally intended. The danger now is that the religious will demand the powers of this Act should be extended and strengthened on a quid pro quo basis. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and all that…

164. What's the Point of the Archbishop of Canterbury?

Comment #138958 by Dinah on March 5, 2008 at 1:44 am

Beware the Man in Frock my son!
The jaws that cite, the laws that catch!
Beware the Bearded Face and shun
The numinous Wafflehatch!

(with apologies to Lewis Carroll)

165. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126154 by Dinah on February 12, 2008 at 2:04 pm

Perhaps this could make the Arch B of C reconsider his position. Or perhaps not.

166. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!

Comment #125750 by Dinah on February 12, 2008 at 1:37 am

Charlie is my Darwin, my Darwin, my Darwin...

167. Exorcism undergoes a revival across Europe

Comment #125727 by Dinah on February 11, 2008 at 11:43 pm

What is truly shocking about this is that there will be many mentally ill and disturbed people classified as 'possessed' and denied the drugs and psychiatric treatment they need.

168. Charles Simonyi Professorship in the Public Understanding of Science

Comment #125317 by Dinah on February 11, 2008 at 8:20 am

As another member of 'you lot' I would like to wish the Prof - sorry, Richard - a very long, happy, healthy and wealthy retirement. When I first saw the title of this piece, I imagined him riding off into the sunset on his trusty steed Reason towards his own Faith-Free zone. Fortunately, these fears were not realised, and I hope he will stay around to raise our collective consciousnesses for many years to come. Thanks to his influence, I have been transformed from a faint-hearted atheist into a proud and happy one.

169. Sharia law in UK is 'unavoidable'

Comment #124259 by Dinah on February 8, 2008 at 11:54 pm

Many Muslims came to this country to get away from Sharia law. The Archbishop's idea that you can cherry-pick the bits that are acceptable and ignore the rest is naïve and dangerous.

170. Sharia law in UK is 'unavoidable'

Comment #124073 by Dinah on February 8, 2008 at 9:42 am

Re: Comment #124029 "No one is suggesting introducing stoning for adulterers and gays, or forcing women to wear the veil, or any of that nonsense."

Excuse me, but I believe some hard-line clerics in mosques in Britain are suggesting exactly that 'kind of nonsense'. And if certain aspects of Sharia law were to be introduced, there would soon be pressure to introduce others. What may appear to be unimaginable today may not be a few decades into the future if this idea of the Arch B’s is not rejected firmly enough now.

171. Sharia law in UK is 'unavoidable'

Comment #123916 by Dinah on February 8, 2008 at 1:52 am

NO NO A THOUSAND TIMES NO.

It is a fundamental principle in democratic countries that people are equal before the law. Sharia law is a medieval law designed for Muslim men by Muslim men which does not recognise women and non-Muslims as being equal. If this happens, it will be a betrayal of the Enlightenment and of those who have fought (and sometimes died) in the name of freedom of conscience, human rights and female equality. It would create a state within a state - I cannot think of anything which would be more divisive. Unfortunately, it is the natural outcome of multiculturalism, the uncritical championing of 'culture' 'faith' and 'difference' above any kind of common humanity or the need for shared values.

172. Are Darwin's Theories Fact or Faith Issues?

Comment #121527 by Dinah on February 3, 2008 at 2:40 pm

Re Comments #121374 and #121388

Thank you Sturmundrang for this information. I am now more confused than ever. Along with AfraidToDie I do not understand the tactics behind behind Simmons' denials that he's a Christian and a Creationist and what advantages these denials are supposed to confer. While he may well feel they give his arguments more credibility among the uncommitted it doesn’t say a lot for his Christianity and Creationism if he is isn't prepared to own up to them and defend them and certainly won't endear him to his fellow Cs and Cs. Plus he risks being labelled untrustworthy by people whatever their views on this issue. Perhaps he's just a pathological liar.

173. Are Darwin's Theories Fact or Faith Issues?

Comment #121347 by Dinah on February 3, 2008 at 9:27 am

I am confused (not an unusual state of affairs). This bloke Simmons doesn't believe in evolution, but stated he wasn't a Christian, didn't believe in the biblical account of creation, and wasn't an Intelligent Designer. So according to him how did we get here? He spent the whole time trying (unsuccessfully) to rubbish the arguments of PZ Myers but never actually spelt this out. Or did I miss something?

