The grievance culture of radical Islam is winning the battle against Enlightenment values.… Read the rest
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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Harvard Islamic Chaplain Pro Death for Apostasy 
Apr 16th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Even if it makes some uncomfortable in the face of the hegemonic modern human rights discourse, one should not dismiss it out of hand.’… Read the rest
Jonathan Derbyshire Interviews John Gray
Apr 16th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Why should one think that, because knowledge has grown, human beings will be less prone to cowardice and cruelty?’… Read the rest
Tom Flynn on ‘Spirituality’ Run Amok
Apr 16th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Avowedly ‘spiritual’ people think avowedly non-spiritual people are made of cast iron.… Read the rest
Critics Accuse Mixa of Rewriting History
Apr 15th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Freethinker associations were disbanded by the Nazis and avowed atheists were persecuted.… Read the rest
Fuss Over ‘Faith’ Schools
Apr 15th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Heritage, faith groups, core part, identities, limit expression, community cohesion, quack quack.… Read the rest
Saudi Arabia Plans to ‘Regulate’ Child Brides
Apr 15th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Marriage of man age 60 to girl age 8 caused a fuss. Saudi practices ‘austere’ form of Islam.… Read the rest
Megachurch Sics Cops on Critical Blogger
Apr 15th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A blogger critical of a minister wants to know why his Web site was investigated by a police detective.… Read the rest
Things Getting Worse in Pakistan
Apr 14th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Taliban insurgents are teaming up with local militant groups to make inroads in Punjab.… Read the rest
Massimo Pigliucci on Faith and Reason
Apr 14th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Faith is one thing, trust is another, belief is another again.… Read the rest
Kenya: Girl Bled to Death After Infibulation
Apr 14th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
She was seven years old.… Read the rest
Taliban Murders a Couple for Trying to Marry
Apr 14th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Two adults attempted to marry; the Taliban kidnapped them and shot them in front of a mosque. … Read the rest
Nightmare in Afghanistan
Apr 14th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Three Taleban mullahs brought them to the local mosque and passed a fatwa that they must be killed.… Read the rest
Roxana Saberi Goes on Trial in Iran
Apr 14th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
She was charged with buying alcohol, then lacking a press card; now she’s charged with espionage.… Read the rest
Michelle Goldberg on Women, Sex and Power
Apr 14th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Religious traditionalists excoriate feminists and family planners as agents of Western cultural imperialism. … Read the rest
Taliban Gun Down Women’s Rights Activist
Apr 13th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Sitara Achikzai had returned from Germany to work in Kandahar as a teacher and provincial legislator.… Read the rest
Simon Blackburn on Hume and Sceptical Irony
Apr 13th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Hume is much too subtle to describe himself as an atheist.… Read the rest
A Historian Disputes Bishop Mixa
Apr 13th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Many saw no contradiction between their belief in a Christian God and their support for the Nazi regime.… Read the rest
The Murder of Sitara Achikzai
Apr 13th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Taliban says it will pay 200,000 Pakistani rupees to anyone who kills a member of the council. … Read the rest
UNAMA Sickened by Murder of Achikzai
Apr 13th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Sitara Achikzai was serving her people with dedication in Kandahar. … Read the rest
