"To Hell with their culture!" says Dawkins of Muslims
He's probably the most brilliant evolutionary biologist of our age. He's revolutionized my grasp of how evolution works by explaining "kin-selected altruism" by showing that evolution operates at the genetic, rather than the individual, level. A subtle difference, but one with tremendous implications. And, unlike most atheists, he's willing to publicly oppose Islam, giving it the (non)-respect that it deserves..
As for atheists and Islam, some are simply cowards, lacking the courage of their convictions when it comes to opposing any religion whose adherents might get violent (The joke of this being that Muslims are famously incompetent at violence, due to their fatalistic doctrine of insh'allah). Others don't actually see any religions other than Judaism or Christianity as being "real" enough to be worth debating, a dangerous arrogance that is bearing bitter fruit right now in Europe.
I've frequently taken my fellow atheists to task for the absurd cowardice of confronting Christians, whom they may reasonably assume won't try to harm them, while letting Muslims have a pass because they might try to harm them. This attitude on their part is encouraging religious violence, by refusing to criticize violent faiths.
What's especially courageous about Dawkins' stand is that he's the subject of a country which does not back up his right to free speech with a First Amendment. Englishmen have been fined or put in prison (and under conditions amounting to state-sanctioned theft or their reckless endangerment -- read the story of Tommy Robinson some time) for expressing views similar to those of Dawkins. This, rather than the inept aggression of Muslims, is the real risk he runs.
Dawkins' intellectual courage should be celebrated.
As for Muslims ... to hell with their culture, indeed.