174. Richard Dawkins on The Big Debate

Comment #119359 by Dinah on January 31, 2008 at 2:21 pm

What I liked about this programme was that for once the Professor was not the sole voice of reason pitched against the massed ranks of crazed clerics, fulminating fundies, mad mullahs and rabbiting rabbis, not to mention the compulsory Wet Windbag Bishop. The skilful chairmanship of Jonathan Dimbleby ensured the opposing sides had their say (though of course there never is enough time in programmes of this type) and the contributions from the other rationalists were on the whole thoughtful and well-argued – the comments from the ex-Muslim being particularly impressive. When the Professor came head to head with the ghastly Dr Mukadam (who was on his own a good enough justification for the abolition of faith schools) the result was a resounding Faith 0, Reason 10. The Professor is a naturally courteous man, not prepared to shout down his opponents, which is why he doesn't always get the time he deserves to develop his case. But he is in a no-win situation here because if he did become more aggressive he would lay himself open to accusations of being 'militant' and 'strident'. Furthermore, I would guess that he doesn't appear on these programmes principally for the benefit of existing atheists but to put forward the case for reason, rationality and atheism to people who may never have considered these things before, could be wavering in their faith, or for any number of reasons be prepared to listen to what he has to say, and possibly as a result become new converts to atheism. Therefore, he should not be criticised for repeating arguments we may have heard from him before.

175. Belief in Belief

Comment #117598 by Dinah on January 29, 2008 at 7:57 am

T S Eliot said (in the Four Quartets) that 'Human kind/Cannot bear very much reality.' This (I think) is what Bigginhillbilly is talking about. And yes the reality is that our bodies are subject to decay, damage, disease, death and decomposition, we are doomed to non-existence, we live in a cold and indifferent universe and life has no ultimate meaning or purpose. Many, if not most, of us spend our lives trying to evade that reality. Some refuse to think about it at all, some take drugs or alcohol, some take refuge in the arts and music, some indulge in hedonism to the exclusion of everything else, and others turn to religion. Religion is the ultimate way to evade reality. It is the biggest lie ever invented.

176. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #117477 by Dinah on January 28, 2008 at 11:21 pm

This article can be summed up as 'I have no real arguments to refute atheism, so instead I will insult and defame several famous atheists. This will show what a clever, thinking reasonable chap I am and prove beyond doubt my invisible magic friend exists, and loves me.'

177. Belief in Belief

Comment #117473 by Dinah on January 28, 2008 at 11:03 pm

Atheist Mermaid – One of the reasons why Christianity and Islam have lasted so long is that they have promised their adherents an afterlife provided they toe the line and obey the instructions of their respective clerics and holy books. It is one of the (if not the) greatest cons ever inflicted on the human race. Hard though it may be, in order to become adults in the true sense of the word we have to shed the infantile beliefs that we have a special place in the universe, that we are loved and matter to an invisible being, and that we will survive the death of our own bodies. It is probably even harder to accept that the people we have loved and who have died now only exist in our memories, but I personally would rather accept this than exist in a state of perpetual delusion.

178. Launch of 'Atheists in Foxholes' Book Anthology

Comment #116688 by Dinah on January 27, 2008 at 5:57 am

I think the premise lying behind the 'atheists in foxholes' saying is that when anyone finds themself in a life-threatening situation (sinking ship, losing side of battle, earthquake, etc.) they will ask whichever deity they were brought up to believe in to save them. Even if this is true, it does not prove the existence of that particular deity, because if it did, all deities ever prayed to in such circumstances would therefore exist. I read somewhere that the majority of people when faced with the prospect of sudden death cry out for their mothers to help them (regardless of whether the females in question are in a position to render assistance or are even alive). Never having had the misfortune to be under such a threat I am unable to say whether this is the case or not.

179. Three Little Pigs 'too offensive'

Comment #115087 by Dinah on January 23, 2008 at 2:21 pm

Not only do we have to put up with Muslims being offended about trivia, we also have to put up with non-Muslims being offended about trivia on behalf of Muslims. Where will it all end? (Sigh)

180. Huckabee Wants A 'Faith-based' Constitution

Comment #111917 by Dinah on January 16, 2008 at 2:21 am

People who want 'God' to be brought into their Constitution or politics evidently know nothing about history. God was inseparable from politics in Europe for centuries, resulting in wars, persecution, repression of women and the suppression of scientific ideas to name but a few. Not content with persecuting people of other faiths, Christians then turned on each other – Catholic against Protestant, Protestant against Catholic, Catholics and Protestants against Puritans and other dissenters. And this is the point – which version of God would be the accepted one in this new theocracy? You can bet your life it wouldn't be long before Christians pursuing the 'wrong' kind of Christianity would soon find themselves on the wrong side of the law along with the atheists, Jews, Muslims, et al.

