It appears that women in Saudi Arabia will soon be denied the right to work out in athletic clubs. Saudi officials have decided that there is only authority for men’s clubs to be operated and regulated in the Kingdom. Due to the strict separation of men and women, various clubs have started to tailor to women and those clubs now appear close to a shutdown.
Continue reading “No Spinning Zone: Saudi Female Athletic Clubs To Be Shutdown”
The citizens of Berlin rejected calls from the Pope, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and others to allow religious classes to be substituted for compulsory ethics classes. It is a victory for those of us who have decried the loss of civics education and the increasing integration of religious training in public education. The campaign was led by a group called Pro Reli — “Reli” is the street name for religious classes.
Continue reading “Reli Bad Idea: Berliners Reject Substitution of Religious Classes for Civics Classes”
Recently, I wrote a column on how the West has used hate crime laws to create a Western version of blasphemy prosecutions in the Middle East. Finland has now added to the list of countries charging people with blasphemy. Helsinki city councilman, Jussi Halla-aho was charged with blasphemy and incitement of an ethnic-group for publishing on his blog that Islam’s prophet was a pedophile. Mohammad is often accused of being a pedophile due to his marriage to 6-year-old Aisha, which was consummated when she was 9.
Continue reading “Finland Prosecutes Politician for Blasphemy in Calling Mohammad a Pedophile”
The trial of Mazoltuv Borukhova and Mikhail Mallayev end with criminal sentences of life without parole for the gunning down of Dr. Borukhova’s estranged husband, Daniel Malakov, 34, in front of their 4-year-old daughter in a playground. The trial was filled with references to religion and the Jewish faith.
Continue reading “New York Murder Trial Ends With a Flurry of Religious References”
A Jewish professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara has been accused of anti-Semitism for material that he shared with his students in a course on sociology and globalization. The material critical of Israel led to two students dropping the course and charges filed against Professor William I. Robinson.
Continue reading “Jewish Professor in California Accused of Anti-Semitism”
There is double indemnity and then there is double depravity. Baltimore Pastor Kevin Jerome Pushia, 32, is accused in a shocking criminal conspiracy. He allegedly befriended a blind and disabled man, Lemuel Wallace, as part of his work with developmentally disabled people at his church, The Arc of Baltimore. He then allegedly used church funds to hire a hit man to kill him and collect on life insurance money. Police say that he has confessed to the conspiracy.
Continue reading “Pastor Pushia Confesses to Using Church Funds to Hire Hitman to Kill Blind, Disabled Man for Insurance Money”
There is an interesting account out of Waco, Texas where Bill Nye “The Science Guy” was booed for saying that the Moon does not generate it own light — in contradiction to the Bible. This will likely end any dream of Nye to open a new Bill Nye “The Religion Guy” line of products. The speech reportedly occurred in 2006 but the controversy was rekindled after critics cried foul at the removal of the story from the local newspaper’s online archive.
At a time when the Harman scandal is focusing attention on the power of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Congress, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is quoted in his very first interview on foreign policy as saying “Believe me, America accepts all our decisions.”
Continue reading “Israeli Foreign Minister: The United States Does What Israel Decides Should Be Done”
For civil libertarians, this story is proof of a divine being. Rep. Jane Harman has long been criticized for her knowledge of the unlawful warrantless surveillance program and torture program. The democrats have blocked any investigation into the unlawful programs in part to protect democratic members like Harman who would be implicated. Now, it has been reported that Harman was captured on an NSA surveillance allegedly cutting a deal with a suspected Israeli agent to help reduce charges against two officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee. Harman allegedly offered the help in exchange for AIPAC securing her the position as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. According to CQ, Harman offers to “waddle into” the AIPAC case in exchange for help securing the Chairmanship. Harman reportedly ended the call with the suspected spy with the warning “This conversation doesn’t exist.”
Aisha al-Hamzi, 40, was executed by firing squad in Yemen for the murder of her husband. She insisted that she killed her husband after he molested their oldest daughter, who is now 14. Notably, she would have been spared if any of her seven children asked for a pardon. Critics blame the husband’s family for pressuring the children in their control not to ask for a pardon. In the meantime, another woman was executed by beheading in Saudi Arabia.
Continue reading “Mother Shot By Firing Squad After Children Refuse to Ask for Pardon”
A Quebec judge has handed down a curious ruling is dismissing a 13-year-old Sikh boy who was charged with brandishing his ceremonial dagger or Kirpan and a large pin in school. Youth court judge Gilles Ouellet ruled that, while there was evidence to convict the boy, “If the three boys had the same nationality, and the same faith, this case would not have ended up before the court.” What exactly does that mean?
Continue reading “Sikh Teenager Cleared in School Assault With Kirpan and Long Pin”
There is an interesting slip and fall case out of New York. Peggy Egar alleged that injured on March 31, 2003 at 12:00 P.M., when she tripped and fell down at the ramp of the Hospital’s teaching center located at 327 Beach 19th Street, Far Rockaway, New York. Despite an incident the prior year, the court found that there was no constructive notice that the eruv constituted a dangerous condition.
Continue reading “Divine Slip and Fall: Court Rejects Fallen Wire of Jewish Eruv as Dangerous Condition”
An American journalist Roxana Saberi, 31, has been convicted of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison after a closed door trial.
Continue reading “American Journalist Roxana Saberi Given Eight Year Sentence in Iran”
The President of Paraguay Fernando Lugo is facing an interesting paternity lawsuit. It is bad enough when your country’s president is charged with fathering a child with a then 16 year old girl. It is even worse if you were the Catholic Bishop Fernando Lugo at the time.
Continue reading “Father of His Church and Country: Paraguay President Sued in Paternity Action”
We have another teacher fired for her private lifestyle and activities. Carlie Beck was fired from her job as cheerleading coach at Casa Roble High School in the San Juan Unified School District after she posed nude for Playboy under the name Carlie Christine.
Continue reading “Model Teacher: High School Coach Fired for Posing for Playboy”