The New Atheism: A Clarification.

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American Liberty, BBC, Christianity, Christianity and Islam, Christianity vs Islam, Christopher Hitchens, Civilisation, Counter-Jihad, Daniel Dennett, Defend the modern world, Muslims, politics, Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, Religion, richard dawkins, Sam Harris

I wrote a post last week that seemed (and was) hostile to the school of thought labelled as ‘New Atheist’ – more explicitly, the works of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens.

Specifically, I criticised these personalities for repeatedly lying about Hitler’s religious convictions – for claiming, as they do, that the Fuhrer was a believing Catholic, when his real views were closer to rational unbelief.

I don’t want to write the same article twice, so if you’re interested in my argument, please scroll down to ‘Hitler Was an Atheist’ in last week’s bunch. On this occasion, I’d like to clear up my position in regard to the ‘New Atheism; and atheism in general, lest my previous words have failed to communicate my true opinion.

I’ll start by restating that I am the son of a Church of England minister, and (as it goes for most vicar’s sons) the experience has often led me to an extreme and reactive rationalism, inspired by (among other figures) Nietzsche and Sartre, the traditional heroes of the thinking Western adolescent.

At the time of my enrolling in University, I was so convinced by atheism that I rarely thought about it. As far as I was concerned, the debate was dead, and all that remained to do was for the rising generation to destroy any legacy of Christian thought; to liberate the West from its dusty idols, arbitrary loyalties and primitive moral worldview.

Since then, I’ve not gone back on my view of the cosmos, the historicity of religious texts, or the facticity of evolution. But what I have done is read more about the human animal and the role that religion plays in sustaining him, in reminding him of things he might otherwise forget.

I remember at college coming up with what I considered to be a bold new scientific theory: the idea that there is an ‘optimal IQ range’, below which the human behaves in a destructive or abusive fashion to others, and above which the human being malfunctions, seeks to destroy himself or otherwise rebels against natural law. The ‘theory’ (if it can be so dignified) was drawn from the observation that high-IQ people tend to neglect the fundamental practices of nature, most notably the need to reproduce, to avoid suicidal thinking, and to maintain connections with the rhythms of their fellow man.

In retrospect this seems slightly daffy. There are clearly benefits to high intelligence and not just for the individual possessed by it. But that said, I still believe there is something vital in the wisdom of the less able, in their commitment to the essentials of life.

This very week it was reported that by 2070, the number of Muslims will overtake the number of Christians to make Islam the largest religion on Earth. This has to do with three synergetic factors. First, Muslims still believe in reproduction. Secondly, Europeans and Latin Americans no longer reproduce at the required pace and quantity. And thirdly, Europeans are becoming more disjointed and secularised, leading to a collapse of the only cultural coalition large enough to compete with the spread of Islam.

This has less to do with theology than with natural priorities. Religion, though it may on occasion go against science and progress, nevertheless tethers the human mind to very important primal truths. To sever the European from his traditions is to sever him from the destiny those traditions were laying out for him.

According to Richard Lynn, Japan is the most intelligent country on Earth, yet it is turning into a high-tech nursing home. Sweden is similarly dying. Norway is dying. Germany is dying. Italy is dying. Even China is dying.

And that last example is an especially illustrative one. China has been forcedly atheist for over fifty years. In that period of skyscraper building, the birth rate has steadily but surely declined. This has been helped by – but cannot be wholly explained by – the ‘one-child policy’ that (in any case) accompanies the confident atheism of Communism.

Outside of reproductive issues, the abandonment of Christianity by Europeans has another global effect. The more impressionable and cultureless races, most notably the booming population of Africa may be increasingly drawn to confident religions like Islam and turn away from the tired out, apologetic religion of their former colonial masters. The wonderful civilising effect of European Christianity may vanish and plunge great swathes of the world into barbaric darkness.

To repeat my general position – none of these concerns imply religion is true or science false. All I recommend is to consider the void that comes after religion and weigh its benefits against those of history.

D, LDN.

