Category: Religion

“Illegal Mingling”: Seventy-Five Year Old Woman Sentenced to 40 Lashes and Jail for Merely Speaking With Two Young Men

300px-fomfr_whipKhamisa Sawadi, 75, is a Syrian widow of a Saudi man still living in the Kingdom. She has been sentenced to 40 lashes and four months in jail for simply being seen speaking with two young men who are not her relatives. After being flogged and jailed, she will then be deported for the crime under Sharia law. She was convicted of “illegal mingling.”

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Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls Emails? Lawyer Charged With Impersonating NYU Professor

golbsmalllhsA lawyer is in the midst of a bizarre case that intersects criminal law and academia. Raphael Golb, 49, is accused of impersonating a rival of his father, Norman Golb, a leading expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and University of Chicago professor. Norman Golb (left) is the author of “Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?” and is a rival of NYU Professor Lawrence Schiffman (right).

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Iranian Justice: Eight Women Face Stoning Deaths for Adultery

250px-flag_of_iransvgIran is reportedly preparing for the possible stoning to death of as many as eight women for adultery in its medieval legal system. In one case involving a woman, Ashraf Kalhori, who was accused of both adultery and taking part in the murder of her husband. In Iran, she faced 15 years for the murder, but a stoning death for the adultery.

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Seasoning with the Saints: “Blessed Christian Salt” Challenges Kosher Salt for the Palates of the Faithful

christian-blessed-saltChristians it appears have been fuming every time that they go into a store and see Kosher salt but look endlessly and unsuccessfully for the Christian salt. Enter former barber Joe Godlewski. Godlewski does not just share God’s moniker, he became God’s instrument in creating “Blessed Christian Salt,” sea salt blessed by an Episcopalian priest.
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California Supreme Court Appears Ready to Uphold Proposition 8 And Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

flag-rainbow1In another blow for same-sex marriage advocates, the oral arguments before the California Supreme Court yesterday indicated that the majority will uphold controversial Proposition 8 and its ban on same-sex marriage.

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DWF: Driving While Female in Saudi Arabia

150px-muslim_woman_in_yemenThe Saudi police had their version of a high-profile chase scene this week in Mecca. The culprit? A woman driving. Yes, police spotted an actual woman behind the wheel of a car, which is expressly forbidden under the country’s medieval laws. What followed was an effort by the woman to escape, a small crash, and her arrest.

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Malaysian Catholic Paper Wins Right to Use Word “Allah”

125px-flag_of_malaysiasvgThe Herald Newspaper of Malaysia has reportedly prevailed in its long battle with the government to be able to use the word “Allah” in its Catholic publication. However, the government insists that it must state clearly on the front cover “For Christians.”

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Orthodox Jewish Sex Offender Prevails In Seeking to Live Near Synagogue

yoelobrYoel Oberlander, a convicted sex offender, has succeeded in challenging prohibitions on where he is allowed to live under a local law that created “pedophile-free child safety zones” in the county after 15 locations were rejected by the probation office. Oberlander previously lost a case in which he argued that prohibitions were unconstitutional because as an Orthodox Jew he needed to be walking distance from a synagogue.
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Supreme Court Rules Against Religious Display in Public Park

180px-rembrandt_harmensz_van_rijn_079The Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that a small religious group cannot force a city in Utah to place a granite marker in a local park. The park in Pleasant Grove Utah already contains a Ten Commandments display. Associate Justice Samuel Alito wrote the opinion.

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Pray or Pay: Georgia Woman Runs Over Boyfriend for Not Going to Church

thumb_praying_handsIn the same week that a father stabbed his son in church for failing to take off his hat, a Georgia woman reportedly ran over her boyfriend because she thought that he wanted to skip church to visit with another woman. Annie Knox of Athens-Clark has been charged with aggravated assault.

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