All entries by this author

Doing God’s will

Feb 21st, 2008 12:39 pm | By

The archbishop lets us know he gets it.

Addressing an audience of more than 1,200 people, he condemned the way Islamic law discriminated against women in some Muslim countries. “In some of the ways it has been codified and practised across the world, it has been appalling. In some of the ways it has been applied to women in places like Saudi Arabia, it is grim.”

Yes. So why put in a good word for it in the first place?

Despite acknowledging the concerns raised over some aspects of sharia law, he repeated his assertion that it was “rooted in the sense of doing God’s will in the ordinary things of life”.

Ah; that’s why. Because something that is … Read the rest



Specialist Refuges for Women Are at Risk *

Feb 21st, 2008 | Filed by

One organisation under threat is Southall Black Sisters; Ealing council plans to take away its core funding.… Read the rest



Southall Black Sisters Threatened with Closure *

Feb 21st, 2008 | Filed by

Ealing Council has decided there is no longer a need for specialist services for minority women.… Read the rest



Polkinghorne on Science and Religion *

Feb 21st, 2008 | Filed by

‘One of the most persuasive and liberating understanding is that it is the divine mind that lies behind the world.’… Read the rest



Scientific Study of Religious Belief Launched *

Feb 21st, 2008 | Filed by

Oxford researchers have received a £1.9 million grant for study of the cognitive science of religion.… Read the rest



Archbish Says Sharia Can be Appalling *

Feb 21st, 2008 | Filed by

But he repeated his assertion that it is ‘rooted in the sense of doing God’s will in the ordinary things of life.’… Read the rest



Save Southall Black Sisters

Feb 21st, 2008 | By SBS

Many hundreds of migrant women who have suffered domestic violence and were facing removal from the UK, have benefited from the advice and support provided by SBS. SBS have over the years helped numerous women facing removal from the UK after leaving their violent partners, set up anti-deportation campaigns, all of them successful.

Demonstrate 26th February 2008, 6:00pm to 7:00pm, Ealing Town Hall, Uxbridge Road, Ealing W5 2BY

Southall Black Sisters under threat of closure

We are writing to you to request support for our organisation. We are currently facing threat of closure as a result of our local authority’s (Ealing) decision to withdraw our funding as of April 2008.

Our campaigns in such critical areas of work as forced … Read the rest



Man Shoots His Sister to Death *

Feb 20th, 2008 | Filed by

Brother suspected her of ‘illicit relations’ so he killed her. Nice for her six children.… Read the rest



Man Stones 14-Year-Old Daughter to Death *

Feb 20th, 2008 | Filed by

A distraught woman, crying uncontrollably, told the authorities in Zahedan her daughter had been murdered.… Read the rest



Calls for Legislative Reform in Kurdistan *

Feb 20th, 2008 | Filed by

‘Every day, more and more women are killed in Kurdistan while the authorities watch and do nothing.’… Read the rest



Tina Beattie on the Archbishop *

Feb 20th, 2008 | Filed by

ABC wants to open up a conversation between the insights of postmodern philosophy and lawyers.… Read the rest



Parvin Ardalan Wins Olof Palme Prize *

Feb 20th, 2008 | Filed by

Iranian women’s rights activists in Iran and abroad are celebrating.… Read the rest



Picture Life Without Vaccines *

Feb 19th, 2008 | Filed by

‘No One Got Sick or Died from a Vaccine-Preventable Disease Today’ is not a very exciting story.… Read the rest



Vaccines and Autism: Myths and Misconceptions *

Feb 19th, 2008 | Filed by

The anti-vaccination movement, based on bad science and fear-mongering, is more vocal and hostile. … Read the rest



Susan Jacoby on Anti-intellectualism *

Feb 19th, 2008 | Filed by

The problem is not ignorance but being pleased about it.… Read the rest



HRW on Egypt and Freedom of Religion *

Feb 19th, 2008 | Filed by

An ID card stating no religion is not an option.… Read the rest



BBC Notices Apostasy Problem *

Feb 19th, 2008 | Filed by

Sort of.… Read the rest



No, the chin is wrong

Feb 18th, 2008 12:00 pm | By

People never seem to notice the joke in this.

Wikipedia…is refusing to remove medieval artistic depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, despite being flooded with complaints from Muslims demanding the images be deleted. More than 180,000 worldwide have joined an online protest claiming the images, shown on European-language pages and taken from Persian and Ottoman miniatures dating from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, are offensive to Islam…On two of the images, Muhammad’s face is veiled, a practice followed in Islamic art since the 16th century. But on two others, one from 1315, which is the earliest surviving depiction of the prophet, and the other from the 15th century, his face is shown.

No it isn’t. Of course it isn’t. … Read the rest



Normblog on Tony Judt on ‘Too Much Holocaust’ *

Feb 18th, 2008 | Filed by

Judt has all these difficulties by way of honouring Hannah Arendt. It is hard to imagine a more unworthy tribute to her.… Read the rest



Wikipedia Ordered to Remove Images of Prophet *

Feb 18th, 2008 | Filed by

On two of the images, Muhammad’s face is veiled; on two others, his face is shown. A face, anyway.… Read the rest