Bad news – the Lahore High Court has upheld the death penalty for Asia Bibi for “blasphemy.”
Asia Bibi, a mother of five, has been on death row since November 2010 after she was found guilty of making derogatory remarks about [the prophet] during an argument with a Muslim woman.
She probably didn’t even do it – anything that even theocrats could call blasphemy. It appears to be just something some people said because they don’t like her. [Read more…]
In Bahrain, a woman can be and is arrested for tearing up a photograph of the king. HRW reports.
A Bahraini rights activist jailed for ripping up a photo of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in court on October 14, 2014, should be released immediately. Bahrain should drop all freedom-of-expression related charges against the activist, Zainab al-Khawaja, who is eight months pregnant and has been charged with insulting the king. [Read more…]
Anita Sarkeesian explained to the Salt Lake Tribune what she has already explained to everyone else: that she decided not to give the talk at Utah State not because of the threats but because the response was inadequate.
In a phone interview from San Francisco, Anita Sarkeesian said she canceled Wednesday’s lecture not because of three death threats — one of which promised “the deadliest school shooting in American history” — but because firearms would be allowed in spite of the threats. [Read more…]
Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon ponders the fact that gun rights are allowed to trump public safety.
It’s about living in a country in which the right to carry around a weapon takes priority over the privilege of being able to stand up in a crowd and not worry about being murdered.
That’s the United States – where public speaking is dangerous but carrying a gun is cherished and protected. [Read more…]
Good grief. I didn’t know this part: Anita Sarkeesian tweeted 16 hours ago:
Feminist Frequency @femfreq · 16h
USU acted irresponsibly. They did not even inform me of the threat. I learned about it via news stories on Twitter after I landed in Utah.
Holy shit. They can’t ban guns at her event, and they didn’t inform her of the threat.
I’m reeling.
Some Harvard Law School professors don’t like Harvard’s recently installed sexual harassment policy. The Harvard Crimson reports:
“Harvard has adopted procedures for deciding cases of alleged sexual misconduct which lack the most basic elements of fairness and due process, are overwhelmingly stacked against the accused, and are in no way required by Title IX law or regulation,” the professors—21 men and seven women—wrote.
Mark Driscoll has resigned as pastor and elder and grand poobah of Mars Hill Church.
Religion News Service has his resignation letter.
I readily acknowledge I am an imperfect messenger of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many things I have confessed and repented of, privately and publicly, as you are well aware. Specifically, I have confessed to past pride, anger and a domineering spirit. [Read more…]
Yup, that’s what he says, at 5:45:
That’s why I’m writing a book with Maajid Nawaz, that’s why I give money to his organization.
Well all right then. That could do some good. It will boost Maajid’s visibility, and it will probably inform Sam Harris.
Well this is a new angle – although so far I’ve found only angry Islamist sources for it, but they say it’s in a segment on CNN. The claim is that Sam Harris is writing a book with Maajid Nawaz, and that he gives money to the Quilliam Foundation. If that’s true, well, that’s good news.
Here’s the awful 5pillarz on the subject:
The prominent Islamophobe Sam Harris has revealed that he is writing a book with Maajid Nawaz and that he’s giving money to the Quilliam Foundation. [Read more…]
The UK’s National Union of Students recently refused to condemn IS because to do so would be Islamophobic. Or rather, “””Islamophobic””” – one set of scare quotes isn’t sarcastic enough.
Hand-wringing delegates at the NUS blocked a vote to show solidarity with Iraqi Kurds and condemn Islamic State militants because they say it’s “Islamophobic”. [Read more…]