|
| ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Australia: Pope visit boosts sex industry
As the Pope touches down in Darwin, Sydney's sex industry is ready for the big boom. Brothels have announced special "papal visit packages" for the 125,000 foreign visitors who come to Sydney for the World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations this week. Bordellos and sex shops across the city are expecting sensational turnovers. Many establishments have recruited extra staff to cope with the expected rush demand for sexual favours during the event. Some pride themselves on being able to welcome their pious international clientele in a wide range of languages with sex workers speaking French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Thai, Korean, Nepalese and Mandarin. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Polski | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Protest against the Pope visit
In Sydney this week, a NoTo Pope Coalition, including local rationalist, atheist and secularist groups, plans to distribute free condoms to the participants of the WYD to spark discussions about the Vatican’s hypocritical stance on sexuality and personal freedom. They will also protest against the Australian government’s generous contribution of 160 million Dollar tax payers’ money for the WYD and against new regulations by the government of NSW to grant draconian powers to the police during WYD and slap a 5000 Dollar fine on anybody, who potentially “annoys” the visiting Pope - a blatant attack on free speech. www.NoToPope.com Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Polski | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Romania: Crucifixes in schools are ok, rules Supreme Court
In Romania it is thumbs down for secularism: Schools just got the blessings of the Supreme Court for keeping all those religious symbols intact that adorn their classrooms. The decision overturned last year’s appeal court ruling that religious symbols had to be removed from schools as they were discriminating against atheists and people of other faiths. The Roman Orthodox Church celebrates the judgment. Today, the bishops count about 80% of the country’s population among their sheep. The former communist country is observing a religious revival. Click here for the whole article in Deutsch / Español / Polski | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
France: Court suspends "virgin case"
Is virginity an “essential quality” of a bride? Should husbands be able to legally insist on it? And in case it turns out to be lacking on the wedding night – should they be entitled to get the marriages annulled and to drop their brides like defective articles? This is currently a topic of hot debate in France. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Polski | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
France: Ten stitches that can save a life
French plastic surgeons offer a new intact hymen to women who need to prove their virginity for marriage, social or religious reasons. The operation, conducted for outpatients in some private clinics, is just a cut and ten stitches, costing half an hour and two to three thousand Dollar. But for most of the clients, it opens a new life. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Polski | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
More about Religion & Virginity Read more about Religion & Virginity in the new issue of Modern Freethinker - Magazine of the Indian Rationalist Association. Modern freethinker is published 12 times an year. If you are interested to get copies of Modern Freethinker, please send a mail with your full postal address to mf@indianrationalist.org Click here for the whole article in Deutsch / Español / Polski | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Do you speak Polish? We are very pleased to announce that from this issue onwards the Rationalist International Bulletin will be available in Polish language. It will be translated by Małgorzata Koraszewska, an active member of the Polish Rationalist Association. If you wish to get Polish edition of the Rationalist International Bulletin, please subscribe by sending a mail to Polski_Rationalist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Albert Einstein: The idea of God is a “product of human weakness”, the bible “pretty childish”
A recently unearthed letter written by Albert Einstein in January 1954, one year before his death, is yet another strong link in the chain of proves that Einstein was not the religious believer supernaturalists claimed him to be. The handwritten letter, addressed to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, describes the idea of God as “product of human weakness” and the bible as “pretty childish” and may finally put an end to all attempts to colour the illustrious thinker as a defender of religious faith. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Polski / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
India: Stop "yoga evangelist" Swami Ramdev
Swami Ramdev expects a revenue of 40 million dollar this year. Selling India’s ancient, pre-scientific notion of health care and cure – repackaged as his very special brand – is good business. Thanks to his all-out marketing, Pranayama (ancient exercise in breath control) and ayurveda are big hits with the ever-growing and prospering Indian middle class. His daily early morning show has allegedly 20 million viewers. His 500 hospitals in the country are said to register 30,000 patients per day. His new headquarters in the “holy city” of Haridwar may soon be world’s largest center for yoga and ayurveda. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Polski / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Tanzania: Albinos are hunted and mutilated to trade their “magical” organs 17 year old Vumilia Makoye was having dinner with her family, when two men with long knives forced their entry into the house, overpowering her mother Jeme, who tried to stop them. Then everything happened very fast. Jeme and the rest of the family watched helplessly, how the intruders grabbed Vumila, sawed off her legs above the knee and vanished with them. The legless girl, lying in a pool of blood, died soon. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Polski / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
What Barack Obama carries in his pocket
It is quite revealing what comes to light, when the perhaps soon-to-be mightiest man in the world empties his pockets - as seen on a recent photo posted on Time's “White House Photo of the Day” collection. There is a tiny monkey - apparently Hindu god Hanuman - together with a gambler's lucky chit, a bracelet belonging to an American soldier deployed in Iraq and a tiny Madonna with child. The bracelet could be a reminder that it would be his most distinguished task as the next president of the USA to "bring our boys home". And the other pocket treasures? Is Obama a Hanuman believer, inspired by the legendary monkey's great war against demon King Ravana? Is he a gambler? Does he believe in lucky charms? Does he belive that these small mascots carried around in his pocket have any impact on his life and "fate"? If the contents of his pocket is any indication for his state of mind, one may have to be prepared for strange - if not dangerous - surprises. Click here for the whole article in Deutsch / Español / Français / Polski / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Nepal: The god king's last exit
Nepal celebrates its transformation from the last Hindu kingdom into a secular democratic republic. The historic step to put an end to 239 years of monarchy and lead the Himalayan country on the “roof of the world” into the 21st century, was taken on May 28, 2008 by the newly elected Maoist-led Constitutional Assembly with 560 votes against 4. Ousted King Gyanendra – till recently officially worshipped as incarnation of the Hindu god Lord Vishnu – has left Narayanhity Palace on 12th June for good. Though his astrologers urged him to wait for an auspicious time, the government did not allow him to extend the deadline. The royal flag at the main palace gate has long been exchanged with the national standard. The pink edifice in the center of Kathmandu will soon become a national museum. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Polski / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
India / Kerala: Sweeping out Pandora’s box The southern Indian state of Kerala is busy cleaning up. Target of the ongoing rigorous sweep is a new brand of godmen and astrologers, who managed to build up flourishing business during recent years without coming to public attention. In fact, most Keralites had not been aware that there was any 'living god’ in their state – except the hugging 'world star’ Mata Amrithanandamayi. But suddenly Pandora’s box sprang open. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Polski / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
UK: Now wrong claims can land astrologers, tantriks and faith-healers in jail In Britain, astrologers can now end up in prison, if they fail to warn their prospective customers that their services are “not experimentally proven” and “for entertainment only”. So can godmen, tantriks, tarot cards readers, faith healers, occultists, fortune tellers, seers, soothsayers, psychics, mantra-healers, mediums and babas. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Polski / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Kenya: Mass arrests after 'witch' killings In Kisii district in western Kenya, eight elderly women and three men, suspected to practice witchcraft, have been brutally killed at the same time. They were dragged out of their houses by an irate mob and were – in separate cases – burned to death. The police arrested 86 villagers in connection with the murders. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Urbi & Orbi: Tony Blair opens the huge alms bag
British ex-premier Tony Blair has launched his “Tony Blair Faith Foundation” in New York on May 30, 2008. The ambitious charity is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars of funding to rescue religion and sell it as a force for good. The focus of its activities will be on interfaith dialogue – after 9/11 a bestseller in the Western world. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Sanal Edamaruku exposes “New Age Hypnotic Guru” Sivanand on Live TV
After the “Great Tantra Challenge”, it was the turn of a New Age guru. On the evening of 15th March 2008, India TV invited “New Age Hypnotic Guru” Sivanand for a show. As pre-planned, Sanal Edamaruku was posted initially in the audience. After the viewers got warmed up with a video clip full of confusing images, pendulum swings and psychedelic music, with artificial smoke fumed up on the podium from both sides, Hypnotic Guru Sivanand started his show. Spotting Sanal in the front row, he tried to take advance bail and said that his hypnosis was no tantra or mantra but a New Age scientific way to ensure instant strength and stamina. It will make the person intelligent, clever and physically powerful, he claimed. His clients always got power and intelligence in seconds after he hypnotized, the Guru asserted. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Polski / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Italy: Padre Pio’s little secret On occasion of his 40th death anniversary, the body of Padre Pio – meantime Saint Pio of Pietrelcina - is on display in a glass coffin at his friary at San Giovanni Rotondo, in Puglia, southern Italy. 700,000 pilgrims have registered in advance to take a look at the saint who bore what he claimed to be Jesus’ bleeding wounds. They may be disappointed, as there is no trace of those famous stigmata at his hands and feet now, though his skin is still intact. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Amnesty film on waterboarding torture Amnesty International’s new short film “Stuff of Life” shows you what the CIA doesn’t want you to see: the horror of “waterboarding”. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Denmark: Child abuse in 'Father House' exposed The island of Lolland, the fourth largest island of Denmark, has begun an investigation into the religious sect 'Father House' after former members reported cases of child abuse. The witnesses came forward on two television programs - public broadcaster DR's '21 Søndag' and a program of TV Avisen. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
“Reason has won the day” Now click & watch the Great Tantra Challenge online! The story of Sanal Edamaruku challenging India’s top tantrik Surinder Sharma on live TV to demonstrate his magic powers on him raised enthusiasm and curiosity all around the world. Our website got nearly two million hits in two weeks. We received hundreds of appreciative letters and congratulations every day. One of the first reactions came from James Randi: “Sanal! My congratulations for this excellent demonstration of rationality over superstition”, he wrote, “reason has won the day”. The story appeared on SWIFT (web page of the James Randi Educational Foundation) and on Richard Dawkins’ website, to name the two most prominent. Meantime it has been overtaken by hundreds of sites and blogs and is touring the Internet in many languages.