181. Fish out of water: Your Inner Fish

Comment #111584 by Dinah on January 15, 2008 at 4:12 am

I wonder if some religious apologists would get out of it by claiming that our imperfect bodies are the result of Man's Disobedience and the Fall – for example, according to Genesis, Eve and her descendents were condemned to have protracted and painful labours by God 'I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing: in pain you shall bring forth children' (nice guy isn't he?) in punishment for her disobedience – the implication being that prior to that, he had intended childbirth to be easier! Just a thought.

182. George Scales, War Hero and Generous Friend of RDFRS

Comment #111419 by Dinah on January 14, 2008 at 2:38 pm

Congratulations George on your richly-deserved and long-awaited Croix de Guerre, and your generosity to the causes of reason and science. You are an inspiration to us all, and I wish you a successful operation and a speedy recovery.

183. It is possible to be moral without God

Comment #105017 by Dinah on December 30, 2007 at 10:47 am

'It is possible to be moral without God' – to which the obvious reply is, 'It is more than possible to be immoral with God.'

Many of the Christians I know as friends have no knowledge of, or interest in, the origins or history of their faith: they simply assume that Christianity is something to do with going to church on Sunday and being nice to one another. Even the more informed ones just pick the bits they like and ignore the rest. I'm afraid I tend not to mix with the nastier type of Christian.

While it may not be possible to disprove the existence of a god, there is absolutely no evidence for the existence of a 'good' one or one that intervenes in human affairs: these ideas are pure human invention and wishful thinking, whatever the dear old Bish thinks.

184. Man and God

Comment #103530 by Dinah on December 26, 2007 at 6:33 am

I recently re-read TGD, and what impressed me was not the 'militancy' of which there was very little, if any, but the humanity and compassion, of which there was much. What made these two qualities stand out was that they were not compromised by dogma or ideology. Whereas a Catholic such as Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor would no doubt claim to be a compassionate man, he would nevertheless prefer a woman or girl to die in childbirth rather than have an abortion, children to die of starvation rather than allow adults to use contraception, and people to die of AIDS rather than use condoms. In the same way, a Stalinist could not see the evil in condemning masses of people to starvation, because the Party Leader who was worshipped like a god and his cause were regarded as more important than the lives of millions. Even multiculturalism requires its adherents to subvert moral principles by not condemning practices which would normally be considered reprehensible because they are part of a group's 'culture' which must be 'respected'.

185. Man and God

Comment #103527 by Dinah on December 26, 2007 at 6:14 am

'Spiritual and Spirituality' are words that have been so over-used and abused they've become practically meaningless. Anything nowadays which doesn't actually involve atheism or shopping is 'spiritual'. (Though come to think of it someone shopping for healing crystals or aromatherapy oils in Glastonbury would probably claim to be doing something 'spiritual'.)

186. Disquiet over schools' moment of silence

Comment #103228 by Dinah on December 24, 2007 at 2:48 pm

In the UK we have a lot of religion in schools. Thousands of schools are 'faith' schools, even secular schools are supposed to have a compulsory religious assembly each day, and RE is part of the curriculum. Added to this we have a Head of State who is also Head of the Church of England, and Bishops in the House of Lords. Yet we are a far, far less religious country than the USA. Could the teaching of religion in schools actually be putting children off religion? Or are there other explanations?

187. 'Atheistic fundamentalism' fears

Comment #102306 by Dinah on December 22, 2007 at 9:47 am

I would like to know where all this 'militant atheism' is. I live in a suburb of a large English city, and within ten minutes walk of my home there are four (thriving) places of Christian worship and hundreds of others just a car or bus ride away, but not one humanist/atheist group meets anywhere in this city. And where are these places where Christian crosses are taken down, or the schools where Nativity plays are banned? Isn't the Arch B content with having thousands of Christian churches, religious schools, charities, etc? Evidently not.

188. Jesus ad angers church groups

Comment #100727 by Dinah on December 19, 2007 at 8:19 am

One of the differences between Christianity and Islam is that Christianity is supposed to have gone through an Enlightenment. In other words, Christians should have a more mature reaction to satirical portraits of their particular version of the supernatural. Unfortunately, now Christians are seeing the 'respect' (ie downright fear) that Muslims receive whenever they cry 'Offence' and start setting fire to things, they naturally want to get in on the act. So expect more hissy fits and expressions of outrage from your friendly local vicar. And no doubt the smug vicar in the Archers will shortly be calling for Shula's atheist father-in-law to be burnt at the stake.

