Stephen Fry explains why he’s an ‘Islamophobe’ and a ‘Christianophobe’
Stephen Fry has described himself as an ‘Islamophobe’ and a ‘Christianophobe’ in a TV interview
The actor and TV host is also well-known for his atheism – often finding himself in arguments with Twitter trolls about religion.
Speaking on Australia’s Lateline, Fry was asked about a blog he wrote in 2013 claiming “I am not an Islamophobe”.
He told journalist Tony Jones: “I was an Islamophobe! It’s that simple if I’m honest, isn’t it?
“It depends what you mean by phobe – phobos is fear in Greek. I’m afraid, but I’m not afraid of all Islamic people.
“I’m a Christianophobe, I’m afraid of all kinds of people – not automatically, but I’m afraid of a certain kind of fundamentalist violence, ignorance and intolerance.”
Referring to the murder of bloggers, cartoonists and gay people for ‘bigotry’, he added: “I’m afraid of those things! Who wouldn’t be?
“Of course I have no quarrel, and I would hate to see an increase of any kind of intolerance towards people going about their lives following their own devotional careers and aims.
“The piety and belief of other people is not my business… what I absolutely will not do is tell anybody to believe me [that there is no god]!
“The only thing I have a quarrel with is if some elements of institutional religion, or when people have taken that religion to the extent of violence and burning gay people, and many other horrors around the world.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the QI host spoke about his drug dependency.
He opened up about his dependency on the drug throughout the 80s and 90s, in his autobiography More Fool Me, which was released last year.
In addition to Buckingham Palace, Fry revealed he snorted cocaine in Windsor Castle, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the offices of The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and the Spectator, and BBC Television Centre.
He told Lateline: “I became dependent on taking these mixtures of drugs and keeping an even keel. But of course it’s a false control because each down is a bigger crash and that results in a bigger up.
“I took coke while I was working… I would call it, rather creepily, ‘pudding’ – what you would have at the end of a meal.
“But I’m so glad it’s over. Ridiculous situation to be in and I’ve seen it’s done terrible harm to people.”
Watch the full interview below:
