Translators aim to bring Richard Dawkins’s books on atheism and evolution to a Muslim audience

The Washington Post ^ | 03/13/19 | Julie Zauzmer

[Simon Green]

In the introduction to his 2006 book “The God Delusion,” author Richard Dawkins boldly declares his goal: “If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down.”

It is a goal that has meant Dawkins’s books have courted controversy ever since. Now, a group of translators wants to get Dawkins’s books in front of a new group of religious readers: Muslim readers, in Muslim-majority countries where atheism is rare.

“If you get enough people to talk about these ideas, if you convince people it’s okay to think about religion, to criticize religion — if you get a critical mass of people, you can probably change something, change the situation in these countries. … It’s a bit ambitious, but maybe not impossible,” said Jana Lenzova, director of the translation project. “I don’t mind what other people are, but I think they should have access to all the information so they can make up their own minds.”

Lenzova’s team is making professionally translated editions of Dawkins’s books available for free online in four languages: Arabic, spoken in dozens of countries, from Iraq and Saudi Arabia to the entire northern part of the African continent; Farsi, spoken in Iran and Afghanistan; Urdu, spoken in Pakistan and parts of India; and Indonesian.

So far, “The God Delusion” is available for download on the program’s website in Indonesian and Urdu, and some of Dawkins’s books on science are available in those two languages as well as Farsi. Translations into Arabic are coming soon. Since the first translations went online in late February, Lenzova said, she has received emails asking for translations into Bengali and Tamil.

[pepsi_junkie]

Note that they waited until he was dead to try this. Because if he was still alive, well, that state of affairs wouldn’t last long after peddling his works in muslim-town.

[BenLurkin]

He’ll never convince them that praying five times a day to a meteorite isn’t important.

[pepsi_junkie]

It’s pretty remarkable how much human blood has been shed over the centuries because of that worthless metorite, isn’t it?

[TWhiteBear]

Their well-meaning, arrogant and idiotic effort will not end well.
TWB

[LouieFisk]

Will be interesting watching Dawkins try the evangelical-atheist thing on Muslims. Can you spell “Fatwa”?

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Because replacing religious belief with atheism has worked out so well for the West./s I know quite a lot of Muslims. The ones I know have always been polite and respectful to me. Their devotion to prayer and study, and what they know about their own faith, put a lot of Christians to shame. I am not overlooking the problems of Islam but, as a Christian, I would hope to see Muslims turned toward something besides a gray, godless secularism.

[Fungi]

I do not believe you. I know more muslims than you have ever met. None of them are even concerned about the veracity of Islam, much less “study” the koran. It is a “faith” based on their forefathers, most refuse to relinquish it for fear of retribution. I could go on but this will suffice. Nonsense, pure nonsense. Why promulgate a lie?

[Slyfox]

“If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down.”

Allah righty then.

[pepsionice]

I would suggest one odd factor in this discussion. As various Muslims left Iraq and Syria....moving into Germany, a very small percentage upon arrival was drawn to read/discuss the Bible. If you take what the news media suggests, there’s probably in the range of a thousand who converted to Christianity. Some might have done it to ensure the visa approval process, but in doing so, they’ve created a lifestyle that prevents them from socializing with most of their former Muslim friends. I met one of them last year in a language class. I certainly won’t go and suggest a large percentage shifted, but it is odd that a smaller group did.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Sorry, I should have asked you to tell me what my experience is.

[PGR88]

Go for it!

[SunkenCiv]

Pass the popcorn!

[ifinnegan]

“Note that they waited until he was dead to try this.”

Richard Dawkins is not dead.

[melsec]

It has also been my experience but then if you do dig deep many of them do hold anti- Jewish views etc. which I find more than disturbing. I have dealt with highly educated ones via Universities so mostly they are people able to think for themselves unlike those who may be easily lead by mad preachers.

[AndyTheBear]

Now that I think of it, Dawkins and Mohammad do have some things in common. They both are philosophically incompetent and yet see themselves as super enlightened. And they are both rabid critics of every religious doctrine except their own.

[aquila48]

I’m sure it’ll fly off the shelves.

[RoosterRedux]

The amount of human blood shed over the centuries is a testament to the intrinsic human belief that there is a Creator to whom allegiance should be demonstrated to the point of death.

It is also a testament to fact that humans are easily duped into believing lies about whom that Creator is...and that they would rather die than use their minds to solve the mystery of whom that Creator really is (in other words, many would rather believe a lie even if it means their death).

[pepsi_junkie]

Oops, I thought he died a short while ago. Well, I imagine once he starts publishing his atheist works in mulsim-town he’ll be offered plenty of chances to go discover first hand if his feeling about God are true or not. It’s what they do.

[Lurker]

I see shat you did there.

Well played.

L