Christians Under Attack

The noted atheist claimed that pupils were being taught to ignore scientific evidence in favour of following the Koran.

He said that he had even met a science teacher who believed that the earth was only 6,000 years old.

Mr Dawkins, a former Oxford professor who found fame as an evolutionary biologist before becoming a vocal opponent of religion, is a longstanding critic of all faith schools.

But he has said that Islamic schools are worse than others, as their teaching is more likely to be influenced by a religious agenda.

Talking to the Times Educational Supplement, he described a trip he made to an 'utterly deplorable' Muslim school in Leicester.

According to the Daily Telegraph, he said: 'Every person I met believes if there is any disagreement between the Koran and science, then the Koran wins.

'It's just utterly deplorable

Mr Dawkins added that the influence of faith schools often continues when their ex-pupils continue to university.

'Occasionally, my colleagues lecturing in universities lament having undergraduate

The bestselling author of The God Delusion said he had considered setting up an atheist school.

However, he also believes that it is important for children to learn about religious stories and traditions in order to understand cultural backgrounds and literary traditions.

His new book, The Magic of Reality, is intended to make children enthusiastic about the wonders of science.

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