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Woman Sentenced to Death by Stoning for Adultery in Sudan

Written by Ebou Sohna, News Team | 17 July 2012

Activist groups such as the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies are calling for the release of a 23-year-old Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery July 10.

While in the Sudan, no government-sanctioned stonings have been carried out, the sentence is a fact of life for people in countries that practice Sharia, or Islamic, law. Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Yemen, some parts of Nigeria and other a handful of others all have laws allowing stoning for adultery on the books. In the past, human rights groups have used political pressure to get all sentences of stoning in Sudan and some other countries with Sharia law to commute the sentence. However, some cases of stoning without legal backing have been reported in Sudan.

School Vouchers v. Establishment Clause

Written by Josh M, News Team | 14 July 2012

Recently — and somewhat humorously — legislators in Louisiana walked back their support of an educational voucher program that allows parents to use public money to send their children to a number of private institutions, including religious schools. For years, atheists, agnostics and other non-Christians in the US have decried the voucher system as a backdoor to institutionalized Christianity; at first blush, what happened in Louisiana might be thought a small victory for freethinkers.

However, with an apparent blindness for irony, legislators such as state Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Watson) withdrew their support of the bill only after learning that religions other than Christianity would be included in the program. After withdrawing her support, Hodges told the Livingston Parish News, “We need to ensure that [the voucher program] does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools … I do not support using public funds for teaching Islam anywhere here in Louisiana….I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of America’s Founding Fathers’ religion, which is Christianity, in public schools or private schools.”

So as not to confuse an international audience, allow me to say the idea that “America’s Founding Fathers’ religion” was Christianity doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Some were inarguably devout and outspoken Christians, but others were deists, and some were outspokenly agnostic/atheistic. Moreover, regardless of what their religion may have been, the Constitution they framed — by way of the First Amendment — clearly bars Congress from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion” — Christian or otherwise. And that is the legacy the Founding Fathers gave us to work with — not their beliefs, but our Constitution.

(Technical) victory in Court, failure in Parliament

Written by Danika, News Team | 08 July 2012

On 20 June the High Court of Australia decided the federal government’s funding of religious chaplains in public schools was unconstitutional. Shortly after, a bill was rushed through the House and the Senate allowing the federal government to fund programs without legislative scrutiny.

The action that prompted these actions was the Williams v Commonwealth case, which challenged the federal government’s right to fund religious chaplains in public schools, through The National School Chaplaincy Program (NSCP).

The NSCP, as described in a previous article ‘Chaplaincy in Australian Public Schools' has been criticised by the Australian Psychological Society, the Australian Guidance and Counsellors Association and parents such as Ron Williams, who brought the case to the High Court. A majority of the criticisms relate to the inadequate qualifications of the chaplains and the legality of religious teaching in public schools.

The High Court’s decision was 6-1 in favour of Ron Williams, based on technical grounds: that the government could not spend money on programs without supporting legislation. As such, the government’s funding of the NSCP was found unconstitutional.

While the decision was welcomed by secular activists, the reasoning behind it disappoints – Williams had also challenged the chaplains program on the basis that s116 of the Australian constitution prohibits a “religious test” for public office, a key clause in the fight for separation of church and state. The High Court dismissed the claim on that basis and effectively maintained Australia’s non-separation of church and state, a poor position that has endured since the Defence of Government Schools case in 1981.

Religious circumcision an assault on boys

Written by Huffington Post | 26 June 2012

This article was originally published in the Huffington Post.

BERLIN -- A German court has ruled that circumcising young boys on religious grounds amounts to bodily harm even if parents consent to the procedure.

Cologne state court said the child's right to physical integrity trumps freedom of religion and parents' rights, German news agency dapd reported Tuesday.

The case involved a doctor accused of carrying out a circumcision on a 4-year-old that led to medical complications. The doctor was acquitted, however, and prosecutors said they won't appeal.

The president of Germany's Central Council of Jews, Dieter Graumann, called the ruling "unprecedented and insensitive," urging the country's parliament to clarify the legal situation "to protect religious freedom against attacks."

Graumann said the circumcision of newborn Jews has been practiced for thousands of years and "every country in the world respects this religious right."

Muslims also circumcise young boys, while many parents request it on health grounds.

Read the full article here.

