Navi Pillay calls the new Afghan law a huge step in the wrong direction. … Read the rest
All entries by this author
Critics Say Afghan Law ‘Legalizes Rape’ 
Apr 2nd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Shiite lawmaker involved in drafting it says the law gives more rights to women than UK or US does.… Read the rest
Anger at Law Imposing Submission on Women
Apr 2nd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Michael Ignatieff said he was outraged on behalf of Afghan women who deserve better from their country.… Read the rest
Taliban Boasts of Flogging Women
Apr 2nd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Spokesman Muslim Khan says Islamic law permits male thugs to thrash women for blah blah.… Read the rest
The Taliban v the Rights of Women and Girls
Apr 2nd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Human rights are not a sideshow. They are the whole game.… Read the rest
Jesus and Mo Ponder Blasphemy Day
Apr 1st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They have to stick up for the almighty, because the almighty never does. Why is that…?… Read the rest
Gordon Brown Conflates Religion With Morality
Apr 1st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Says markets need morals, then cites various ‘faiths’ as if they had the monopoly.… Read the rest
British Islam After Rushdie
Apr 1st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Anshuman Mondal finds generational differences.… Read the rest
Beware of Truth!
Apr 1st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
And don’t go in for none of that pesky careful reading, neither.… Read the rest
Tarek Fatah’s Book Shortlisted for Donner Prize
Apr 1st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State is one of 5 books nominated.… Read the rest
Bishops say Reiki is totally bogus
Mar 31st, 2009 4:01 pm | By Ophelia BensonLook, if you’re going to use spiritual tools for medial purposes, do it right. It’s just silly to use the wrong kind. Any fule kno that.
… Read the restThe US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has warned Roman Catholics to shun the eastern healing art of Reiki because it lacks scientific credibility and is dangerous to Christian spiritual health. “Reiki therapy finds no support either in the findings of natural science or in Christian belief,” said the USCCB doctrine committee in a document issued Thursday…”There is a radical difference between Reiki therapy and the healing by divine power in which Christians believe: for Christians the access to divine healing is by prayer to Christ as Lord and Savior, while the essence
Catholic Bishops: Reiki Lacks Scientific Cred
Mar 31st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Reiki therapy finds no support either in the findings of natural science or in Christian belief.’… Read the rest
Austin Dacey on ‘Defamation’ of Religion
Mar 31st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
No matter how much God is slandered, his livelihood never seems to suffer as a result. … Read the rest
Florida’s Anti-evolution Bill
Mar 31st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
FAS described SB 2396 as ‘a deliberate attempt to undermine the adopted science standards.’… Read the rest
NCSE on Science Setback for Texas Schools
Mar 31st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘This is a setback for science education in Texas, not a draw, not a victory,’ Eugenie Scott said.… Read the rest
2e Rencontres Laïques Internationales
Mar 31st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Paris April 4-5. Taslima Nasreen, Maryam Namazie, Azar Majedi, Caroline Fourest, many more.… Read the rest
The New Yorker Blogs the Stimulus Bill
Mar 31st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A close reading of 407 pages of legislation.… Read the rest
Tauriq Moosa in Defense of Blasphemy
Mar 31st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Why is it okay to insult Odin but not God?… Read the rest
New Law in Afghanistan Trashes Women’s Rights
Mar 31st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Shia Family Law legalizes marital rape and child marriage, limits a woman’s right to leave the house.… Read the rest
Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State
Mar 31st, 2009 | By Max DunbarPeople often talk about the Islamic contribution to science, culture and art yet the name of Abu Nawas is more or less forgotten now. Canadian author Tarek Fatah, founder of the secular Muslim Canadian Congress (he has reported the obligatory death threats) paints a vivid picture of this remarkable Muslim artist:
He was a poet to reckon with and not to be antagonised, for fear of a satirical reprisal that would become the source of amusement and mockery in the marketplace and wherever the nobility sipped fine wine or paid to watch damsels dance to the voices of minstrels.
The immediate impulse is to compare this long-haired hedonist to a Middle Eastern Oscar Wilde. Although a devout Muslim, Nawas had … Read the rest
