Archive for the ‘Religious Intolerance’ Category

Despite successfully running in several cities in Canada, including London, Calgary, and Toronto, the Atheist Bus Campaign was blocked from running in Ottawa (Link). Despite the city staff’s approval of similar Christian bible study advertisements, the ads were disallowed from being placed on Ottawa buses with no obvious explanation.

Despite this seeming like a gross violation of the Freethought Association of Canada’s freedom of speech, it’s troubling that the city government in our Nation’s capital would so blatantly apply a double standard to religious and non-religious messages. This would be less troubling if the city had a policy against religious messages of any sort, but this is simply not the case.

“I don’t follow the logic,” said Bus Stop Bible Studies founder David Harrison. “Why would they approve ours and not theirs? If we don’t stand up for (the atheists’) rights, ours will be trampled too.”

Hell, even the other side is sticking up for the rights of the non-believers. To say that I am ashamed in the City of Ottawa would be a gross understatement.

Now, if somebody really wanted to spice this debate up, they would try to get Qur’an verses displayed on the buses.

Originally posted on That’s the Way the Banana Crumbles.

Another post on Digg that caught my eye:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/26/atheist.soldier.ap/

Some select quotes that are rather disturbing

Known as “the atheist guy,” Hall has been called immoral, a devil worshipper and — just as severe to some soldiers — gay, none of which, he says, is true.

I see that ignorant people continue to be ignorant.

The issue came to a head when, according to Hall, a superior officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, threatened to bring charges against him for trying to hold a meeting of atheists in Iraq. Welborn has denied Hall’s allegations.

So apparently it’s illegal to be an atheist now. Good to know.

Digg had a link to this video on youtube which seemed like prime material for discussion on here:

I don’t know how unbiased this is; obviously we’re only seeing one side of the story, but if her refusal to teach creationism was even part of the reason for termination then it’s cause enough for outrage.

Regardless, bravo to Ms. Comer for standing up for real science in a political and social climate that is clearly hostile to it.

Ms. Gibbons, a British schoolteacher who was unfortunately swept up in a Sudanese controversy involving mammalian nomenclature has, thankfully, gotten the hell out of Sudan, lash-free.

Not much is left to be said; I’m absolutely relieved that Ms. Gibbons is back home and safe, although it’s still frustrating to read that she has been successfully convicted of “insulting the faith of Muslims in Sudan.” It’s not much of a shocker, but justice, or at least common sense, isn’t apparently abundant in Sudan.

Despite the outcome, Sudan hasn’t even come close to redeeming itself.

Erol Karaaslan of Kuzey Publications, which had published the Turkish edition of Richard Dawkins’ book The God Delusion has (surprise surprise) been accused of “inciting hatred and enmity.” He could face six to twelve months in prison if found guilty.

I assume no one’s shocked.

Turkey has never, I think, had the reputation of being a supporter of science or free-thought as a poll taken last year ranking countries in order of average acceptance of evolution will tell you. I still find it fairly frightening a tendency for nations as you get nearer and nearer to the Euphrates River to be absolutely ignorant of religious freedom or downright violent in response to difference in thinking. It also seems to be a shared goal by such countries to respond to anything which may even slightly rattle their cages with the bogus charge of “inciting hatred.”

Remember to add Turkey to your list of places never to visit, if you haven’t already.

Sadly, though unsurprisingly, the situation in Sudan involving a teacher arrested for “Inciting hatred and insulting religion” by allowing her class to name a teddy bear “Muhammad” has gotten considerably worse.

Some angrily denounced the teacher, but others smiled as they beat drums and burned newspapers with Gibbons’ picture, waving swords and clubs and green banners, the color of Islam.

Chants of “Kill her!” and “No tolerance: Execution!” rang out as hundreds of police in riot gear stood by, keeping the crowd contained but not moving against the rally.

Protesters dismissed Gibbons’ claims that she didn’t mean to insult the prophet.

“It is a premeditated action, and this unbeliever thinks that she can fool us?” said Yassin Mubarak, a young dreadlocked man swathed in green and carrying a sword. “What she did requires her life to be taken.”

Surprised? I thought so.

I realize that the idea that Ms. Gibbon’s actions causing such a furor may be difficult to understand for the rest of us. Therefore, I’ve devised the easy-to-follow graphic below, designed to educate the difference between an acceptable action (i.e. shouting about things, burning things) and a nefarious, unforgivable sin (i.e. drawing a cartoon):

Any questions?

Note to self: Never teach in Sudan.

A few days ago, controversy broke out as a 54-year old British school teacher in Sudan was arrested for allowing her 1st Grade students to name the class’ teddy bear “Muhammad,” something which, apparently, is considered severe blasphemy. Before you exhale in relief that, finally, another evil blasphemer has been brought to justice, it should be noted that the teacher, Ms Gibbons, had no intentions to insult Islam. In fact, no one, not the children, their parents or even fellow Muslim teachers felt that the project was offensive or blasphemous.

Fellow teachers at Khartoum’s Unity High School told Reuters news agency they feared for Ms Gibbons’ safety after receiving reports that men had started gathering outside the police station where she was being held.

The school’s director, Robert Boulos, said: “This is a very sensitive issue. We are very worried about her safety.

“This was a completely innocent mistake. Miss Gibbons would have never wanted to insult Islam.”

Mr Boulos said Ms Gibbons was following a British national curriculum course designed to teach young pupils about animals and this year’s topic was the bear.

Recently, things seem to have only gotten worse.

Yep, Ms Gibbons has been officially charged with, quote, “inciting hatred and insulting religion.” Let that be a lesson to anyone else who has plans to give a stuffed bear perhaps the most common given name in the world.

I’ve had a facetious tone so far, but in truth I’m justifiably worried for Ms Gibbons’ safety, as I imagine everyone who isn’t a Sudanese official may be. The penalty for her “misdeeds” range from a simple fine to lashing. Yes, lashing.

I can only hope that international authorities manage to step in, although I find that fairly unlikely. This, if anything, is the reason why we have a separation of church and state. The world seems to be a scary, brutal place without it.