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Apropos the militant secularists and their dubious politics, five years ago I felt obliged to criticise Richard Dawkins, whose foray into politics I found rather disturbing. In the Guardian in October 2007, there was the following: 'Now the best-selling author of The God Delusion and chair of public understanding of science at Oxford has set up an organisation to help atheists round the world, including the US. In an interview with the Guardian, he said: "When you think about how fantastically successful the Jewish lobby has been, though, in fact, they are less numerous I am told -- religious Jews anyway -- than atheists and [yet they] more or less monopolise American foreign policy as far as many people can see. So if atheists could achieve a small fraction of that influence, the world would be a better place."' < http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/01/internationaleducationnews.religion > I managed to get this reply published a couple of days later: 'The limitations of Professor Richard Dawkins' narrow secularist approach are sadly apparent in his comment about the supposed strength of what he terms the "Jewish lobby" in the US (Atheists Arise: Dawkins spreads the A-word among America's unbelievers, October 1). The "Jewish lobby" doesn't exist; an Israel lobby certainly exists, but it does not "monopolise US foreign policy"; it is not primarily a religious movement, religious Jews do not play that much of a role in it, and its most religious faction is that of the Christian Zionists. The development of a secular movement in the US would be welcome, but Dawkins' ignorant assertion will do nothing to put it on a healthy footing. Dr Paul Flewers, London' < http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/04/religion.uk > That Dawkins could dip into the language of anti-Semitism I put down to ignorance on his part rather than any anti-Jewish sentiments on his part. Nonetheless, it is worrying that our learned Oxford professor is woefully ignorant of the realities of a key aspect of US politics and state policy. Paul F ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
