The Iranian courts have produced their weekly outrage. The leading blogger in Iran, Hossein Derakhshan, 35, was sentenced to 19 1/2 years in prison for his writings. Derakhshan was the founder of one of the first Farsi-language blogs and helped instruct others in how to create their own blogs. The authoritarian regime views such blogs as a threat to its control over the population.
Continue reading “Iran Sentences Leading Blogger To Almost 20 Years in Prison”
Category: Religion
Dalai Lama has given researchers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison a donation of $50,000 to study happiness. Once again, I remain unclear why I am not the recipient of such academic grants. I could show that giving me just $25,000 would produce considerable happiness.
Continue reading “Hello Dalai: Spiritual Leader Hands Out $50,000 To Study Happiness”
This video is making the rounds of a preacher who “installs” a new hip for this woman with the magic words “bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.”
Continue reading “Who Needs Surgery? Bam, Bam, Bam, You Have A New Hip”
The Washington Post is reporting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered to extend a freeze on new settlements in exchange for the release of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. It is an astonishing offer, if true, since the settlements have long been a major barrier to peace negotiations but under this deal would be frozen in exchange for a spy’s release. It would seem to undermine the substantive arguments in favor of such settlements.
Continue reading “Report: Israel Offers To Extend Freeze on Settlements in Return for The Release of Convicted Spy Jonathan Pollard”
It has become almost a mantra in contemporary news articles: a minister who preached against homosexuality accused of hidden homosexual relationships. In the case of Atlanta-based megachurch pastor Eddie Long (shown here in a past sermon), he is by last count accused in three lawsuits by young men who claim that they came to him for spiritual help and were used for his sexual pleasures.
Continue reading “Three Former Male Church Members Sue Megachurch Pastor Eddie Long For Sexual Harassment”
In what is believed to be the action of Hamas gunmen, the popular “Crazy Water” park in Gaza was burned down by 25 assailants who beat the security guards before torching the popular entertainment site.
Continue reading “Extremists in Gaza Burn “Crazy Water” Park For Allowing The Mixing of Men and Women”
The Montana Republican Party has adopted its official platform, which contains a standout provision: a call to criminalize homosexuality.
Continue reading “Montana GOP Reaffirms Position on Criminalizing Homosexuality”
The Dove World Outreach Center (DWOC), headed by Rev. Terry Jones has already triggered violence internationally with its promise this weekend to burn copies of the Koran (Qu’ran) and prompted our military commander in Iraq to speak out that such a hateful act would put the lives of U.S. soldiers in jeopardy. Jones, however, is unmoved and is willing to sacrifice someone’s son or daughter for his publicity stunt. Now, we are learning how really creepy this group is.
Continue reading “Creepier Than Thou: Questions Raised About Koran Burning Church”
Senior Iranian cleric, Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, has denounced the Holocaust of Jews as nothing more than a “superstition” of the West. The cleric insists “[t]he Holocaust is nothing but superstition, but Zionists say that people of the world should be forced to accept this.”
Continue reading “Iranian Senior Cleric Calls Holocaust a “Superstition””
The world has rallied to the defense of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. We have been following the case closely on this blog with a mix of both horror and anger. However, the Iranians continue to yield to their bloodlust over her fate, even recently calling for the death of the French First Lady after she called for mercy. Now, the regime is again applying Sharia law and Mohammadi-Ashtiani, 43, was given 99 lashes because a picture was published of her without her veil.
Continue reading “Iran Reportedly Gives Mohammadi-Ashtiani 99 Lashes for an English Photo Without a Headscarf”
Iranian authorities are seeking a potential death sentence for a human rights activist and journalist, Shiva Nazar-Ahari, 26, for the crime of “warring against God.” Since the regime views itself as the expression of Allah’s will on Earth, Sharia law allows virtually any opposition to the government to constitute “warring against God” in the twisted logic of the Iranian regime.
Continue reading “Warring Against God: Human Rights Activist and Journalist Tried Under Sharia Law”
The Iranian Kayhan daily, a powerful state-run newspaper, has not only called French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy a “prostitute” but called for her death. The reason: her support for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman convicted of adultery and sentenced to be stoned to death.
Continue reading “Iranian State-Run Paper Calls For Death of French First Lady”
Australian Muslim cleric Feiz Muhammad has called for the beheading of Dutch politician Geert Wilders. WIlders’ Freedom Party has been rising in popularity and will likely participate in the new Dutch government. Wilder is a critic of Muslim immigrations into his country.
Continue reading “Muslim Cleric Calls For Beheading of Dutch Politician Wilders”
In the wake of the controversy of a powerful Rabbi calling for a plague to kill all Palestinians before the start of negotiations between Israel and Palestine, Hamas has found its own way of contributing to the peace process by killing four Israeli settlers, including a pregnant woman. Hamas called the murders an “heroic operation.”
Continue reading “Hamas Kills Four Israelis (Including Pregnant Woman) on Eve of Negotiations”
According to a recent poll, sixty percent of Americans view Sarah Palin as unqualified to be President while a huge seventy percent lack confidence in her. My favorite aspect of the poll is that two percent believe she is a Muslim.
Continue reading “Sixty Percent of Americans View Palin As Unqualified To Be President — Two Percent Say She Is A Muslim”