| ||||||
|
| ||||||
| ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
The Great Tantra Challenge
On 3 March 2008, in a popular TV show, Sanal Edamaruku, the president of Rationalist International, challenged India’s most “powerful” tantrik (black magician) to demonstrate his powers on him. That was the beginning of an unprecedented experiment. After all his chanting of mantra (magic words) and ceremonies of tantra failed, the tantrik decided to kill Sanal Edamaruku with the “ultimate destruction ceremony” on live TV. Sanal Edamaruku agreed and sat in the altar of the black magic ritual. India TV observed skyrocketing viewership rates. Everything started, when Uma Bharati (former chief minister of the state of Madhya Pradesh) accused her political opponents in a public statement of using tantrik powers to inflict damage upon her. In fact, within a few days, the unlucky lady had lost her favorite uncle, hit the door of her car against her head and found her legs covered with wounds and blisters. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Polski | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
"Can anybody live like this?" Taslima Nasreen remains confined to a room at an undisclosed location
India has granted visa extension to exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen for six more months. For now, the nightmare of an ill and desperate Taslima being forcefully expelled from her adoptive home of seven years to start another odyssey into an uncertain future is over. "All I want to do is live peacefully in this country. I have nowhere else to go," wrote Taslima in an open letter. When the showdown began and time was running out, Rationalist International started a campaign and appealed to the Prime Minister of India. Within three days, our appeal was supported by more than three thousand eight hundred letters from India, USA, Canada, Australia and all over Europe. Under public pressure by Taslima's many supporters, the Government of India allowed her to stay. The success, however, is tarnished. While staying in India, Taslima Nasreen's life will - according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry - be restricted to the "status quo". And that is what horrifies her. The "status quo" describes a rather inhuman situation. It is nearly three months now that the Government of India keeps Taslima Nasreen in complete isolation at an undisclosed location near Delhi. Nobody, not even she herself, knows her whereabouts. Guarded by some officials, she has not even been allowed to meet close friends. Her only connections to the outer world are mobile phone and laptop. | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Victory for the campaign! Taslima Nasreen's Visa extended Dear friends: We are pleased to inform that the Government of India has formally announced that they extend the visa of Taslima Nasreen. We express gratitude for your timely support of our appeal to the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Till now we have received copies of more than 3800 letters requesting him to extend Taslima's visa. The official statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, some minutes ago, is given here.
Sanal Edamaruku | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
An Urgent Appeal from Sanal Edamaruku, President of Rationalist International Help to prevent Taslima Nasreen’s expulsion from India! I request you to react immediately and support our appeal to the Government of India to grant residence permit to renowned writer Taslima Nasreen, who is an Honorary Associate of Rationalist International. Taslima Nasreen is in a desperate situation. I am in regular contact with her and talked to her over telephone yesterday and today. The Indian Government is keeping her - allegedly for security reasons - in complete isolation at an undisclosed location. Guarded by officials, she is not allowed to meet anybody. Her only connections to the world are mobile phone and laptop. Her health is deteriorating under stress and lack of competent medical care. In this situation, the government of India tries to force her to leave the country. This is clearly to appease Muslim fundamentalists. It seems they think that the fundamentalists have influence on the Muslim 'vote bank'. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Taslima Nasreen writes about her situation. Where am I? I am certain no one will believe me if I say I have no answer to this apparently straightforward question, but the truth is I just do not know. And if I were to be asked how I am, I would again answer: I don’t know. I am like the living dead: benumbed; robbed of the pleasure of existence and experience; unable to move beyond the claustrophobic confines of my room. Day and night, night and day. Yes, this is how I have been surviving. Click here for the whole article in English / Español / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Happy Birthday, Sir Isaac Newton! Celebrating the 365th Birth Anniversary of the Father of Modern Science & Rationalism
Sir Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, and alchemist, was the father of modern science. In his treatise Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, he described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, laying the groundwork for classical mechanics, which dominated the scientific view of the physical universe for the next three centuries and is the basis for modern engineering. Demonstrating the consistency between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravitation, Newton showed that the motions of objects on earth and of celestial bodies are governed by the same set of natural laws. With this, he removed the last doubts about heliocentrism and advanced the scientific revolution. His conception of the universe based upon natural and rationally understandable laws became the seed of Enlightenment. These principles were available for all people to discover. It allowed people to pursue their own aims fruitfully in this life, not the next, to perfect themselves with their own rational powers. Click here for the whole article in Deutsch / Español / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
A Year of Rationalist Achievements
The year 2007 has brought some welcome changes. The idea to reject religion and irrationality and insist on the primacy of reason has become attractive for a considerable section of the public in different parts of the world. There is a new sensitivity about violations of freedom of thought and freedom of personal life. The atmosphere is slowly changing, courage seems to be infectious. Dark shadows start giving way. The following three developments show an encouraging international trend. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Mexico City: Amnesty International declares new abortion policy Amnesty International has adopted a new abortion policy. This was officially declared in the concluding meeting of its Mexico Mission in Mexico City. The reputed Human Rights organization has shed away its “neutral” stance on abortion and will from now onwards openly support its decriminalization and demand access to abortion in cases of rape, incest and danger for the mother’s health or life. The policy change – already discussed in April 2007 - was supported by an overwhelming majority of national AI chapters. