LIBERTY AT STAKE

Sanal Edamaruku

Brushing aside the First Amendment, President Bush has made a brazen attempt to promote religion by inviting it to overtake public functions and receive public funding. His favorite project, however, launched with great fanfare at a White House prayer breakfast in his second week in office, has meantime run into trouble. The "faith-based-charity" program, which had been planned to channel billions of dollars in public funds for social service and disaster relief through religious organizations, has been unceremoniously put on ice. There had been strong protest by organizations and public figures, criticizing the program as blatant violation of the principle of separation of church and state. Protest came from all sides, including those, whose support had been expected. No illusions: the faith-based-charity program - thoroughly redrafted though - may be back soon. And there could be still more to come. President Bush's agenda to extend the sphere of influence of the religious right over America may provide some unpleasant surprises. His missionary views that creationism should be taught in public schools and that the Ten Commandments should be made omnipresent, cast long shadows over the education system. His ban on public funds for organizations promoting abortion in America and abroad has spread fear that he may try to overturn the Supreme Court judgement legalizing abortion. His faith-based-charity program has raised the suspect that he may try to get the First Amendment rewritten, which up to now guarantees secularism. No doubt, President Bush will try his best to make America a truly Christian country.

But the forces of progress are decisive to fight back. Atheists, rationalists, skeptics and secular humanists have pledged resistance against Bush's religious agenda at different fronts. "We are geared up for an all out battle to defend the open society and the right of dissent from a possible reign of intimidation", said Prof. Paul Kurtz, president of the Council for Secular Humanism and the father of modern skeptic movement.

American Atheists hosted a countrywide march on Washington on 24 February to protest against the faith-based-charity program, which tries to "put compassion into a scheme to proselytize". They over handed a petition, signed by thousands of atheists from all over the country.

Interestingly, there was sharp criticism from an unexpected camp, too: the conservative religious front, which had been, in fact, expected to applaud. "There is an innate mistrust of government among the religious right", said Robert Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "With government funding come government regulations. Suddenly a lot of groups are having second thoughts."

Funding is certainly one of the most efficient instruments to conform and tame. While the established groups, which have their recognized position in society and don't want to compromise with it, are afraid of becoming government's wire-puppets by taking the bait, there are others, who jump for it. But religion is not always equal to religion. President Bush's idea of fundable religious charities may not be broad enough to include all those fringe religious groups, sects and cults, which try to get their bone. Also the churches would not appreciate if their arch-competitors were promoted: The controversial Church of Scientology has already applied for funding of its drug rehabilitation programs. The Hare Krishna organization would like to see its prisoners' rehabilitation houses funded. Reverend Moon looks for financial support for his sexual abstinence programs in schools. Finally the Nation of Islam may ask for tax money to support its rehabilitation programs among black American prisoners.

While there is not much hope that President Bush will see reason and change his agenda, there is hope indeed that America remembers its proud beginnings that inspired Liberty all around the world in tandem with European Enlightenment. May public memory grow strong enough to prevent further assaults on reason.

MADALYN MURRAY O'HAIR IS DEAD

Finally it is official: Dr. Madalyn Murray O' Hair, her son Jon Garth Murray and her grand daughter and adopted daughter Robin Murray O'Hair are dead. We reported in Bulletin # 63 that the remains of three human bodies had been found on 28 January 2001 on a Ranch in south-west Texas, 120 miles west of San Antonio. They are now confirmed to be those of the famous atheist leader and her children, who have been abducted and brutally murdered in September 1995.

Dr. Madalyn Murray O' Hair was founder-president of American Atheists, which she built up as one of the largest and most active atheist organizations in the world. Her major achievement was the Supreme Court ban on prayer and Bible reading in public schools of the USA in 1963.

RICHARD LEAKEY AND PIETER ADMIRAAL NOW HONORARY ASSOCIATES

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Richard E Leakey, world famous Kenyan palaeoanthropologist and author, and Dr. Pieter V Admiraal, Dutch anesthetist and pioneer in the field of voluntary euthanasia, have joined Rationalist International as Honorary Associates.

Son of Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey, Richard Leakey was born in Nairobi in 1944 and was educated there at the Duke of York School. He led his first expedition (to West Natron, Tanzania) at the age of 19 and later headed major expeditions at various sites in Kenya and at the Omo River valley in Ethiopia.

The fossil-hunting expeditions Leakey led to the shores of Lake Turkana (formerly Lake Rudolf) in northern Kenya resulted in the discovery of a large number of hominid fossils that inspired a dramatic revision of many theories of early human evolution. These finds included a number of skulls and other skeletal bones of very early representatives of the genus Homo (the genus of modern humans), and the earliest skull of a robust Australopithecus. Among the most spectacular finds was the almost complete skeleton of an adolescent boy, discovered in 1984 at Nariokotome, on the western shore of Lake Turkana. At 1.6 million years old, the "Turkana Boy" is the most complete skeleton dated from this early time. In 1983 Leakey was involved in another major discovery, that of the 17-million-year-old jaw, teeth, and skull fragments of an apelike creature, Sivapithecus, a possible ancestor of both humans and apes.

