The Dawkins 'Race' Row

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I can't see how economic factors would be a problem for islamic countries there's a few Islamic countries far far richer than the UK where Cambridge is.

It isn't a matter of the wealth of a country. What matters is resources the average Muslim has to receive an education and then be able to achieve a position that allows them to engage in research that could potentially lead to a Nobel Prize. In the "rich" Islamic countries, the wealth is in a concentrated few. If you're going to address Muslims as a whole, then the opportunities for the average Muslim is what's relevant.

Also I imagine dawkins is making a point of saying this because of the amount of muslims who claim that Islam is an open minded scientific religion.

Then why not address those arguments specifically? Why speak so generally?

I think Dawkins dropped the ball when trying to make a nuanced argument over Twitter in 140 characters. If you read the summary, he actually highlights that the points he was trying to make got lost in the 140 character limit.

I believe the issue he was trying to raise was the retarding nature of Islam amoungst the general population (laity) in which Islam, and Islamic rules,are the dominant political and social arbiter.

Bracketing out socio-economic structures that go hand in hand with these kind of debates, the actual central point I believe is well made. Now we can debate back and forth the level of influence of Islam vis socio-economic structures, but I think the inherent issue (Islam, at least the form of Islam(s) we see today) retards societal development, will remain regardless of the ratio we settle on . Debatable, naturally.