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Português / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Nigeria: Fetish killers dismember Nigerian woman Killers in search of body parts to make magic charms hacked up a woman and severely injured two girls on remote farmland in central Nigeria, police said on Wednesday. Scores of people fled villages in the Oju district of Benue state, near the border with Cameroon, as word of the killing spread, prompting authorities to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew. "The woman's two ears were cut off, her hands were chopped off, her stomach was ripped open, her heart removed and her vagina was taken away," said a police spokesman from the state capital Makurdi. Two girls who were with the woman also suffered deep machete cuts but survived the attack and are recovering in a local hospital, he added. The attack occurred on August 11, but the report reached state police command only on Tuesday because of poor communications. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Português / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Spain: Breaking the moral monopoly of the Roman Catholic Church With the new school year starting in September, children in Spain will have a new secular civics class that has the Roman Catholic Church up in arms. “Education for citizenship” will include ethics, civics and human rights. Based on the values enshrined in the 1978 Constitution, it is designed to prepare students in public elementary and junior high schools to become self-determined, responsible and tolerant citizens of a modern, pluralistic democracy. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Español / Français / Português / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Norway: European Human Rights Court rules against mandatory religious classes Finally, Norway has to withdraw compulsory religious classes in public schools. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled on 27 June 2007 that the so-called KRL classes (Christian, religious and life stance education”) violated Article 2 of the European Human Rights convention. Education Minister Øystein Djupedal announced that necessary changes were being prepared. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Português / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Taslima Nasreen attacked in Hyderabad
Rationalist International expresses shock and deep concern about the attack on Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen today (August 9) by the radical political outfit Majlis Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (MIM) at the Hyderabad Press Club. She was releasing the Telegu translation of her book "Shodd". Taslima Nasreen is an Honorary Associate of Rationalist International. MIM activists, led by three state Legislative Council members (MLAs), raised slogans against Taslima and flung bouquets and chairs at her and others attending the function. However, no injuries have been reported so far. MIM leader Akhtar Khan, an MLA, said: "She is enemy of Islam, she is a black spot on Muslims.. We cannot bear anyone talking against Islam. She has written books against Islam. We will not tolerate her in Hyderabad." Taslima was rescued by the police and journalists present at the press club and was escorted to the air port. Three radicals have been detained by the police for questioning. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Vatican: The Viagra Pope
The deal raised a storm in Italy. Negotiations were top secret, but the reputed financial paper „Milano Finanza“ broke the news: Pope Benedict XVi is going to buy the Pfizer Viagra manufacturing plant in Nerviano near Milano. The deal will be done in the name of the venerable brotherhood "Figli dell'Immacolata Concezione" (children of the immaculate conception). The order tries to present the takeover as a good dead. It may save 300 jobs as Pfizer considered to close down the Milano plant despite the protest of trade unions, say the brethren, who are already running Pfizer´s medical research centre in Nerviano since three years. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
New Honorary Associates Rationalist International is pleased to welcome three new Honorary Associates.
Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Beware of holy scriptures! Reading of God-sanctioned violence makes aggressive, prove researchers Not only action films and killer computer games can increase aggressive behavior. New research proves: literary texts do the same, especially those offering divine justification for acts of violence. And their influence is not limited to religious extremists. Scientists of the reputed Institute for Social Research (ISR) at Michigan University (USA) found that reading about violence in the name of God provokes aggression in average believers and even non-believers. “It's important to note that we obtained evidence supporting this hypothesis in samples of university students who were, in our estimation, not typical of the terrorists who blow up civilians," wrote Brad Bushman, professor of psychology and communication at ISR. "Even among our participants who were not religiously devout, exposure to God-sanctioned violence increased subsequent aggression. That the effect was found in such a sample may attest to the insidious power of exposure to literary scriptural violence." Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
India: Art student arrested for 'obscene' depiction of Hindu gods
Chandra Mohan Srilamantula (22), final year student in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) in Vadodara (Gujarat), has been arrested on 12th May 2007 from the premises of the university for painting what Hindu radicals considered obscene. Under the pressure of public protest, he has been released on bail after four days imprisonment. But at MSU, one of India`s best known art colleges, freedom of expression and freedom of art are still under siege. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Egypt: Blogger convicted for insulting Islam
Abdel Karim Suleiman, a 23-year-old former law student, has been sentenced to 4 years imprisonment by a court in Alexandria for insulting both Islam and the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in articles that he published in his Internet blog. The trial took merely five minutes. The judge sentenced him to three years for insulting Islam and to one year for insulting the president, whom he called a dictator. Suleiman is the first person in Egypt, who has been convicted for nothing else but peacefully expressing his opinion in the Internet. His lawyers announced that he would appeal against the judgment. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Germany: "We have renounced!" "Central Council of Ex-Muslims" founded
Mina Ahadi, Iranian-born Human Rights campaigner in Germany, has founded the “Central Council of Ex-Muslims”. Together with 29 other apostates from Muslim countries, many of them women, she wants to give a hand to those, who wish to come out of Islam. The organization is headquartered in Cologne. The name was chosen as a play on the Central Council of Muslims, which is with about 800,000 members the largest Islamic group in Germany. There are currently more than three million people in Germany, who were born in Islamic communities. Many of them are secular-minded, says Mina Ahadi. But they have no voice in the country. Muslim organizations claim to speak in the name of all immigrants from Muslim countries and want to enforce their policies on their personal lives, even if they are not members. And the German authorities accept them. Ahadi wants to give them a voice and to form a counterweight to the Muslim organizations. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
