I think that was a very clear and helpful discussion of the issues, se well done to Kenan Malik for writing that.

I have a comment about Point (2):

Many believers point out that faith plays a unique role in their lives. That is often true. Those atheists who dismiss belief in God as no more credible than belief in Santa Claus or in fairies miss the point. Religion is more than an intellectual exercise or a matter of logic; it often has, for believers, a vital social and spiritual function. But acknowledging the vital and unique role of faith in the lives of believers does not commit us to providing it with a privileged position in society.

Atheists miss the point do they? Not by as much as certain kinds of religious people I think. I don’t care if religion plays an important or “unique role in their lives”. That doesn’t mean it should play any role in my life or in other people’s lives. What I say to theocratic bigots is it doesn’t matter how strongly you feel about it and it doesn’t matter how passionately you believe it, at the end of the day your religion is only your opinion, and there is no reason why it should affect anybody else’s life apart from your own.