Author Richard Dawkins announced a new initiative to bring atheism to the Middle East Tuesday, giving away free copies of his book “The God Delusion” in Islamic countries.
Dawkins has long been a critic of all religions, but has been especially vocal in his dislike for Islam, calling it “the most evil religion in the world.” Now, he’s translating several books, including his famous atheist manifesto, “The God Delusion,” into several predominantly Muslim languages: Arabic, Urdu, Farsi and Indonesian, The Guardian reported.
“We are choosing languages, not countries,” said Dawkins. “The pdfs may, of course, be downloaded by anybody in any country, but we imagine most Urdu downloads will be in Pakistan, most Indonesian downloads in Indonesia and Malaysia, and most Farsi downloads in Iran.”
Dawkins claims an illegal Arabic version of his book has already been downloaded 13 million times, though that compares strangely with the total sale of three million copies globally. The first book to be translated will be his shortest, “River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life,” which explains Dawkins’ view of evolution.
Explaining his view of Islam further, Dawkins said “of course that doesn’t mean all Muslims are evil, very far from it. Individual Muslims suffer more from Islam than anyone else.”
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The translations are funded by the Center for Inquiry, a large atheist organization that has criticized American politicians for calling for prayer in the wake of shootings in the past. The organization slammed Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan for doing so in November 2017.
“There is no evidence that intercessory prayer has any effect on earthly events, as numerous controlled studies have shown, and it won’t save anyone from future atrocities,” CEO Robyn Blumner said. “So instead of dismissing legitimate criticism, the Speaker should work toward evidence-based solutions to the pressing national issue of gun violence.”
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