UK: Now women can volunteer to donate eggs for research In a landmark decision, the British government has allowed women to volunteer as egg donators for scientific research. Up to now, only eggs developed in connection with medical treatment could be donated ("egg-sharing"). "Altruistic donation" will not be paid, but donors are eligible for expenses up to 250 Pound. The decision was advised by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) of the UK in order to overcome the crisis of short supply. According to the new regulation, women undergoing costly fertility treatment can avail a discount in return for donating the overproduction of eggs. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Egypt: Prominent writer faces lawsuit over 'blasphemous' play
The Sunni-Islamic Al-Azhar University in Cairo is preparing another attack. They want to press for a blasphemy trial against prominent Egyptian writer Nawal al-Saadawi for her play “God resigns in a summit meeting”. Al-Azhar’s chief censor Sheikh Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, chairman of the “Islamic Research Council”, announced that he would officially refer the play to court. The author, currently in Bruxelles, called the act “Al-Azhar’s revenge”. Previously, already two of her novels have been banned on initiative of the Islamic University. The controversial play, published in December 2006, is an allegory dealing with contemporary problems in Egypt, she says. Under growing pressure of Islamic hardliners, her publisher removed the book in January 2007 from the Cairo International Book Fair, together with the latest edition of al-Saadawi’s autobiography, and destroyed all copies. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Thailand: Kids are laughing all the way to the temple For children in Thailand, it has never been easier to get some pocket money. The government is offering them a very special job: temple hopping. All they have to do is to show up in one of 80 selected places of worship and get their visit recorded in a report book. 20 visits fetch 1000 baht (about 30 US Dollar). This novel way of burning the education fund has been initiated by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry. Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham is convinced that “bringing children to temples, churches or mosques is one way to get them close to Dharma and goodness. They will grow up as good adults in our society.'' Main target of the campaign are students under Grade 6. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
USA: A glimpse on a nation without religious slogans
On 15th February 2007, Madalyn Murray O’Hair would have laughed, if she was still alive. Since nearly seventy years now, every Dollar coin of the United States bears the inscription “In God we trust” – a slogan that even became the national motto in 1956. In 1978, American Atheist leader Madalyn Murray O'Hair filed a case against the religious inscription that is a violation of the principles of secularism as proclaimed in the First Amendment of the US Constitution. But neither this nor any subsequent case achieved the motto's removal. God and the Dollar seemed to be inseparable - till 15th February 2007. That was the day, when suddenly and unexpectedly thousands of god-free new George-Washington-Dollars – till today, the exact number is unknown - were rolling out of the highly official US Mint in Philadelphia, passed miraculously all inspections and went into circulation. Their outer edges where the standard inscription “In God we trust” should have been were conspicuously naked, plain and smooth. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
India: Satya Saibaba miracles in Indian Rationalist Association Blog Indian god-man Satya Saibaba "creates" golden necklaces and vibhuti (holy ash for Hindu ceremonies) with a magical hand gesture. His disciples include Presidents and Prime Ministers of India. Television cameras have caught several times how Saibaba performs his feats. Some video clippings of Saibaba miracles can be downloaded or viewed at the Blog of Indian Rationalist Association. | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
USA: Freedom From Religion Foundation takes on "Faith-Based Initiative" Freedom From Religion Foundation, a large group of atheists and agnostics of USA, will soon fight its most high-profile battle. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on its lawsuit against President Bush's faith-based initiative. The "initiative" helps religious organizations get government funding to provide social services. The court will decide whether taxpayers can sue over federal funding that promotes religion. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Pakistan: Minister and fighter for women’s rights killed by fanatic
Zilla Huma Usman, 35, Pakistani minister and fighter for women’s rights, has been shot dead by an Islamic fundamentalist. Ms. Usman was about to address a meeting of party activists in Gujranwala, 120 miles south east of Islamabad, where her office is based. When she stepped out of her car, the attacker fired a single shot from his pistol at close range at her and hit her in the head. She was airlifted to a hospital in Lahore, but died soon afterwards. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
UK: Schoolgirl loses veil ban challenge
A 12-year-old Muslim girl, who challenged her school’s ban on wearing the niqab, a full-face veil, has lost her case in the High Court. The court rejected her lawyer’s argument that the ban violated her human rights. The unnamed girl, protected by anonymity order, started wearing niqab in last September on reaching puberty, when her school told her that it was not acceptable because the teachers believed it would make communication and learning difficult. The niqab covers all of the face except the eyes. She was the only one of 120 Muslims attending the 1,300-students girl school in Buckinghamshire, who insisted on wearing the niqab when in the presence of male teachers or other male personal, while 60 girls use to wear the hijab scarf leaving the face free. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Spain: Catholic Church fights legal battle to stop mass exodus
Thousands of Spaniards wish to quit the Roman Catholic Church. But the church does not want to let them go. In Madrid and Valencia, the bishops have gone to court to fight a legal battle against the mass exodus. This is the last step in the ongoing fight between the Catholic Church and the growing anticlerical movement in Spain. It started, when 47 former Catholics decided to leave the flock and seek formal termination of their church membership. Since there is no bloody Inquisition any more to force apostates into submission, the church authorities tried to stop them by pure arrogance. They blatantly refused to delete their names in the church records. The would-be-apostates alerted the national Data Protection Agency, which classified entries in baptism records as private data under the protection of the law that have to be deleted on demand. The church did not move. This obstinate refusal to respect people’s decision to quit became the rallying point for all those, who were unhappy with the church. When the Pope visited Spain in July 2006, 1500 people took to the streets and demanded that their names be deleted from church records. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
