The campaign against The Jewel of Medina was started not by an imam but by an American academic. … Read the rest
All entries by this author
Salil Tripathi on Firebombing Free Speech 
Oct 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Acquiescence to threats has emboldened other faiths to demand bans on plays or art they do not like.… Read the rest
Catholics Must Mobilize to Block Women’s Freedom
Oct 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Archbishop of Cardiff warns that teenage girls might be able to salvage their own lives.… Read the rest
Liberals Disagree
Oct 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Offending people is sometimes wrong; but no one has a right against being offended.… Read the rest
All in the Name of Cultural Sensitivity
Oct 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Today free speech is seen as an inherent problem, because it can offend as well as harm.… Read the rest
Why bother
Oct 1st, 2008 1:56 am | By Ophelia BensonKenan Malik reminds us of the wise and reasonable words of Khomeini when he put out the hit on Rushdie and his accomplices.
[O]n February 14, 1989, the Ayatollah Khomeini issued his fatwa. “I inform all zealous Muslims of the world,” he proclaimed, “that the author of the book entitled The Satanic Verses and all those involved in its publication who were aware of its contents are sentenced to death.”
Note that – not just Rushdie, but also all those involved in its publication who were aware of its contents should be murdered by religious zealots. What a nice guy. It’s a shame he never had a chance to meet Torquemada; they would have gotten along so well.
And of … Read the rest
Martin Rynja in Hiding, Under Police Protection
Sep 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Cleric Anjem Choudhary called the book an ‘insult to the Prophet’s honour’, a capital crime under Sharia.… Read the rest
‘Respect’ for Religion Makes Censorship Normal
Sep 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The firebomb attack on Gibson Square was an assault on one of the bravest publishers in the business.… Read the rest
India: At Least 147 Killed in Temple Stampede
Sep 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Scores more were injured, many seriously, in the crush at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur.… Read the rest
DR Congo: Things Get Even Worse
Sep 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Some civilians were trapped in combat zones and were killed, wounded, raped or illegally detained.… Read the rest
Saudi Government Calls Ismailis ‘Infidels’
Sep 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Preaches religious tolerance abroad, persecutes minorities at home.… Read the rest
Crazed Cyclist Returns Despite Heart Condition
Sep 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He returned to cycling after ’embracing’ a Japanese hands-on healing process known as ‘reiki.’ … Read the rest
Conversions, Caste and Communalism
Sep 30th, 2008 | By Yogesh SnehiIn the past two years the debates on religious conversions, caste and communalism have gripped India in a serious imbroglio which is fallout of the present nature of state politics in the country. The years 2007-08 have been the most volatile ever since the anti-Godhra riots in the state of Gujarat in 2002, which exposed the role that the governments in India have played in arousing communal passions through state machinery. These are difficult times, and the time that would follow poses more complex challenges for state-politics in India. We can trace the beginnings of these events in the year 2007, though hypothetically, to a controversy in Punjab: the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda (a religious sect founded 1948, which … Read the rest
Ban, ban, taliban
Sep 29th, 2008 5:23 pm | By Ophelia BensonUpdate: an attentive reader noticed what I didn’t: this story is dated 2003. This of course doesn’t make it an atom less revolting, it just makes it not Breaking News. (I must say, I didn’t know NWFP was that bad five years ago…)
What was that I was saying about what worthless malevolent thuggish bastards the Taliban are?
… Read the restMale doctors and technicians have been banned from carrying out ultrasound examinations and using electrocardiographs (ECG) on female patients by the Islamist government of Pakistan’s North West Frontier province in its latest step towards “Talibanisation”. The ban effectively excludes all women from undergoing such crucial medical examinations as the province has only one female ECG technician and none trained in ultrasound.
Women in Afghanistan Killed for Working
Sep 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Kandahar’s MP recently narrowly survived an attempt on her life which killed her husband.… Read the rest
Interpol Slams Murder of Malalai Kakar
Sep 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Secretary General said estimated 700 police officers were killed in Afghanistan January-June.… Read the rest
Pakistan’s Taliban Bans ECGs for Women
Sep 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Men could get excited, women could lure men, therefore women just have to stay ill and die.… Read the rest
More on Malalai Kakar
Sep 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
She was famous for her bravery throughout Afghanistan and had survived several assassination attempts. … Read the rest
Our Elitism is Better Than Your Elitism
Sep 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Liberals object to Palin because she lacks experience and knowledge, but conservatives – er – … Read the rest
Graphs on Decline of Stupid Academic Fads
Sep 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Without a big theory, you can’t pretend you have specialized training.… Read the rest