He Needs Money

Written by Alexandre F. Shimono, News Team | 17 June 2012

Valdemiro Santiago Sillas Malafaia Edir Macedo
(Investigated for (Politically active (Suspicion of larceny,
improper use of minister) embezzlement and
donated money) money laundering)

"Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time! But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money!
George Carlin

As funny (or not) as the quote above may be, the point about “needing money” is certainly pertinent in Brazil where many religious institutions enjoy a friendly tax environment and operate profitably. Recently, a scandal involving a large religious institution (Igreja Mundial), suspiciously broadcasted (that is an inference by the writer) by an open TV channel owned by a rival church (Igreja Universal), showed that minister Valdemiro Santiago bought properties in the state of Mato Grosso with a total value of 50 million Reais (c. US$25 million). These properties were registered in the name of the church (and therefore tax exempt)[1]. Santiago is now being investigated by the public prosecutor for the improper use of donated money, and because many of his temples have eviction orders for non-payment[1].

Five Cities that Ruled the World – in flames

Written by Rafiq Mahmood, Indonesia | 14 June 2012

I am no supporter of Douglas Wilson. His ridiculous ideas on slavery and his conservative theology are unlikely to find much room on my bookshelves. Until, perhaps, now.

Yesterday, Wednesday, saw the chilling spectacle of Indonesia's largest book publisher and book shop, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, piling up Indonesian translations of his book, Five Cities that Ruled the World and torching them in public to the rapturous applause of assorted big hats from the Indonesian Ulema Council. The cause of this conflagration was a complaint by the Indonesian version of the Nazi Storm Troopers – the Front Pembela Islam (Islam Defenders Front) about a paragraph or two on one page of the book which justifiably described Muhammad as a pirate and murderer who carried out raids on caravans. The threat against the publisher was real enough – unless they torched the book their own outlets and staff would be facing a similar fate.

This follows on from the recent violent routing of Irshad Manji from these shores. She told no such home truths – she merely tried to associate the religion of Islam with love and freedom. Her book, clearly deviant to the purity of the message of Islam, was quickly removed from the bookshops. Needless to say, pirate versions are selling like bakso (the meat balls so loved by Indonesians).

Atheist Alliance International condemns jail sentence for Alexander Aan

14 June 2012

MEDIA RELEASE

Podras encontrar una version en espanol despues de la version en ingles

Atheist Alliance International condemns the verdict against Alexander Aan, the Indonesian atheist who was attacked and arrested after posting 'God does not exist' on Facebook. Alexander Aan was today jailed for two years and six months for blasphemy under Indonesia's criminal code. He was also fined Rp 100 million (c. US$10,600).

Carlos A. Diaz, President of Atheist Alliance International, said "Alex simply stated his personal view on the topic of religion, yet he now faces years in jail. This judgement is an affront to the principles of freedom of speech and freedom of conscience. Indonesia's blasphemy laws are archaic, an embarrassment to a country that appears to be striving to join the developed world and should be repealed immediately."

Atheist Alliance International has been running an appeal to assist with Alexander Aan's legal expenses and support his family since he was arrested in January this year. Donate at www.atheistalliance.org/support-aai/donate (Legal/Support Fund for Alex Aan).

TAKE ACTION: Please contact the Indonesian authorities to condemn Alex Aan's jail sentence and to call for the immediate repeal of Indonesia's blasphemy laws.

Your Chance to Own a Piece of Atheist History

11 June 2012

The Atheist Foundation of Australia is auctioning three posters signed by all presenters from the wildly successful 2012 Global Atheist Convention A Celebration of Reason, held recently in Melbourne, Australia. Only 15 of these posters exist and only three are being auctioned.

This is a rare chance to own a copy of a poster signed by such leading atheists as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, PZ Myers, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Eugenie Scott, Lawrence Krauss, Peter Singer, A.C. Grayling, Dan Barker and many more! The Atheist Foundation of Australia will generously donate the proceeds of the sale of Poster#2 to Kasese Humanist Primary School, which is supported by Atheist Alliance International. Proceeds from the sale of Poster#1 will support the High Court Challenge to Australia's National School Chaplaincy Program and proceeds from the sale of Poster #3 will support the Atheist Foundation of Australia.

Now ... go and bid! Click here for the ebay listings of the three posters.

Chaplaincy in Australian Public Schools

Written by Danika, News Team | 10 June 2012

A child’s school years are some of the most important in their development and their experiences during this time can shape the rest of their lives. Many public schools suffer from a lack of resources and funding and as a result some children can fall between the cracks. One supposed solution has been the National School Chaplaincy Program (NSCP), which ‘provides funding to schools to access the services of a school chaplain or secular support worker.’ [1] In practice, a majority of the positions are reserved for chaplains, and are recruited from Christian chaplaincy organisations such as ACCESS Ministries, GenR8 Ministries, Schools Ministry Group and Scripture Union. Since the inception of the NSCP, there have been questions raised as to the remit of the chaplains, and whether the services they provide are appropriate for public schools.

