Malaysia Today editor was detained for writing ‘malicious and seditious’ articles that ‘maligned Islam.’
Category: Latest News
Welcome to our archive of news stories relevant to the project of fighting fashionable nonsense. The stories are drawn from the electronic pages of the world’s media. On this page, you’ll find links to those stories that have been featured on Butterflies and Wheels during the current year. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find links to separate archives of stories from previous years.
We’re always pleased to hear about news stories that you think should be featured on Butterflies and Wheels. Just send an email here, if you want to point one out to us.
A note about links
Inevitably links go out of date. We suggest, therefore, that you make hard-copies of the stories that particularly interest you.
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Jesus and Mo Explain About Cults
Cult members follow a leader who claims divine authority. Quite a different thing!
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Jan Egeland Wonders
Five million people have died in Congo since 1998; the population of Norway. Would we notice if Norway vanished?
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Michael Dickinson Cleared by Istanbul Court
Artist was cleared after a judge decided the controversial collage of Tayyip Erdogan was art and not insulting.
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IHEU-CFI Joint Statement Defends Women’s Rights
No State should be permitted to hide behind tradition, culture or religion to justify any abuse of women’s rights.
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Catholic School Bans HPV Vaccination
Might cause the girls to hump like weasels. Or get headaches, or something.
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Steven Weinberg on Living Without God
We have not observed anything that seems to require supernatural intervention for its explanation.
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Malaysia: Government Critic Detained
Raja Petra, himself a Muslim, was accused of insulting Islam through an article on the Malaysia Today website.
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IHEU Speaks Out on OIC Censorship at UN
IHEU has been beating on this door for the past five years; now EU, Belgium, Denmark have joined in.
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Inside the Vaccine-and-autism Panic
Offit deconstructs the anti-vaccine movement as one driven by bad science, litigious greed, hype and ego.
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Miguel Servetus Haunts Geneva
Existing instruments protect believers against incitement. To go further would be to protect the contents of belief itself.
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Roy Brown Reads CFI-IHEU Statement
Mr President, criticism of Islam, or of any other religion, is not racism: it is a human right.
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New Team Attacks Religious Privilege at UN
Roy Brown and David Littman now have company as Austin Dacey and Hugo Estrella join the fight.
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Naser Khader Addresses UN HRC
The Danish MP rejects protecting God’s rights before we protect human rights.
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Obama Chats With Bartlet
‘I won’t lie to you, being fictional was a big advantage.’
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Paul Krugman on Cash for Trash
Paulson wants a plan with dictatorial power and no strings. Slow down there, cowboy.
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Men With Sexist Views Make More Money
Perhaps because domineering men are likely to be promoted.
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FGM Common in Egypt Despite Ban
Parents said they disobeyed the law to comply with religious beliefs and curb daughters’ sexual drive.
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Samuel Fleischacker on Israel-Palestine
There are good reasons to object to a state that favours a religion or culture, as well as a state that favours a race.
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Hating the Other
Ahab hated Moby Dick; Moby Dick is the Other; people hate Osama bin Laden; OBL is the Other. QED.