New Zealand: There's no state religion A revised national statement on religious diversity has retained the principle that New Zealand has no state religion. Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres told that point was kept in the updated draft, released at a national inter-faith forum in Hamilton. "We start with the state seeks to treat...all faith communities and those who profess no religion equally before the law. New Zealand has no state religion." Prime Minister Helen Clark held the same position as Mr De Bres on Newstalk ZB: "There is no state religion, there will be no state religion. We are very diverse peoples these days. We simply couldn't agree on a state religion -- this is not like a Scandinavian country where people are virtually born into the Lutheran church, and have to resign from it at a later age." Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
China: Murdering brides for the marriage market of the dead In January 2007, the police in Sha’anxi province in northern China arrested Yang Dongyan and his four accomplices. The gang had specialized in a macabre business. They murdered young women and sold them as brides for the spirits of unmarried dead men. Belief in an afterlife is common in China. Surviving family members see it as their duty to look after the needs and wishes of the spirits of their ancestors and deceased relatives ensure that they are comfortable in the other world. At funerals, fake money is burned as well as paper models of house or car and other things the deceased might need. When a young man dies before getting married and his family wants him to enjoy the company of a wife in the afterlife, they find a suitable dead bride and burry her along with him after performing a religious marriage ritual for the ghost couple. This practice called mighun has a tradition of more than two thousand five hundred years. Though it is legally banned today, it is still common among uneducated and superstitious villagers. Brokers strike secret deals between families of unmarried young men and families of unmarried young women. Selling a girl’s body for mighun makes her a married woman and elevates her social status. The money is taken as compensation for the dowry that her parents lost because of her death. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
India deserves a (more) dignified and responsible President
India’s President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam has been the chief guest during the glamorous birthday show of controversial godman Sai Baba on 23rd November 2006. It is shameful and outrageous that the Indian President pays respect to a saffron charlatan, who exploits the gullible by claiming that he can produce ‘holy ash” from thin air, cure all illnesses, has created the universe and other nonsense more. It aggravates the case against President Kalam that he did not content himself with performing a kind of public relations routine, but went out of his way praising and glorifying the charlatan. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Kenya: Hands off the Turkana Boy!
Creationists are trying to hide the world’s most important collection of evidence for the evolution of man. The National Museum of Kenya owns a treasure of hominid fossils, documenting the development of our early ancestors. While the Museum is currently under renovation, powerful Evangelical church leaders try to press the authorities to swiftly “change the focus” of its exhibitions when reopening on 7 June 2007 and dump the pillars of our knowledge about the origin of Homo sapiens in the back rooms. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
India: Miss World in trouble with astrology
When one of the most beautiful women in the world gets ready to marry, curiosity is running high. In case of Aishwarya Rai , one of the top most Indian actresses and former “Miss World”, people may be a bit disappointed though: the chosen one is just an ordinary mud pot! Seriously, the lady is going to have a full-fledged Hindu marriage with priest and parents and pujas and all the rituals and ceremonies, just to become a mud pot’s wife. That is a proposal of her astrological advisers, as you may have guessed, and since beauty does not prevent gullibility (and obviously even her university education did not help much), she is all set to succumb to it. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
'Head scarf was ancient sex symbol' Turkey: Historian acquitted of charges of inciting religious hatred
"My trial acted as a tool to display the strength of the secular tradition in Turkey against the fundamentalists. This will encourage people like me to think more, act more courageously and voice their opposition more openly", said Muazzez Ilmiye Cig, 92-year-old Turkish historian, after a court in Istanbul cleared her on 1st November after half an hour hearing of charges of inciting religious hatred. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Nepal: Exploitation of Kumari girls under Supreme Court scrutiny
Reacting to a petition of human rights campaigners seeking to abolish the traditional Kumari worship as it is exploitation of children, the Supreme Court of Nepal has ordered an investigation into the matter. Within three weeks, the ministry of culture has to table a detailed report about the Kumari worship that is part of the religious traditions of the aboriginal ethnic community of the Newaris, who are living in the Kathmandu valley. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
USA: How a state funded healthcare program turned into a global crusade The powerful Christian Right in the USA has taken control of the government's flagship program to combat AIDS worldwide. Under their influence, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) that commands a five-year budget of $ 15 billion, is being misused for a crusade for conservative Christian values instead for fighting the disease. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
India: Tsunami bishops trouble Tamil Nadu The south Indian state of Tamil Nadu may have the worldwide highest rate of churches per capita. Though only a small minority of people call themselves Christians, there are said to be as many as 1500 independent Christian churches represented in the Independent Churches of India Association in Chennai (earlier Madras). Most of them belong to the huge and ever-growing group of evangelical churches that are founded and supported from abroad. Some are Anglican or Orthodox splinter groups. Many are Pentecostals of different origin. They have names like Calvari Mission Trust or Halleluyah Full Gospel Missionaries of India. Though quite tiny and never heard of, many of these independent churches have their own bishops. Nobody knows exactly, how many robed men are roaming around, who has appointed them and who is paying them. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Saibaba man Tharoor out of race for UN top post Indian Rationalist Association expressed relief as Shashi Tharoor, the controversial Indian candidate for the post of secretary-general of the United Nations pulled out of the race after South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon won the latest straw poll. Mr Tharoor got three negative votes of which one was from a permanent Security Council member. The formal election for the secretary-general is due on 9 November. The rationalists in India reacted strongly against the hasty decision of the government of India to nominate Tharoor as he is a Saibaba man and a hardcore propagandist of obscurantism, miracle-belief and all kinds of superstitions. During his career as the UN undersecretary-general for public information, Tharoor raised his voice in the international media in favor of paranormal claims and in praise of godmen and miracle mongers. To read the article of Sanal Edamaruku asking the government of India to withdraw the nomination of Shashi Tharoor to the UN top post, click the links below: English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Wave of superstition in India!
