I’ve been asked to do another public debate with a live audience.
On Christmas Eve, I will debate “Is Darwinian Evolution a Fact”
at the Texas Dawah Convention in Houston.
My opponent is Subboor Ahmed of the iERA
(Islamic Education and Research Academy)
He and I have had this conversation before, but he wants to repeat the lesson.
I’m happy to have this debate inside a Muslim convention. I won’t be preaching to the choir this time! That’s important to me. There are other countries where I would prefer to do this. But if we’re going to do it in the US, then I’m especially glad that it will be in Texas. There was a Muslim convention in my neighborhood a couple years ago where a gang of rednecks showed up with assault rifles trying to intimidate everyone. By going into the convention to present a rational case at their invitation, I’m giving the finger to the reactionary bigots outside.
At the same time, I’m giving the finger to the leftists who whine about Islamophobia. If I have the opportunity to criticize Islam while inside this convention, I definitely will. But it won’t be out of prejudice or any irrational fear; it will be on the issues, what the Qur’an or it’s proponents actually say. For instance, Hamza Tzortsis will be there. He’s the iERA’s most prominent spokesman. We’ve met before, when Hamza lost an argument to PZ Myers at the World Atheist Convention in Dublin. Later on the Magic Sandwich Show, he told me that decapitation was the humane way to deal with apostasy. Not kidding. He actually said that! Since Hamza will be at the Dawah convention in Texas, then you know I will bring that up again. Let’s see how many of his associates will back him up or wisely try to walk that back.
I’m also giving the finger to the Trumpsters who want a Muslim registry. They don’t get to talk about the free exercise of religion anymore. No one is a greater defender of religious freedom than atheist activists, because we understand that the first amendment contradicts the first commandment.
