After a year of releasing his book The God Delusion, Professor Richard Dawkins finally gets a reaction from the Pope.

"Pope Benedict XVI has launched a powerful attack on atheism, saying that it was responsible for some of the 'greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice' in history", according to The Telegraph.

The Pope then agrees to talk to Muslim leaders (Source: The Guardian).

In the mean time, the Turkish Islamist Government is also calling to ban and punish the publisher who published The God Delusion. (Source: The Independent).

I do hope that this will trigger engaging conversations around the world about superstition, religious beliefs and scientific reason based on evidence. It is important for such discussions to take place. My only concern is that there are plenty of groups and individuals who cannot discuss ideas, but are easily incited and are quick to resort to use coercion, fear or violence. If they do, however, it would prove Dawkins' point: that having faith in a belief that is not grounded on scientific evidence, is dangerous.

I remember another case about a year or two ago. The Pope said the following (translated from German): "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached"(Source).

Muslim reaction had been vehement. Straight after this comment, two Islamists shot dead an Italian nun, her bodyguard and worker at a hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Source). Quite ironic. Someone says you are violent, you disagree, and you go ahead and prove him right by killing someone else.

This is why it is very important for people to read the book entirely, with a will to understand, so they can intelligently discuss the ideas and help guide others to behave like sensible human beings. Let's all just focus primarily on discussing and debating ideas.