189. Turkey probes atheist's 'God' book

Comment #91755 by Dinah on November 29, 2007 at 6:40 am

I agree with Kevin that on no account should Turkey be allowed into the EU unless it allows freedom of expression on religious matters. If this issue is fudged, then the danger is that once Turkey gets in, it will begin chipping away at democractic values including freedom of speech in the name of not insulting Islam or some other such nonsense. However, I don't see that we in this country should necessarily be claiming the moral high ground over this one – we have a religious hatred law over here, admittedly in a watered-down version from the one originally intended, but the modifications only came about as a result of a single vote in the Commons. It is quite possible that the Government will make another attempt to tighten this law as a sop to the Muslim vote.

190. Malaysia firm's 'Muslim car' plan

Comment #87735 by Dinah on November 13, 2007 at 2:07 am

Presumably, the seats will be designed to tip over so that the occupants can point their rear ends Allah-wards at prayer-ful times of day.

191. A third of adults believe God watches over them

Comment #87711 by Dinah on November 12, 2007 at 11:32 pm

There are lies, damned lies and religious statistics, or should that be 'statistics compiled by the religious'?

192. Dr Bari: Government stoking Muslim tension

Comment #87479 by Dinah on November 12, 2007 at 8:33 am

The fact that the majority of Muslims in this country may not support Bari's views is not the point. Before the second World War the majority of Germans didn't support the Nazis, but they still sat back and let the rise of Nazism happen perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of loyalty to Germany, perhaps out of apathy. We keep being told by members of our Government that Islam is a religion of peace and most Muslims want to live in peace.

Even if this is true, it is irrelevant, because it is the fanatics who are ruling Islam now. It is the fanatics who are suicide bombers, who are taking over Africa in an Islamic wave, who are taking over the mosques in this country, who are stoning and hanging rape victims and homosexuals, and spreading their message of hate and jihad throughout the globe.

I feel let down and betrayed by our Government for failing to stand up to theocratic posturings and threats from Muslims like Bari, who is a self-serving member of an unrepresentative, undemocratic body. It wasn't that long ago that this same Government was supporting a Religious Hatred Bill, which, if it had gone through in its original form, would have protected the obnoxious views of people like him from criticism, and many of us contributing to this site could have been banged up at Her Majesty's Pleasure for daring to suggest that the illiterate ramblings of a peasant-turned-terrorist from the Dark Ages were not a good basis for billions of people to base their morality on in the twenty-first century.

193. Dr Bari: Government stoking Muslim tension

Comment #87386 by Dinah on November 12, 2007 at 2:34 am

I have often wondered what these much fawned-upon Moderate Muslims actually believe in, and now I have the answers, viz:

Moderate Terrorism - only to be carried out when the wholly (holy?) peace-loving nature of Islam is wilfully misunderstood by the blood-crazed Infidel…(and we must feel sorry for those poor Moderate Suicide Bombers because obviously their Mummies didn't understand them…)

Moderate Stonings of Adulteresses and Homosexuals

Moderate Forced Marriages

Moderate Enforced Chastity

Moderate Covering Up of Women (he doesn't think his daughters should wear burqas folks! How Enlightened is that???)

Moderate Assassination of Sir Salman Rushdie

Moderate Boycotting of Holocaust Day and anything Remotely Jewish

Moderate Stocking of Moderate Muslim bookshops with Moderate Extremist Literature

Moderate Total Banning of Chocolate, Alcohol and Anything Else in Life that might give a Little Pleasure

Well, I'm glad we've cleared that one up.

194. Lessons in hate found at leading mosques

Comment #83783 by Dinah on October 31, 2007 at 9:11 am

Our Government sends troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. Meanwhile, the Deobandi – the Muslim sect behind the Taliban – are allowed to take over nearly half the mosques in this country. If it wasn't so utterly tragic and rage-making it would be laughable.