India is facing a series of mass "miracles" these days. One by one, they are breaking out like epidemics, throwing changing segments of the population into frenzy. Sanal Edamaruku is leading the greatest rationalist counter campaign that has ever been fought, cutting the heads of the hydra as they appear. The battleground is the Indian television scene, especially the Hindi language channels, where "miracles" are bombing in as "breaking news" from all over the country. What is happening? It started 18th August Friday night at Mahim near Mumbai. Young Muslims, after the Friday prayers visiting the Mahim Dargah, burial place of a Muslim saint at the seaside, discovered that the water in the Mahim Creek had turned sweet. The news spread like wild fire and within hours hundreds, soon thousands, of gullible came to see Allah's great miracle. They jumped into the allegedly sweet sea water and started drinking it! A dangerous situation emerged as the water in the Mahim Creek is among India's filthiest and most contaminated waters. 1000 million liters of sewage are flowing every day into the creek and the water is absolutely not potable. But people gulped it in hysterically, fed it even to little babies. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
WHY RATIONALISM?
Looking back on the last two centuries, humanity can celebrate the triumph of reason, progress and emancipation. The tyrant gods have been exposed as paperboard monsters. The cruel and violent forces that governed throughout the dark ages in their name have been driven out of a major part of the world and of human minds. The wheels of progress are rolling with enormous speed. Scientific research and technology are improving our lives and extending our horizon and potential. These achievements have been possible under the influence of a strong and irrepressible rationalist movement that braved harassment and backlashes to break one by one the chains of mental slavery and make us the masters of our destiny. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Why I Am a Skeptic about Religious Claims
Reflections of during his 80th birthday Unbelievers have debated the proper way to describe their position. Some scientists and philosophers-notably Richard Dawkins and Daniel C. Dennett-have recently been sympathetic to the use of the term bright. Proponents thought it a clever idea, hoping that bright would overcome the negative connotations that other terms such as atheist have aroused in the past. Many find this to be an attractive advantage. Critics of the use of bright have commented that it is presumptuous for us to suggest that we are "bright," i.e., intelligent, implying that those with whom we disagree are dull-witted or dumb. Clearly, many people have been turned off by the term atheism, which they perceive as too negative or dogmatic. Others may seek refuge in some form of popular "agnosticism," which suggests that they are simply uncertain about the god question-though this may simply enable them to resort to "faith" or "fideism" as an artful dodge. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Vern Bullough, secular humanist leader passed away
Vern Bullough, author, secular humanist leader, an Honorary Associate of Rationalist International and a former co-chairman of IHEU, died on 21st June. Vern was a distinguished professor emeritus at the State University of New York at Buffalo, an Outstanding Professor in the California State University, a past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex, past Dean of natural and social sciences at SUNY in Buffalo, New York, and one of the founders of the American Association for the History of Nursing. Click here for the whole article in English / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
JOSEPH EDAMARUKU, RATIONALIST LEADER PASSED AWAY
New Delhi, 29 June 2006. Joseph Edamaruku , veteran journalist and rationalist leader, passed away in sleep this morning. He was 73. He is the father of Sanal Edamaruku, the President of Indian Rationalist Association and Rationalist International. As per his wishes his eyes were donated to All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The body was kept at the Kerala House at New Delhi where thousands of people paid homage to him. Later in the evening it has been handed over to the anatomy department of AIIMS, for the use of medical students. Joseph Edamaruku, born on 7 September 1934 in the southern Indian state Kerala, is an eminent rationalist, scholar and author of 173 books and more than two thousand articles in Malayalam language. Since 1977 he lived in Delhi and represented Kerala Sabdam group of newspapers as its Bureau Chief. Joseph Edamaruku edited daily newspapers and mass circulated magazines, published rationalist journals, addressed numerous meetings and influenced the way of thinking of a whole generation in Kerala. An indefatigable campaigner against obscurantism, superstitions and blind belief, Edamaruku represents a colorful era of Indian rationalism. He was the president of Indian Rationalist Association from 1995 to 2005. Hailing from a traditional Syrian Christian family that contributed bishops and priests to the church, close experience with the church and Bible education made him a rationalist while still in his teens. He became an activist, married Soley from a Hindu family and challenged caste marriages. He was instrumental in building up the strong rationalist movement in Kerala. He spent two spells in prison, in 1970 and in 1975 during the National Emergency. In 1979 he received International Atheist Award from American Atheists. His autobiography, The Times that Raised the Tempest won award from the Kerala Literary Academy as the best autobiography in Malayalam. Important books: Cultural History of Kerala (1977), Christ and Krishna never lived (1981), Quran - a Critical Study (1982), Bhagavad Gita - a Critical Study (1982), Rationalist State (1983) and Upanishads - a critical Study (2004) and a series of 36 books on world religions (1984-1987). | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Indian Rationalists call for the withrawal of India's UN secretary-general candidate Saibaba man Shashi Tharoor is a hardcore propagandist of obscurantism, says Sanal Edamaruku
