Butterflies and Wheels update
Ophelia Benson
New in "Latest News"
NY Times on Kadri on sharia
"It can be dangerous work for journalists and scholars to single out aspects of Islam for criticism."
Filed: April 17, 2012
Onion: trusted Vatican janitor convicted of molesting popes
"Perhaps most upsetting is the fact that this man gained the trust of high-ranking church authorities and then betrayed that trust by secretly defiling innocent popes."
Filed: April 17, 2012
Jesus and Mo are being persecuted
It's bigotophobia, and it's an outrage.
Filed: April 18, 2012
Washington Post asks: is freedom a religious or secular idea?
Paula Kirby replies: If you value freedom, you should flee from religion as the antelope flees the lion.
Filed: April 18, 2012
Afghan schoolgirls in hospital, poisoned water suspected
40 girls were treated and then discharged but 100 others including female teachers have been kept in hospital with severe nausea, headaches and dizziness.
Filed: April 18, 2012
Afghanistan: more than 170 victims in poisoning
In 2010, more than 100 schoolgirls and teachers were sickened in a series of similar poisonings.
Filed: April 18, 2012
Harmed by homeopathy? CFI wants to hear from you
CFI is willing to assist individuals who believe they have been defrauded or otherwise harmed through the marketing of homeopathic products.
Filed: April 19, 2012
Mikey Weinstein on religious coercion in the military
We continually learn of allegations of military command influence being used as a coercive tool upon anyone who is not the "right kind of Christian.”
Filed: April 19, 2012
Fornication is most likely cause of unwanted pregnancy
Who knew?
Filed: April 19, 2012
Marine unit reverts to nickname “the Crusaders”
Complete with big red crusader cross on the planes. Smart move.
Filed: April 19, 2012
Martin Robbins gives you: homeopaths on homeopathy
"If you're sea sick, you can make a remedy out of sea water; if you're sick from vacationing in Mexico, you can make a remedy out of the pathogen-infested local water."
Filed: April 19, 2012
My People! My People!! This Witch Hunting Must Stop
Leo Igwe on a church which appears to be on a fast track to causing a new wave of witchcraft related abuse, torture and killings in Cross River-Akwa Ibom states.
Filed: April 19, 2012
Kuwaiti jailed for “insulting” Mo attacked by inmate
Kuwaiti authorities arrested the man last month, charging him with defaming the Islamic faith, the Prophet, his companions and his wife on Twitter.
Filed: April 20, 2012
Sarah Posner on Romney and Mormonism
One would think that Romney would jump at the chance to demonstrate a Mormon-evangelical-Catholic alliance.
Filed: April 20, 2012
Conservative groups defend their right to bully LGBT kids
The right to bully is a matter of religious freedom.
Filed: April 20, 2012
Inquisition tells US nuns to stfu and obey the bishops
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious are talking too much about poverty and social justice and not enough about teh gayz and abortion.
Filed: April 21, 2012
Review of Sadakat Kadri on sharia
It’s all very well to mention Bruce Bawer and the Daily Mail and Sun, but concern emanates from authoritative sources which Kadri completely ignores.
Filed: April 21, 2012
Jailed for defying Russia’s anti-gay censorship law
His crime? Holding up a sign saying a close family friend, who happens to be lesbian, deserves the same rights as he and his wife.
Filed: April 21, 2012
16 Amish charged with hate crimes
Because the charges involve kidnapping, the first 12 defendants could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Bridget Brennan.
Filed: April 21, 2012
The forbidden words from Taslima Nasreen’s autobiography
We are free to read them. Not everyone is.
Filed: April 21, 2012
Why do French intellectuals “know nothing about science”?
The autism issue seems to be symptomatic of France’s difficult relationship with evidence-based science.
Filed: April 21, 2012
Cousin marriage boom in Bradford
"It yields considerable social benefits - particularly in ethnic groups, where it is traditional for women to live with their in-laws."
Filed: April 22, 2012
Child marriages blight Bangladesh
Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with 20% of girls becoming wives before their 15th birthday.
Filed: April 22, 2012
Germany: Salafists distribute 25 million copies of the Koran
The German translation they are distributing has edited out many of the verses which call on Muslims to make war on infidels.
Filed: April 22, 2012
Irish bishops demand apology for “insult”
Irish bishops. Of the Catholic church. Demand. An apology. Tell that to Philomena Lee.
Filed: April 22, 2012
D’Arcy refuses to apologize to bishops
He repeated his apology for saying "fucked up" in the morning, but said the apology demanded by the Catholic Communications Office "would not be forthcoming".
Filed: April 23, 2012
Mona Eltahawy on misogyny in the Middle East
When it comes to the status of women in the Middle East, it's not better than you think. It's much, much worse.
Filed: April 23, 2012
Letter to a daughter
Dear daughter - You should know that you are hated.
Filed: April 23, 2012
New in "Flashback"
TED talk: Tony Porter: a call to men
If a 12-year-old boy says it would destroy him to be called a girl, what are we then teaching him about girls?
Filed: April 23, 2012
New in "Notes and Comment Blog"
- “Interpreting sharia”
Filed: April 17, 2012 - Too many palm fronds
Filed: April 17, 2012 - A millstone tied around his neck
Filed: April 17, 2012 - Oscar Wilde he ain’t
Filed: April 17, 2012 - Poisoning schoolgirls for god
Filed: April 18, 2012 - Talk about it like a grownup
Filed: April 18, 2012 - Sparring
Filed: April 18, 2012 - And more Bruce at the GAC
Filed: April 19, 2012 - The Romneys ate tuna
Filed: April 19, 2012 - Court sentences are based on sharia
Filed: April 19, 2012 -
It never stops
Filed: April 19, 2012 - On a billboard
Filed: April 20, 2012 - Bullying is healthy
Filed: April 20, 2012 - Stand with Sergey
Filed: April 21, 2012 - The Vatican rebukes Radical Feminist nuns
Filed: April 21, 2012 - The only category
Filed: April 21, 2012 - Strictness and violence
Filed: April 21, 2012 - Bruce on Day Four
Filed: April 22, 2012 - No life for girls
Filed: April 22, 2012 - It’s always priorities, isn’t it
Filed: April 22, 2012 -
You know what you can do with your collective response
Filed: April 22, 2012 - A note was left
Filed: April 23, 2012 - Delusions of choice
Filed: April 23, 2012 - What you need to know
Filed: April 23, 2012 - Poke the hatred in its eye
Filed: April 23, 2012