Hitchens on Paine, Obama, Warren, Washington *

Apr 17th, 2009 | Filed by

The name of Paine, our unacknowledged Founding Father, can only be used in a kind of code.… Read the rest



The hegemonic modern human rights discourse

Apr 16th, 2009 6:23 pm | By

Harvard has an ‘Islamic chaplain’. Lucky Harvard.

Harvard Islamic chaplain Taha Abdul-Basser ’96 has recently come under fire for controversial statements in which he allegedly endorsed death as a punishment for Islamic apostates. In a private e-mail to a student last week, Abdul-Basser wrote that there was “great wisdom (hikma) associated with the established and preserved position (capital punishment [for apostates]) and so, even if it makes some uncomfortable in the face of the hegemonic modern human rights discourse, one should not dismiss it out of hand.”

Oooooookay, isn’t that interesting. One shouldn’t dismiss out of hand the idea that apostates from Islam should be executed, even if it makes some uncomfortable in the face of the hegemonic modern Read the rest



Tom Flynn on ‘Spirituality’ Run Amok *

Apr 16th, 2009 | Filed by

Avowedly ‘spiritual’ people think avowedly non-spiritual people are made of cast iron.… Read the rest



Jonathan Derbyshire Interviews John Gray *

Apr 16th, 2009 | Filed by

‘Why should one think that, because knowledge has grown, human beings will be less prone to cowardice and cruelty?’… Read the rest



Harvard Islamic Chaplain Pro Death for Apostasy *

Apr 16th, 2009 | Filed by

‘Even if it makes some uncomfortable in the face of the hegemonic modern human rights discourse, one should not dismiss it out of hand.’… Read the rest



Faisal Gazi on Kenan Malik’s Fatwa to Jihad *

Apr 16th, 2009 | Filed by

The grievance culture of radical Islam is winning the battle against Enlightenment values.… Read the rest



Parents Charged With Starving Children *

Apr 16th, 2009 | Filed by

Parents sought to raise children ‘in strict obedience to Islam’ by starving, beating, taking out of school.… Read the rest



Gestures and Symbols *

Apr 16th, 2009 | Filed by

The queen, for the first time in her public career, put her hand on someone. A bit of the world turned upside down.… Read the rest



Zuma Sues the Guardian *

Apr 16th, 2009 | Filed by

He is demanding an apology and damages and has appointed a London law firm to act on his behalf.… Read the rest



Sewing Machine Hoax Hits Saudi Arabia *

Apr 16th, 2009 | Filed by

Less ‘austerity’ in education might help.… Read the rest



Alors, ça suffit maintenant

Apr 15th, 2009 5:16 pm | By

One or two more items, by way of mopping up. (And just in case there is any doubt on the matter, as apparently there was for at least one commenter: no I don’t think the importance of the subject is in proportion to the time I’ve spent on it; no the fact that I’ve done several posts on it doesn’t mean that I think words are more important than, say, marrying a child of 8 to a man 52 years her senior. I’m just interested; and there is a lot of disagreement and a lot of testimony. I’m interested in language – this is not a big surprise, surely; one of the first things I did with B&W was to … Read the rest



Megachurch Sics Cops on Critical Blogger *

Apr 15th, 2009 | Filed by

A blogger critical of a minister wants to know why his Web site was investigated by a police detective.… Read the rest



Saudi Arabia Plans to ‘Regulate’ Child Brides *

Apr 15th, 2009 | Filed by

Marriage of man age 60 to girl age 8 caused a fuss. Saudi practices ‘austere’ form of Islam.… Read the rest



Fuss Over ‘Faith’ Schools *

Apr 15th, 2009 | Filed by

Heritage, faith groups, core part, identities, limit expression, community cohesion, quack quack.… Read the rest



Critics Accuse Mixa of Rewriting History *

Apr 15th, 2009 | Filed by

Freethinker associations were disbanded by the Nazis and avowed atheists were persecuted.… Read the rest



Welcome to austerity

Apr 15th, 2009 11:59 am | By

Saudi Arabia has seen the error of its ways. Or perhaps not.

Saudi Arabia says it plans to start regulating the marriage of young girls, amid controversy over a union between a 60-year-old man and a girl of eight. A court in Unaiza upheld the marriage on condition the groom does not have sex with her until she reaches puberty.

Oh good; because the only problem with marrying a child of 8 to a man of 60 is of course that she won’t much want him to fuck her, yet. There is no other problem. No problem with ending her schooling, no problem with her having to live with (and under the rule of) a man more than seven … Read the rest



Kenya: Girl Bled to Death After Infibulation *

Apr 14th, 2009 | Filed by

She was seven years old.… Read the rest



Massimo Pigliucci on Faith and Reason *

Apr 14th, 2009 | Filed by

Faith is one thing, trust is another, belief is another again.… Read the rest



Things Getting Worse in Pakistan *

Apr 14th, 2009 | Filed by

Taliban insurgents are teaming up with local militant groups to make inroads in Punjab.… Read the rest



Michelle Goldberg on Women, Sex and Power *

Apr 14th, 2009 | Filed by

Religious traditionalists excoriate feminists and family planners as agents of Western cultural imperialism. … Read the rest