Report outlined harrowing allegations of assault; 21 residents claimed they were raped and beaten. … 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Review of Chris Mooney’s Storm World 
Dec 13th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Nuanced account of major areas of disagreement over possible effects of global warming on hurricanes. … Read the rest
70th Anniversary of Nanjing Massacre
Dec 13th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Some in Japan claim the massacre was fabricated or exaggerated.… Read the rest
Deadly Religious Resistance to Vaccinations
Dec 12th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s rare a newspaper actually manages to kill people, but Sir David King believes they may pull it off.… Read the rest
Aqsa Parvez Wanted to Leave Her Family
Dec 12th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Her brother saw her on the street without her hijab. ‘He’ll kill me!’ she said.… Read the rest
Afghan Woman Call for Peace
Dec 12th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘They were indeed risking their lives, because we really did not know how we would be received.’… Read the rest
Ali Eteraz Speaks Up for Rationalization
Dec 12th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Believers will never say Islam is misogynist, therefore Ayaan Hirsi Ali shouldn’t either.… Read the rest
Death Penalty for Failure to Submit
Dec 12th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘She wanted to live her life the way she wanted to, not the way her parents wanted her to.’… Read the rest
How Canada Let Aqsa Parvez Down
Dec 12th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The hijab marks those wearing it as chattel, leashed to their fathers and brothers like a dog collar. … Read the rest
A Secular Age and Secularism Confronts Islam
Dec 11th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Edward Skidelsky notes the trials of secularisation are far from over.… Read the rest
Poor People Aren’t Hungry, They’re Fat
Dec 11th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
More money will only make them fatter. … Read the rest
Girl, 16, Killed for Not Wearing Hijab – in Toronto
Dec 11th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Schoolmates said the Grade 11 student had rebelled against her parents recently by refusing to wear a hijab.… Read the rest
K A Appiah on Experimental Philosophy
Dec 11th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Not only are philosophers unaccustomed to gathering data; many define themselves by their disinclination to do so. … Read the rest
Reading Tariq Ramadan
Dec 11th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Political liberalism or comprehensive? Rawlsian or Voltairean? Room for overlapping consensus?… Read the rest
Never Mind Democracy, Promote Secularism
Dec 11th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The rise of the West had much less to do with democracy than with the rise of secularism. … Read the rest
A Life of Ashes
Dec 10th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There are more than 40 million widows in India, for many, their lives are ‘a living sati.’… Read the rest
Death for Apostasy: the Penny Drops
Dec 10th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘If Muslim religious leaders in Britain are unwilling to speak out on this issue then we really are in trouble.’… Read the rest
Gujarat Chief Minister Endorses Unlawful Killings
Dec 10th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
HRW says Indian govt should investigate Narendra Modi for apparently endorsing the extrajudicial execution.… Read the rest
Jesus Says Atheists Attack the Easy Targets
Dec 10th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Fred Phelps and Torquemada are hardly representative. Be fair.… Read the rest
Mo Tells Barmaid She Can Question Anything
Dec 10th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Except God, the Koran, and Mo’s status as Allah’s ultimate prophet. All else wide open.… Read the rest
