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Richard Dawkins sparked fury after he said the Muslim call to prayer is “aggressive-sounding” in comparison to the ringing of church bells.

The prominent atheist, 77, made the controversial remarks in a Twitter post that included an image of him sitting outside Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.

In the post, he asked his 2.77 million followers if his preference was down to his “cultural upbringing”.

The tweet read: “Listening to the lovely bells of Winchester, one of our great mediaeval cathedrals.

“So much nicer than the aggressive-sounding ‘Allahu Akhbar.’ Or is that just my cultural upbringing?”

The phrase Allahu Akbar means “God is great” in Arabic and is used at the start of the Muslim call to prayer which is broadcast from mosques five times a day.

Among those to hit out at the evolutionary biologist was Fatima Bhutto, the niece of former prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, who replied: “No, it’s your bigotry.”

Benjamin Hulett, a Tenor, wrote: “I was a Winchester Cathedral chorister and hold the place in deep affection.

“I am also a musician and traveller of the world and find the muezzin enchanting and profoundly evocative. Probably just your cultural upbringing.”

“I’m genuinely surprised that such a man as you would tweet something as gratuitously vile as that.”

Professor Dawkins set out his view in his 2006 book The God Delusion, saying religions were like “mind viruses”. And in 2013 said that Islam was “the greatest force for evil in the world today”.

Last year a US radio station cancelled an appearance by Dawkins over concerns about his remarks. He said at the time that he was not Islamophobic and had “never used abusive speech against Islam”.