Richard Leakey established the Louis Leakey Memorial Institute for African Prehistory. He was director of the National Museums of Kenya from 1968 to 1989, when he was appointed director of the Wildlife Services of Kenya, a post he resigned in 1990. He has been active in conservation, attempting to balance the needs of local farmers with the preservation of Kenya's wildlife. He has led efforts to reduce elephant poaching and the sale of ivory on the black market. With science writer Roger Lewin, Leakey co-authored Origins (1977), People of the Lake (1978), and Origins Reconsidered (1992). He also wrote an autobiography, One Life (1984). At present he is Permanent Secretary, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service - Office of the President, Republic of Kenya.

Pieter Admiraal is a pioneer in the field of voluntary euthanasia. (For an article about Dr Admiraal by Sanal Edamaruku, please see Bulletin # 57 dated 7 December 2000). Born in 1929, Pieter Admiraal took his MD from the University of Utrecht in 1956 and Ph.D. from Erasmus University in 1972.

Pieter Admiraal, courageously and out of deeply felt humane considerations advocated for the right of a self-determined 'good death.' The Lower Chamber of the Dutch Parliament in 2000 voted and approved a bill allowing doctors under strict conditions to help their patients to die. The Netherlands is the first country to legalize euthanasia. The unique climate of acceptance of euthanasia in the Netherlands is the result of the campaign by activists like Pieter Admiraal.

Dr Admiraal was the president of Dutch Society of Anesthesiology; he is the founder and first president of Dutch Society for the Study of Pain; and member of the Committee Pain and Committee Euthanasia of the Dutch Health Council. In 1994 he received the Royal decoration: Officer Oranje Nassau and in 2000 he received the Janet Good Memorial Award from the Hemlock Society, USA. Pieter Admiraal has to his credit over 70 publications, over 300 lectures and many interviews all over the world.

CREATING THE TALIBAN: "CIA MADE A HISTORIC MISTAKE"

The Taliban are a creation of America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in cooperation with Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), said leading US South-Asia expert Selig Harrison. Harrison spoke in front of an audience of security experts in London in a conference on "Terrorism and regional security: Managing the challenges of Asia" in the last week of February, just before the Taliban's assault on the Buddha statues of Bamiyan. As a senior associate of the Carnegy Endowment for International Peace from 1974 to 1996, he had been in close contact with the CIA. "I warned them that we were creating a monster", he said, "The CIA made a historic mistake".

After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the CIA had encouraged militant Islamic groups from around the world to come to Afghanistan. The USA and its allies provided 3 billion dollars for building up the largest ever funded "resistance movement". Harrison, skeptical about the enormous strengthening of Islamic forces at that time, discussed with CIA leaders. "They told me these people were fanatical, and the more fierce they were the more fiercely they would fight the Soviets", said Harrison, "I warned them that we were creating a monster".

Pakistan played a central role in the operation. Not only that most of the militants had been prepared and trained in Pakistani madrassas (Islamic religious schools) and camps, Pakistan provided also money and arms. The CIA had left much of the decision how to use the US funds to Pakistani specialists. Supervising the Islamic militants in Afghanistan, Pakistan expanded its sphere of influence in the region. Harrison described one of his meetings with late General Zia-ul Haq, in which the Pakistan leader spoke about a plan to step by step gain control over Afghanistan, then Uzbekistan and Tajikstan and then over Iran and Turkey. According to Harrison, this plan seems today still under consideration: General Mohammed Aziz, General Zia's right hand in this matter, has recently been elevated into a key-position by the present Chief-Executive, General Musharraf. Also the old association between the intelligence agencies continues. "The CIA still has close links with the ISI", said Harrison.

After the withdrawal of the Soviet troops in 1989, the USA lost interest in the huge fundamentalist forces, which they had concentrated in Afghanistan. Payments stopped, the Islamic front disintegrated and groups started to fight for supremacy and to terrorize and rob the population. In the early 1990s, Pakistan nurtured the Taliban. "The Taliban are not just recruits from madrassa, but are on the payroll of the ISI", said Harrison. Many of their leaders were students of the famous Dar-ul-Uloom Haqqania, a madrassa in the North-West Frontier province of Pakistan, which is seen as the center of pan-Islamism. Maulvi Fazlur Rehman, a leading figure in the Bhutto government, lobbied for the Taliban abroad and mobilized considerable funding, especially from Saudi-Arabia. (On the Taliban, see also the article "Creating God's own country" by Sanal Edamaruku, Bulletin # 67).

ITALY: UNPLUGGING RADIO VATICAN

It is proven: Vatican Radio is dangerous for health. We don't speak about the program - broadcasting the Pope's words in forty languages around the world - but about electromagnetic radiation. Vatican Radio emits far more "electro-smog" than Italy's laws allow. Around the forest of radio masts north of Rome, which is its broadcast station, abnormally high cancer rates have been reported. Now the Italian environment minister Willer Bordon has set an ultimatum: "If within 15 days the broadcaster does not go back down under the limits, I will order the national electricity provider to suspend supply to the transmission centers", he said in a press conference. So simple - pull the plug and silence. Vatican Radio program director Father Lombardo was very fast to assert his readiness to cooperate.

The minister's threat is a reminder that the mighty Vatican is quite vulnerable as far as mundane matters are concerned. Unfriendly governments in Italy could make life very difficult for the eight hundred something men who inhabit the 108.7 acres of this strange "state", which is completely surrounded by Italy. The sensitive situation has meantime become stuff for some - surely blasphemous - caricatures.