‘To ensure imams are firmly rooted in the communities they serve.’ Eh?… Read the rest
All entries by this author
The Funding of Islamic Studies 
Apr 17th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Much of the funding comes from the Saudis; is this a worry?… Read the rest
Khadim Hussain on Special Laws in Tribal Areas
Apr 17th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Colonial masters and indigenous elites, have convinced the tribal elite of their ‘distinctive culture’.… Read the rest
Have a nice energy yawn
Apr 16th, 2008 12:00 pm | By Ophelia BensonCharlie Brooker saw a ‘Newsnight’ piece on ‘Brain Gym’.
… Read the restIt’s essentially a series of simple exercises lumbered with names that make you want to steer a barbed wire bus into its creator’s face. One manoeuvre, in which you massage the muscles round the jaw, is called the “energy yawn”…Throughout the report I was grinding my teeth and shaking my head – a movement I call a “dismay churn”…because I care about the difference between fantasy and reality…Perhaps the Department for Children, Schools and Families confused fantasy with reality the day it endorsed Brain Gym. Because while Brain Gym’s coochy-coo exercises may well be fun or relaxing, what they’re definitely good at is increasing the flow of bullshit into children’s
Tehran’s Anti-vice Chief Arrested
Apr 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He was found with six naked women in a house of prostitution last month.… Read the rest
Corruption in Catholic Church Starts at Top
Apr 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Victims say pope is protecting some 19 bishops accused of raping children… Read the rest
8-year-old Gets Her Divorce
Apr 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
But her family has to pay compensation to her former ‘husband.’… Read the rest
Manufactured Controversy
Apr 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
When significant disagreement doesn’t exist among scientists, but is invented to achieve political ends. … Read the rest
Virgins for Sale! Be the First to Nail Suli!
Apr 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
If a little girl is really pretty, she can sell for 40,000 rupees. That’s enough for a nice party.… Read the rest
The Pseudoscience of Brain Gym
Apr 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Coochy-coo exercises may be fun, but they’re definitely good at increasing the flow of bullshit into children’s heads.… Read the rest
Apologetics and the Surrender of the Fourth Estate
Apr 16th, 2008 | By Gil GaudiaIt has been debated whether the term “the Fourth Estate” which refers to journalism or a “free press” was originated by Edmund Burke, who once pointed to the gallery of reporters in the British Parliament and declared them to be the fourth, and most important, element overseeing a triumvirate of governmental power. In my opinion, this was one of the most perceptive descriptions of democracy and its processes, applying equally well to the British Parliament and the Estates General of France (from which the term was derived); the constituents were supposed to be representatives of the society’s main elements— the nobility, the middle class and the clergy. Burke was saying that the influence of a free press was, and should … Read the rest
Joseph Hoffmann on Good Without God
Apr 15th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were the first spin doctors, transforming Yahweh into a compassionate conservative.… Read the rest
Texas Sect Women ‘Tell Their Side of the Story”
Apr 15th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They’re angry at the government. Sad, but what about all those pregnant young girls?… Read the rest
Child Marriage is Where Religious Freedom Ends
Apr 15th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
This is where the imperative of protecting the vulnerable collides with freedom of religion. … Read the rest
Costume is Control in Polygamy
Apr 15th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘You don’t want to stand out. You want to be invisible and do what your husband wants.’… Read the rest
Episcopal fluff
Apr 14th, 2008 12:22 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe Bishop of Oxford seems to be in an irritable mood.
For a Christian it is always too early to give a final verdict, for only at the end of time will all be known, or as Tony Blair put it, it must be “left to God’s judgment”. It is strange how this standard piece of Christian orthodoxy should arouse such ire amongst the cultured despisers of religion just because it came from a Christian prime minister. They should have been worried if it hadn’t.
No it isn’t. It isn’t strange at all. It’s the taking it for granted that is strange. We know it’s a standard piece of Christian orthodoxy, of course, but that’s just it – it’s … Read the rest
EP President Against Free Speech
Apr 14th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘We are committed to the freedom of the press but I am against publishing cartoons that hurt the feelings of others.’… Read the rest
Radio 4: Can People Stop Being Muslim?
Apr 14th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Shiraz Maher campaigned for a state in which execution for leaving Islam would be written into the constitution.… Read the rest
The Secular Army is Going to Destroy Art!
Apr 14th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Dawkins army wants to stop everyone painting! Stop them! Help!… Read the rest
Islamists Protest Women’s Rights Policy
Apr 14th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Protesters against a new women’s rights policy fought police in Dhaka after Friday prayers.… Read the rest
