Actor Stephen Fry Addresses "Islamophobe" Accusations

Stephen Fry- British character actor, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, director and a slew of other things- addresses in a blog post being called an "Islamophobe" after he was slammed for saying that fellow atheist Richard Dawkins was justified in his criticism of Islam.

In on online exchange last week, Fry said Prof Dawkins was justified in singling out Islam for more criticism than other religions, tweeting: "Wonder why. Oh, have a look around the world and see them slaughtering each other, let alone others. So charming to women too …"

In his blog post "Am I an Islamophobe?" he writes:

The squeezed liberal finds himself in the position that he cannot criticise Islamofascism because it’s somehow “racist” (although Islam encompasses many many races) or because it encourages acts of violence against innocent law-abiding honourable Muslims, which I would never for a second endorse. It is a topsy-turvy smothering of debate and an Orwellian denial of free-speech to declare that speaking out against violence will cause violence. I’m all for insult, as it happens, as long as it’s funny. But I have no time for assault. Only a few letters’ difference, but the two are a world away.

The rest here.