Corroboration reduces tentativeness, and an increase in confidence produces extremism.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Parents Chain Daughter’s Feet 
Dec 16th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
She’s 19; her parents rejected her boyfriend’s marriage proposal.… Read the rest
Do All Women Need Guardians?
Dec 16th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘No matter how old or educated the woman is, she has to have a man who is responsible for her.’… Read the rest
Woman Forcibly Divorced Sits in Prison
Dec 16th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Her brothers ended her marriage because her husband ‘had lied about his tribal background.’… Read the rest
Global Attention Makes a Difference
Dec 16th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Shock at flogging sentence for Saudi rape victim put pressure on oppressive system.… Read the rest
Woman Murdered by Husband on Wedding Night
Dec 16th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He fumbled, so he decided she wasn’t a virgin, so he killed her.… Read the rest
Mukhtar Mai Still Being Harassed
Dec 16th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
These tactics are clear obstacles in her efforts to help the poor women of rural Pakistan. … Read the rest
Daily Mail Has a Good Idea
Dec 16th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
But the EU got there first.… Read the rest
Creationist Murders Evolutionist
Dec 15th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Lost his temper, you see.… Read the rest
All Aspects of Diversity?
Dec 15th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Politicians must not be allowed to stifle debate on religious issues that matter.… Read the rest
Academic Freedom and Evolution
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘It is not indoctrination for professors of biology to require students to understand principles of evolution.’… Read the rest
Teenage Rebellion
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Parents who don’t want daughters to wear hijab get upset too. Yes but do they kill the daughters?… Read the rest
Tarek Fatah Asks a Question
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘How many more Muslim girls have to die before the liberal intelligentsia says the hijab is a symbol of oppression?’… Read the rest
Life in Polygamy
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Living ‘the law’ was like torture. It went beyond self-sacrifice to the point of totally rejecting self.” … Read the rest
Denial in Action
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Not true that ‘the incidence of violence and murder of women is somehow greater in these “other” communities.’… Read the rest
An Imam Explains
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘This girl, she refused to stay at home and there was the feeling that she was going in the wrong direction.’… Read the rest
Nigel Warburton and Tom Hurka on The Grasshopper
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s both philosophically profound and a literary masterpiece.… Read the rest
Why We Must Continue Writing for Freedom
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Many women around the world risk their lives to reveal what they know about violence against women.… Read the rest
Farzana Hassan on Saudi Rape Victim
Dec 13th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Saudi justice system renders women voiceless: non-persons without freedom and socially marginalized… Read the rest
Who killed Aqsa Parvez?
Dec 13th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A medieval ethos that treats women as nonpersons, unable to decide for themselves.… Read the rest