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I Know Jihadi John’s Swamp.

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Civilisation, Counter-Jihad, Counterjihad, Defend the modern world, Extremism in London, Hezbollah, ISIS, ISIS brits, Islamic Extremism, Islamism, Jew 9/11, Jews 9/11, Jihadi John, London Metropolitan, London University, Middlesex, Mohammad Emwazi, Muslims, Palestine, Religion, The Beatles ISIS, United Kingdom, Universities, Westminster

The revelation that the frozen-blooded ISIS executioner ‘Jihadi John’ was until recently a ‘normal, quiet’ student at Westminster University couldn’t have surprised me less. I am very intimate with the state of London Universities and the close, sinister relationship many of their students have with radical Islam.

I didn’t attend Westminster, but my own University was just a few miles from it. Along with Greenwich, London Metropolitan and my own, Westminster University is part of an ever-growing variety of crowded, multicultural colleges popping up around the English capital like Starbucks restaurants.

Given their demographic profile (the Islamic percentage of the intake is often as high as 50%) all of these institutions are sharply Left-wing in political orientation, with some of them allied to the wild extreme.

At my own place of study, I don’t remember a week going by without a demonstration for ‘Palestine’, against blasphemy or in favour of immigration. During these events, bearded enforcers in white dresses (some of whom came in from other colleges) would stalk the halls of the campus, its library and halls of residence. To have been openly critical of Islam at this time would invite the same consequences as in ISIS-controlled Syria.

It has been noted before (including in the excellent book ‘Londonistan’ by Mail columnist Melanie Philips) that the Muslim youths of London are particularly devout, even by the standards of other European cities like Paris and Berlin. Consequently, at demonstrations by my college’s Islamic Student Union, leaflets spoke openly of Jihad, ‘infidels’ and religious para-militarism. Some Muslim students blamed the Jews for 9/11, others took credit for it proudly.

The non-Muslim students were mostly shy and timid, bullied into silent acquiescence by a thick atmosphere of violent potential. Once, on my way to a lecture, I saw a student in front of me wearing a Hezbollah hoodie (‘Hezbollah’ in roman script, lest there be any confusion) and when I promptly pointed this out to a fellow non-believer from my class, he said he thought it was ‘cool’…

Despite having been established as places of free-thought and learning, the Universities of London have more-or-less adapted to suit the bigotries of the fanatics. The year before last, London Metropolitan University banned the consumption of alcohol on its campuses due to complaints from Muslim students, thereby radically altering the traditional student experience for those from other backgrounds.

At my own place, a harmless ‘Valentine’s Day Singles’ Ball’ at the local nightclub was abruptly cancelled after complaints from the Muslim Union alleged that it might ‘promote un-Islamic behaviour’. Never did it seem to cross the minds of the student office that non-Muslims still (at least officially) have rights in the UK; that the UK is a modern, secular country, and that Islam is foreign to it.

This atmosphere of censorship quickly developed to affect the process of education itself. During my first month of study, I noticed there was a small section of books in the library devoted to atheism (‘The God Delusion’, ”The End of Faith’, ‘Letter to a Christian Nation” etc…). As months turned into years, that section of books seemed to mysteriously disappear. Perhaps that attests to a booming atheism on campus; perhaps they were being borrowed continuously by eager secularists. Or perhaps something else was occurring… Perhaps unbelief was being rooted out, just like alcohol, pork and innocent social gatherings before it.

For all their faults, the Conservative Party has sought to address the London University problem in the last few years, albeit in a very light-handed and incomplete fashion. MPs, including cabinet members, have acknowledged that some places of study are functioning as immigration waiting camps, in which people from the worst countries in the world use their brief window of legal residence to apply for permanent residency, and failing that, a life of illegal settlement.

Certainly, many of the students in my accommodation professed a will to remain beyond their graduation, or even if that day never came. The countries of their descent were all plagued with sadness or barbarity – one guy was from Sudan, another from Pakistan, one hailed from Iran, another from Albania. What do we expect these people to do? Is it not fair to say that allowing a Black man from Sudan to study in Britain in the era of the Janjaweed is to make certain he never leaves? It is obvious what is going on in London and it is going on right under the noses of the powerful.

