Richard Dawkins left interviewer Piers Morgan stunned after refusing to give any comments regarding radical Islam and the attempted assassination of author Salman Rushdie.
World-famous atheist Richard Dawkins has shocked many after point-blank refusing to discuss matters relating to the topic of radical Islam during an interview.
A long-time critic of religion in general, the 82-year-old has never previously shied away from dismissing Christianity or discussing problems relating to Islam, even going so far as to describe the faith as “the most evil religion in the world“.
Such bold words were nowhere to be seen in a televised interview following his recent remarks about transgender issues, however, with Dawkins stunning broadcaster Piers Morgan with a point-blank refusal to discuss issues relating to the faith.
In response to an attempt by Morgan to pry answers from Dawkins relating to the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie by an Islamic radical last year, as well as the issue of former ISIS bride Shamima Begum, the prominent atheist merely shook his head, muttering no.
“Are you saying no you don’t want to talk about it, or?” the broadcaster eventually asked, with Dawkins simply responding with a quiet “yes”.
After a few more moments of awkward silence, Dawkins added that he “should have said” there are areas he was not willing to discuss during the interview. Morgan replied that he thought it was “sad” that the prominent public intellectual appeared to think he could no longer air his views on the topic publicly.
Although Dawkins himself gave zero explanation for his refusal to discuss topics related to Islam, many online have speculated that it is out of fear of possible reprisals from some of the more violent adherents of the religion.
“This is stunning,” Fox News pundit Will Cain wrote in response to the video. “You can literally see a man become…nothing. Fear is so powerful.”
Some were far less sympathetic in response to the atheist’s refusal to speak on the matter, with one pundit calling the man’s refusal to speak “pathetic“, while others described him as being a “coward”.
Whether this is the root cause of the silence as speculated or not, it remains the case that hardcore Islamists frequently make habit of murdering or badly maiming high profile people who criticise their religion or depict Mohamad.
The most prominent recent attack was the attempted murder of author Salman Rushdie, who has lived for decades under Islamist threat for allegedly blaspheming the religion with his book, The Satanic Verses.
Rushdie was left with life-altering injuries after the latest attempt on his life by an Islamic fundamentalist in New York last year, and is now blind in one eye as a result of the incident.
Support for the award-winning author from Western political elites has meanwhile been mixed, with some being quick to denounce the Islamist threats against him, while other more progressive elements have seemingly made excuses for his predominantly middle-eastern attackers.
One Irish MP, Bernard Durkan of the ruling Fine Gael party, even went so far as to say that the man’s writings “begged a response” from Islamic radicals, openly suggesting that The Satanic Verses should not be seen as free speech.
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