Javed Akhtar Calls Himself As An Equal Opportunity Atheist In Light Of Comments On Azaan Ban – Filmibeat

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oi-Srushti Jayadev

Javed Akhtar is a proclaimed atheist, who doesn't mince his words when it comes to criticizing religion. A while back, the lyricist-poet had commented on the use of loud speakers during Azaan, and received a ton of backlash for it. Stating his stance once again, Javed recently tweeted that he is 'an equal opportunity atheist who is against all kinds of faiths.'

Javed took to Twitter to respond to the criticism he received for his comments on Azaan ban. He wrote, "Recently when I commented that AZAN should be banned on loudspeakers Muslim bigots cursed me that I would go to the worst place in hell.On the other hand Hindu bigots call me a jehadi and an anti national.I am an equal opportunity atheist who is against all kinds of faiths."

On May 11, he had written, "In India for almost 50 yrs Azaan on the loud speak was HARAAM. Then it became HaLAAL n so halaal that there is no end to it but there should be an end to it. Azaan is fine but loud speaker does cause discomfort for others I hope that at least this time they will do it themselves."

When a netizen had asked him about the use of loudspeakers in temples, he had replied, "Whether it's a temple or a mosque, if you're using loudspeakers during a festival, it's fine. But it shouldn't be used every day in either temples or mosques. For more than a thousand years Azaan was given without the loudspeaker. Azaan is the integral part of your faith, not this gadget."

Javed is the year 2020's winner of the Richard Dawkins Award, which is bestowed upon those who proclaim and uphold the values of secularism, rationalism and scientific truth.

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Javed Akhtar Calls Himself As An Equal Opportunity Atheist In Light Of Comments On Azaan Ban - Filmibeat