All entries by this author

Terry Glavin on AI and Cage Prisoners *

Feb 8th, 2010 | Filed by

They don’t belong together.… Read the rest



Ukpabio’s Lawsuit Against Igwe Struck Out *

Feb 8th, 2010 | Filed by

Helen Ukpabio of the Liberty Gospel Church failed to show up, so her suit against Leo Igwe is over.… Read the rest



The ‘Islamophobia Watch’ Take on Gita Sahgal *

Feb 8th, 2010 | Filed by

She is ‘a member of a nutty group called Women Against Fundamentalisms.’ … Read the rest



Nick Cohen on Amnesty and Gita Sahgal *

Feb 8th, 2010 | Filed by

Given a choice between violent patriachy and women’s rights, like many liberal institutions AI chooses reaction. … Read the rest



Amnesty Shafts What it Purports to Defend *

Feb 8th, 2010 | Filed by

AI suspended Gita Sahgal for suggesting AI should not cozy up to the Taliban.… Read the rest



Humanism and the Quest for Justice in Africa

Feb 8th, 2010 | By Leo Igwe

Justice, they say, is the first condition of humanity. That means justice is imperative for human existence and coexistence. Justice is necessary for any society to grow, develop and flourish. Any movement that gives primary consideration to the human being must take the quest for justice- the enthronement of a just society- seriously. Millions of people around the world are living, languishing, suffering and dying under unjust conditions imposed on them by fellow human beings. And this is particularly the case in Africa.

The humanist outlook cannot thrive in a situation of so much injustice and deprivation. Humanism cannot take a firm hold on a society where unjust institutions abound and oppression prevails.

So for humanism to flourish in Africa, … Read the rest



Holding onto a shadow

Feb 8th, 2010 11:47 am | By

Der Spiegel takes a hard look at the Vatican’s secretive ways with abusive employees.

According to the instructions from Rome, the bishops were to deal very firmly with each individual case — so firmly, in fact, that everything would remain within the confines of the Holy Church…On the surface, the Vatican’s objective is to protect the sacrament of the confession. In reality, however, it is trying to uphold the Catholic Church’s claim to being a superior moral authority. Nothing can be allowed to besmirch this authority: not the sexual abuse of children and adolescents, committed by thousands of Catholic priests worldwide…

And there you have it – the Catholic church’s total moral failure, in a nutshell. The failure is total … Read the rest



Just get on with the gardening

Feb 7th, 2010 5:45 pm | By

Mark Vernon tells us that the key issue in Kant’s Critiques was understanding the limits of human knowledge.

When Kant said that Enlightenment was maturity this is what he meant, being able to live with this finitude and not reach out for false certainty. So we have Enlightenment humanism as scepticism and grappling with the reality of human knowledge and experience. This I would actually relate to a tradition within religion, though it is one lamentably in decline today. It is called the ‘apophatic’, meaning ‘negative way’. It stands in marked contrast to the ‘cataphatic’, meaning ‘positive way’, the strident assertions of indisputable religious dogma and divine truth. The apophatic is a way of approaching what is ultimately unknown by

Read the rest


Gita Sahgal Publishes a Statement *

Feb 7th, 2010 | Filed by

Defence of the torture standard has been allied to political legitimization of individuals and organisations on the Islamic Right. … Read the rest



Richard Bartholomew on Gita Sahgal *

Feb 7th, 2010 | Filed by

Amnesty has suspended her in the wake of the article.… Read the rest



Gita Sahgal and Amnesty International *

Feb 7th, 2010 | Filed by

Sahgal suggests AI supports Begg and Cageprisoners out of fear of being branded racist and ‘Islamophobic.’… Read the rest



The Role of Program Code in Climate Research *

Feb 7th, 2010 | Filed by

We really do need to be sure that we’re not getting any of our sums wrong.… Read the rest



The People Speak on Autism and MMR *

Feb 7th, 2010 | Filed by

My kids aren’t vaccinated and they don’t have autism. Explain that, smarty! [The Onion]… Read the rest



As Close as Private Eye Gets to a Mea Culpa? *

Feb 7th, 2010 | Filed by

For its ‘largely uncritical and unquestioning adherence to the Andrew Wakefield school of junk science.’… Read the rest



Ben Goldacre on the Wakefield MMR Verdict *

Feb 7th, 2010 | Filed by

Wakefield is being blamed by journalists as if he were the only one at fault; the media are equally guilty. … Read the rest



Jesus and Mo on the Moderate Majority *

Feb 7th, 2010 | Filed by

A graceful job of moving the goalposts.… Read the rest



Amnesty International and Cageprisoners

Feb 7th, 2010 | By Gita Sahgal

This morning the Sunday Times published an article about Amnesty International’s association with groups that support the Taliban and promote Islamic Right ideas. In that article, I was quoted as raising concerns about Amnesty’s very high profile associations with Guantanamo-detainee Moazzam Begg. I felt that Amnesty International was risking its reputation by associating itself with Begg, who heads an organization, Cageprisoners, that actively promotes Islamic Right ideas and individuals.

Within a few hours of the article being published, Amnesty had suspended me from my job.

A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when a great organisation must ask: if it lies to itself, can it demand the truth of others? For in defending the torture standard, one of … Read the rest



Drive-by insults

Feb 6th, 2010 4:48 pm | By

Andrew Brown does love to yank the chain of non-believers.

Judges are paid to discriminate among prisoners before them, and to distinguish those for whom prison is the right treatment from everyone else. Defendants of otherwise good character should obviously get different sentences to habitual recidivists. The real disagreement is whether being a devout Muslim (or Christian) is in itself a sign of good character. Cherie Booth seems to be arguing that it is, though less important than his previously spotless record.

Right, Cherie Booth seems to be arguing that it is, and by implication that its absence is a sign of bad character, or else why mention it at all? She didn’t say ‘you have a spotless record … Read the rest



Taliban Blow Up Girls’ School in NW Pakistan *

Feb 6th, 2010 | Filed by

They are opposed to girls’ education.… Read the rest



Mary Midgley Sets ‘Neo-Darwnists’ Straight *

Feb 6th, 2010 | Filed by

She’s still fretting about the metaphors.… Read the rest