Richard Dawkins, a scientist and outspoken atheist, was outraged over the decision of a suburban Detroit country club to cancel his speaking engagement. According to the Detroit Free Press, the Center for Inquiry - an atheist group - had booked the Wyndgate Country club for a fundraising dinner. Once the officials learned of Dawkins' outspoken atheism, the country club canceled the appearance.
Said the Britisher Dawkins, "If the country club had said, 'I'm not having Dawkins speak because he's a Jew, or because he's black, or because he's gay,' they would never get away with it."
Nonetheless, Dawkins had his say at a hotel in Rochester Hills, a Detroit suburb, and will again speak at Oakland University in Rochester MI. On October 16, he will speak at the Birmingham Temple, a Jewish congregation founded by an atheist rabbi.
Last week, Dawkins appeared on Bill O'Reilly's show on Fox Television and discussed his new book, "The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True." Dawkins denied that his book promotes atheism to children but claims that O'Reilly "twisted" what his book was about."
"It really violates the basic principles of America, the principals of Jefferson and Madison," said Sean Faircloth with the Richard Dawkins Foundation in a televised interview. "The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is probably the most revered piece of legislation in the 20th century, and it prohibits discrimination based on race or religious viewpoint. The proprietors of the Wyngate made clear their specific intent to discriminate based on religious viewpoint."
The group plans to sue the Wyndgate Country Club for violation of contract, claiming discrimination on the basis of religion.
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