What can we do about it? Here are a few common sense suggestions:

• Close down any college or ‘language school’ that fails to attract students from inside the EU.
• Block (through legislation at the governmental level) any attempt to ban alcohol, pork or other Haram products at British universities.
• Rigorously enforce the intermingling of the sexes. Never allow sexual segregation in lectures, places of rest or in common areas.
• Expel any student who actively promotes terrorism or anti-Semitism.
• Ban the Niqab on all University grounds.
• Offer security services to Christian and Jewish student unions and provide guards at pro-Israel or anti-Jihad events.
• Create a branch of student services dedicated to helping the victims of Muslim grooming or intimidation.
• Redefine the talk of ‘infidels’ for what it is – hate speech.

Despite how bad all this must sound, it is still too early to despair. While Jihadi John is undeniably a product of London’s degraded environment, so – in many ways – is this author. I went into higher education as a damp liberal, but emerged as something different. Perhaps the swamp, as well as being a factory-line of violent Jihadis, will also turn out radicals of the other direction.

We must hope so.

D, LDN.

Gay Marriage in Saudi Arabia: Prospects and Obstacles.

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Ann Coulter, BBC, Defend the modern world, Executions, Fox, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Gulf, Inside the Kingdom, Jeddah, Muddy Waters, Persian Gulf, Princess, Redeye, Religion, Right is Right, Riyadh, Riyahd, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Kingdom

As I write, the passage of the Gay Marriage bill in Saudi Arabia still hangs tensely in the balance. Opposition from the religious establishment shows no sign of relenting with peaceful protests held overnight in Jeddah and Riyadh.

Meanwhile, supporters of the bill have delivered a petition with over a million signatures to the office of domestic affairs in Jeddah. The government has promised to consider both sides carefully.

Divisions between the two sides have been civil but impassioned and both feel strongly that they are on the brink of triumph.

Abu-Majid, a prominent advocate of gay liberties and executive of Saudi Gay Empowerment Committee (SGEC), said to reporters:

“This is obviously very tense. It’s also hugely exciting. The vote could go either way but I have faith it will be in the right direction: Forward. This is a chance to show the world the true progressive spirit of the Saudi people. Our values can help to lead the world.”

Meanwhile, across the ideological barricades, Sheikh Mohammad Sulayyil claimed his camp was the better placed to succeed.

“We represent the conservative majority in this country” he said “.. the silent majority, who oppose the desecration of marriage but are too polite to make their voices heard. We are a progressive, friendly society, but this is one step too far.”

Asked whether he harboured any hostility toward homosexuals (a frequent allegation by the SGEC), Sulayyil responded resolutely; “Of course we don’t. You cannot hate anyone in Islam. We love and care for homosexuals. We wish only that they respect our believes as well as their own.”

Despite observers predicting a close result, the ‘yes’ faction has easily been the most high-profile to date, with celebrities from throughout the Kingdom lining up to demonstrate their support for the bill. The 30 year old Lesbian actress Aafreeda Aftab has spoken at rallies up and down the country, accompanied by such LGBT superstars as Mohammad Badaidah, Abdul Laqiya and Osama Bin Haroum.

Some events in support of the bill have more dramatic than others. Laqiya and Haroum courted controversy by French-kissing in Medina during the Hajj season. Some clerics deemed this to be inappropriate behaviour and letters of complaint were written to various elected officials. Both actors may face a small fine if officials concur with the motion.

Within religious circles the debate has been particularly profound, with liberal and female imams taking a cautious stand in favour of tolerance and hard-line clerics stating frank opposition.

One thing is clear. Whichever way the result goes, the bill threatens to redefine the traditional identity of this gilded Kingdom and cause waves through the settled political landscape.

D, LDN

(That my satire here is almost see-through exposes how alien the Saudi world is to the one we inhabit).