Rushdie’s censoring-out from the ongoing literary festival in Jaipur will be remembered as a milestone that marked the slow motion disintegration of India’s secular state.
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Inevitably links go out of date.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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Guardian on Rushdie not in Jaipur
A cleric’s description of Rushdie as having “hurt the sentiments of Muslims all over the world” was widely reported in India, and prompted calls for Rushdie to be denied a visa.
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Nigerian reporter murdered while covering bombings
Enenche Akogwu, 31, was shot by unidentified gunmen as he attempted to interview witnesses of a deadly terrorist attack in Kano.
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Malawi: women assaulted and stripped for wearing trousers
Hundreds of people have protested in Blantyre including Vice-President Joyce Banda, the gender minister, several MPs, church leaders, university lecturers and activists.
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Atheism is illegal in Indonesia
An Indonesian man who said that God did not exist in a posting on a Facebook page for atheists was attacked by a mob, could face jail and loss of his job.
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London: “blasphemy” event January 28
Kenan Malik, Austin Dacey, Andrew Copson, Jacob Mchangma, Maryam Namazie speaking informatively and provocatively on this controversial topic.
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Rushdie’s absence from Jaipur festival “a stain on India”
Rushdie’s staying away from Jaipur sets a dreadful precedent for its artists who are deemed by religious groups to be producing “blasphemous” material.
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For God so loved the 1%
Complaints about economic inequality are inconsistent with the concept of “one nation under God,” but only because the “1%” of an earlier era intended it that way.
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Muslim feminists targeted by Islamists
They face a backlash in the form of persecution, intimidation and death threats.
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Cranston florists refuse to deliver roses to Jessica Ahlquist
That’s telling her!
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Quackometer on Burzynski in court
According to the Courthouse News Service, an elderly cancer patient is suing Burzynski for allegedly “bilking her of nearly $100,000″.
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President of UCL ASH society resigns
Adam Walker of Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association: “There is no need to print these things other than to cause offence and history has told us that these things cause offence.”
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Bangladesh: teacher arrested over Taslima Nasreen novel
Yunus Ali, the Head Teacher of KC Technical and Business Management College of Pirojpur, was arrested for having allegedly kept a copy of “Lajja” (“Shame”) in the college library.
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Paula Kirby on how atheists find meaning in life
Do we really need a deity to tell us that a life spent curing cancer is more worthwhile than one spent drinking in the gutter? -
Rhode Island state senator sneers at Jessica Ahlquist
Senator Beth Moura tweets: “Look at ACLU sweetheart’s Twitter acct and rhetoric of her followers. Not good.”
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Independent reports disruption of meeting at Queen Mary
Enquiries by Tower Hamlets police are ongoing.
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Paula Kirby on the pile-up of censorship efforts
It is no longer just the religious who would inhibit our freedom of expression: increasingly, secular bodies are buying into this invidious idea too, all in the name of ‘tolerance’ or ‘community relations’ or ‘respect’.
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How defamation law can be used to chill legitimate debate
Criticising the motivations of public figures, or calling on them to be more candid about their motivations, should not be actionable.
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Freedom of expression under threat by violent extremists
Ann Marie Waters asks, is it the role of speakers and students to face off against potentially violent Islamists in defence of our free speech?
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Rhys Morgan threatened over Jesus and Mo
His sixth form college is considering expelling him if he doesn’t remove the cartoon from his profile.