195. Pope's 'morning after pill' speech criticized

Comment #83736 by Dinah on October 31, 2007 at 4:37 am

Not only is there Roland Rat to contend with over there, but Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor over here, with his weasel words regarding abortion. The Cardinal apparently now favours the 'softly softly' approach, trying to reduce the 24-week limit in which abortions can legally be carried out. But make no mistake: the Cardinal's aim is to make all abortion illegal, no matter what the circumstances. Think what this would mean in practice. Before the 1967 legislation, thousands of illegal abortions took place in this country every year, with women frequently dying from botched abortions carried out by amateurs, or dragged off to the courts and prison for having, or even attempting to have an abortion. And, as usual, it would be the poor who would suffer –the better off could afford to go abroad, or find a clinic in this country prepared to flout the rules at a price. And what of those who did not break the law? Twelve year olds who had been raped being forced to carry the child to full term and then go through the trauma of childbirth, along with women carrying a grossly deformed or disabled child with no hope of survival outside the womb. Foetuses matter far more to the Catholic Church than adult women and girls. To be acceptable Catholics women either have to be a virgins, or baby-making machines denied the right or information to control their own fertility. Fortunately, the Cardinal's servile parroting of his Church's triumph of dogmatism over compassion and humanity is unlikely to get him anywhere in this country, but such attitudes wreak havoc in many Third World countries where the Church is able to exercise much more power.

196. If Muslim doctors are intolerant, let them go

Comment #77504 by Dinah on October 9, 2007 at 12:53 pm

If certain Muslims dislike, as part of their jobs, having to handle alcohol or the bodies of the opposite sex, they should realise this is the price they have to pay for living in a free society. The more secular institutions are modified in order to avoid offending religious sensibilities, the less secular and the more theocratic they become, and in the end our society will end up being as repressive as those which some of those Muslims, or their ancestors, fled from in the first place.

197. The Price of Freedom

Comment #77496 by Dinah on October 9, 2007 at 12:31 pm

I think many of the comments on this thread have got way off the point. To me, the issue is not about Christopher Hitchen's politics, or Iraq, but the courage of Ayaan Hirsi Ali in defying death threats from Islamo-Fascist thugs. She has highlighted the horrible repression of women under Islam, including the revolting and barbaric practice of female genital mutilation, which is still carried out on thousands of young girls not only in Muslim states but covertly in Western countries. It should be remembered that the fight for the emancipation of women in the Western world was won relatively recently, and as Islamic populations rise in the West this emancipation will be more and more under threat unless all women – Muslim and non-Muslim - are prepared to follow Ayaan Hirsi Ali's example by speaking out for the equal rights of women and standing up to the oppressors.

198. Hirsi Ali Returns to the Netherlands after Losing Body Guards

Comment #76329 by Dinah on October 5, 2007 at 2:01 pm

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was genitally mutilated as a child. Apologists for Islam would say that FGM is not an Islamic practice. But thousands of women are genitally mutilated in Islamic states in order to control them, to ensure they are virgins before marriage, and to deny them any sexual pleasure. FGM leads to a lifetime of suffering with a woman literally having to be cut open before first intercourse can take place and leads to complications like uncontrollable bleeding, infections, protracted labour, incontinence and, not infrequently, death. Only when I see Muslims protesting on the streets and demanding that this practice be banned wherever it takes place will I have any kind of respect for practising Muslims. I suspect I will have to wait a long time. I have the greatest respect for Ayaan Hirsi Ali who has had the courage to speak out about the oppression of women in Islam and has defied death threats from Islamo-Fascist thugs. Would there were more like her.

199. The Fleas Are Multiplying!

Comment #69496 by Dinah on September 11, 2007 at 1:40 pm

Wee Flea implies that because Professor Dawkins has made money out of TGD that this somehow taints or invalidates its contents. No it doesn't. Writers deserve to be paid for their work as much as anyone else, and as Dr Johnson once remarked 'No man except a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.' And I very much doubt Wea Flea's assertion that 'there are as many atheist books, as there are theist'. Over the centuries thousands of writers of religious tomes have made a pile of money out of the pious. Only if Wea Flea goes away, sells everything he has and gives it to the poor as his religion demands will he be in a position to claim the moral high ground on monetary reward.

200. The smallest signs of retreat

Comment #68875 by Dinah on September 9, 2007 at 2:07 am

Christopher Howse is an extraordinary looking man with a vast old testament style beard. He writes a regular column in the Saturday Telegraph called Sacred Mysteries. Well done for having a go at him but I fear you won't get very far – he's sunk without hope of redemption into a spectacularly barking-mad unreconstructed supernatural vision of the world. His columns are worth reading for their pure entertainment value and just in case you think there is something out there concerning angels, visions and holy codswallop too loony even for him to believe you'll probably be wrong.