Ron Williams, jazz singer and father of six, has been questioning the NSCP since he found out what his children were being taught at their local public school in Queensland. The chaplain at his children’s school, employed by the government-funded NSCP, had been distributing a magazine that included statements claiming condoms promoted promiscuity and declaring the sinfulness of same-sex relationships. When Mr Williams and his wife requested that their children be withdrawn from the religious classes, the children were bullied by other students and told they would go to hell.

War of Words on Gay Rights in China

Written by China Daily | 07 June 2012

This article was originally published on ChinaDaily.com.cn.

Lu Liping, a well-known Chinese actress, who is also a Christian, forwarded several micro blog entries of a priest against gays on 26th June and caused a mighty uproar on the Internet. Many stars and netizens expressed their concerns on this issue in the micro blogs.

Forwarded by Lu, the priest's micro blogs described the homosexual groups as "shame" and "sinner", one of which stated: "The New York State Assembly approved the legalization of gay marriage proposal last night. New York will become the sixth and most populous US state to allow gay marriage. May God have mercy on this falling land! Even if one day the law stipulates that opposition against homosexuals would be condemned, I still want to say: homosexuality is a sin. God loves sinners, but God hates SIN! "

Read the full article here.

South Korea Surrenders to Creationist Demands

Written by NATURE | 05 June 2012

Originally pubished at nature.com

Mention creationism, and many scientists think of the United States, where efforts to limit the teaching of evolution have made headway in a couple of states¹. But the successes are modest compared with those in South Korea, where the anti-evolution sentiment seems to be winning its battle with mainstream science.

A petition to remove references to evolution from high-school textbooks claimed victory last month after the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) revealed that many of the publishers would produce revised editions that exclude examples of the evolution of the horse or of avian ancestor Archaeopteryx. The move has alarmed biologists, who say that they were not consulted. “The ministry just sent the petition out to the publishing companies and let them judge,” says Dayk Jang, an evolutionary scientist at Seoul National University.

The campaign was led by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR), which aims to delete the “error” of evolution from textbooks to “correct” students’ views of the world, according to the society’s website. The society says that its members include professors of biology and high-school science teachers.

Read the full article here.

Join the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain’s 5th Anniversary Celebration

Written by Maryam Namazie, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain | 31 May 2012

The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain will be 5 years old in June 2012.

To celebrate the work, significance and achievements of this unique organisation, we are holding a fundraising luncheon on Saturday 23 June 2012 in London from 13.00-16:00 hours.

The event will be a wonderful opportunity to meet other like-minded individuals and enjoy a three-course lunch with wine, great entertainment and speakers in an intimate setting whilst supporting the organisation’s work.

Guests will hear from renowned philosopher AC Grayling, campaigner Gita Sahgal, comedian Kate Smurthwaite, CEMB founder Maryam Namazie and magician Neil Edwards, amongst others. There will also be a dance act, poetry and music.

In the five years since its establishment, the CEMB has been a beacon of hope for thousands of ex-Muslims who have renounced Islam and religion. It has helped to break the taboo and challenge Islamism, which punishes apostasy with the death penalty. The work of the CEMB has included assisting to return a young woman to Britain from North Africa where she had been sent as punishment for her ‘disobedience’ to securing the release from detention and the right to asylum for apostates across Europe. The organisation has also given large numbers of people a new ‘home’ via its forum and meet-up group. Moreover, it has helped to highlight the plight of ex-Muslims, apostates and blasphemers internationally, including Indonesian atheist Alex Aan currently in prison and German-Iranian rapper Shahin Najafi facing a death fatwa from Iran’s ayatollahs. The One Law for All campaign against Sharia law in Britain, which was initiated by the CEMB at its first international conference, has also made waves across the globe as has its unequivocal defence of free expression, equality and citizenship rights.

Ticket(s) for the luncheon are £45.00 per person or £35 for students/unwaged.

To purchase tickets, send a cheque made payable to CEMB to BM Box 1919, London WC1N 3XX or pay via Paypal or Worldpay: http://ex-muslim.org.uk/ indexDonate.html. Please make sure to include an email address and telephone number so that further details can be provided.