Rushdie helped writers around the world who found themselves persecuted by states or religious hierarchies.
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Inevitably links go out of date.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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Rorty Remembered
Habermas, Blackburn, Dennett, Nussbaum, Bérubé, Fish, Bromwich, Dickstein, others.
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A C Grayling on the Council of Ex-Muslims
Led by the outstanding Maryam Namazie, champion of human rights, women, and refugees from religious persecution.
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Jesus and Mo on Rushdie’s Gong
‘Do they have effigy shops in Pakistan, or something?’
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Another Round of Childish Raging on the Way
Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister pitches fit over Rushdie’s K, says suicide bombing is justified.
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Nonsense From Priyamvada Gopal
Says Rushdie thinks humane values and freedom are western ideas that must be defended as such.
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Atheism is a Position of Intellectual Curiosity
Children should not be subjected to the bullying hostility of faith schools towards the atheist.
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MCB Calls Rushdie K a ‘Final Insult’
Preliminary insult of fatwa not mentioned; ‘blasphemy’ apparently worse than murder.
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Launch of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain
Maryam Namazie to lead; Mina Ahadi and Mahin Alipour will be there. June 21. Go!
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Iran Pissed Off About Rushdie’s K
Islamophobic British officials heap honours on horrid apostate, ‘offending’ Muslims all over again.
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Police and Prosecutors Target ‘Honour’ Killing
CPS revealed changes after justice system was criticised for doing too little to protect women.
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Shami Chakrabarti Gets a Gong
‘This recognition belongs to Liberty, the oldest rights and freedoms campaign in this country.’
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Bekhal Mahmod Lives in Fear
‘There are people in my community who want to see me dead, and they will not rest until I am. I will never be safe.’
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‘Now I’m Afraid All the Time’
‘I feel like a piece of dirt. I came to Australia for freedom and Abdul Reda took my freedom away.’
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David Goodhart: Open Letter to Tariq Ramadan
Shouldn’t you be using your influence to combat this anti-western, victim mentality among your fellow Muslims?
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Tariq Ramadan Trots Out the Grievances
‘It is common knowledge that the authors of the terrorist acts were thoroughly integrated.’
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Gaza Gets Islamism Along With its Poverty
A gunman attacked a UN primary school because it allowed young boys and girls to mix in the playground.
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Islamists Shut Down Schools in South Thailand
Narathiwat province closed more than 300 government schools after insurgents killed three teachers.
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Creationist Challenge
Can you replicate the feat? Go on, give it a shot.
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HRW: Education in Thailand Engulfed in Fear
Two gunmen walked into the library and shot two female teachers in the head, abdomen and legs.