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is retiring this year, and India has nominated Shashi Tharoor, an author and a career diplomat in the UN, as its candidate for the post. Sanal Edamaruku, in the article given below, demands the withdrawal of Tharoor's candidature. Please publicize Sanal Edamaruku's article and reproduce it in your sites and journals and join our world-wide awareness campaign about the danger of Shashi Tharoor becoming UN Secretary-General. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Kuwait: Women candidates contesting parliamentary elections
In Kuwait, gender equality has made a great leap forward. For the first time in the history of the oil-rich Gulf emirate, women candidates have registered for the parliamentary elections scheduled for 29 June. Dr. Rola Dashti, chairperson of the Kuwaiti Economic Society and leading women’s rights activist, was the first woman to file her papers at the election department, when the registration opened. Four more women followed suit. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Nepal: Dethroning Lord Vishnu World’s only Hindu kingdom becomes a secular state
On May 18, 2006, Nepal celebrated a great historical achievement. The parliament passed a resolution declaring the only existing Hindu kingdom a secular state and reducing the king to a figure-head leader. The resolution was the first major act of the new seven-party interim government under Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala that came to power in April, after uncontrollable mass protests, triggered by Maoist insurgents, forced King Gyanendra to step down. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Norway: Thinking about secularism...
In 1537, Norway adopted the Lutheran Christian religion as state religion by a royal decree. Till today, 469 years later, it did not come out of the historical nexus between monarchy and state church. The system remains stable, as it is safely embedded in the constitution. Every citizen is born as a church member - and remains one as long as he or she is not determined to face all disadvantages and leave the church. Few of the 4.6 million Norwegians are, if they do not happen to belong to minority religious families like many immigrants. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Management changes in Humanist Umbrella
Suresh Lalvani, Company Secretary and Director Operations of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), reports some management changes. Controversial former President Roy Brown has retired from the Executive Committee. New President is Sonja Eggerickx, a senior school inspector from Belgium and longtime EC member. Larry Jones has been elected First Vice President; Roar Johnsen, Jack Jeffery and Rob Buitenweg are Vice Presidents. Treasurer is Roger Lepeix. Of the two employed officers, Suresh Lalvani will continue as the Company Secretary and Director of Operations, while Babu Gogineni, formerly stationed as Executive Director in the London office, has returned to his native state Andhra Pradesh in South India. From there he will undertake important developmental work for the IHEU focusing South Asia and Africa. Click here for the whole article in Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Jesus dispute in European Human Rights Court Did he exist? Atheist challenger Luigi Cascioli advances to Strasbourg
Luigi Cascioli, atheist fighter and author of the scholarly book "The Fable of Christ", has finally brought his case to the European Human Rights Court at Strasbourg. It will be taken up by famous lawyers Giovanni Di Stefano and Domenico Marinelli, who have acted in several high profile political cases, including that of Saddam Hussein, Tarek Aziz, Telekom Serbia, Milosevich and others. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
Born Again! The Indian way Sanal Edamaruku exposes reincarnation claims in live TV
The belief in reincarnation is widespread and deep-rooted in India. It is inspired by Hindu religious beliefs and fuelled by the wish that there should be some kind of escape route from pressing social realities into another, better life. Tales of rebirth are catching people's imagination and get fast currency, especially among the poor in rural India. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
To save a heart patient, don't pray for him! A research project aimed at rescuing the multi-billion prayer-industry backfires Finally, there is solid statistical evidence for the obvious: It does not have any impact on heart patients' post-operative recovery, if someone is praying for their health or not. The imagination that somebody is praying for them, however, has an impact: it considerably increases the chances of medical complications. The long awaited results of a medical study about the power of prayer to support the success of coronary bypass surgery, published in the latest issue of The American Heart Journal, are a bit of a blow for the prayer lobby. It turned out that patients, for whom the monks and nuns from three congregations delivered personal prayers, suffered 18 per cent major post-operative complications like heart attacks and strokes, while those, who did not enjoy any spiritual support, suffered only 13 per cent. The highest rate of post-operative complications was observed among patients, who were told that someone was praying for their health. They suffered 59 per cent post-operative complications like abnormal heart rhythm etc. - while it was only 51 per cent for those, who did not know, if prayers for their recovery were offered or not. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français / Suomi | ||||||
|
| ||||||
|
March for Free Expression grand success A victory for tolerance, reason and freedom
The London March for Free Expression at the Trafalgar Square was held successfully on 25 March 2006. The March was in response to the uproar over cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, which appeared in some European newspapers. The organisations that supported and endorsed the March include Rationalist International, British Humanist Association, Libertarian Alliance, New Humanist, National Secular Society and many others. Click here for the whole article in English / Deutsch / Français |
Sir Isaac Newton
Bangladeshi author and rationalist Taslima Nasrin being attacked during a book release function at Hyderabad.
