http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nJTqNeMNWU
Tariq Ramadan talks to Myriam François-Cerrah.
Category Archives: Secular
France and the veil – the dark side of the law
French anti-veil laws are steeped in racism and have opened the door to abuse against Muslims, argues Valeria Costa-Kostritsky.
Islamophobes protest in Paris
Hundreds of French nationalists have demonstrated in Paris against Islamist extremism, chanting the French anthem and saying the religion has no place in the country.
Protester Romain Cyiril says, “France was always a welcoming country, but for the first time we have to deal with a religion which can’t and doesn’t want to integrate itself.”
‘There’s no God and Islam is evil’ speech earns Richard Dawkins standing ovation
Renowned atheist Professor Richard Dawkins received a surprise standing ovation in the traditionally Christian community of Stornoway last night, following a two-hour speech in which he said there was probably no God.
The 71-year-old described Islam as “one of the great evils of the world” in his lecture, The God Delusion, as part of a rare visit to the Western Isles.
Statue of Christopher Hitchens proposal continues to cause controversy
Last week the Camden New Journal reported that a proposal by the British Humanist Association to erect a statue of the late Christopher Hitchens at Red Lion Square in Holborn had received a less than enthusiastic response from local Labour councillors. This week’s issue includes a range of letters on the controversy.
Row over proposed statue to ‘pro-war Islamophobe’
Labour councillors are blocking plans to honour campaigning journalist Christopher Hitchens with a statue, with one of them branding the late writer as a “pro-war Islamophobe”.
A trail of emails leaked to the New Journal show a sharp exchange between the British Humanist Association (BHA), which wants the statue to be erected in Red Lion Square, Holborn, and politicians representing the ward.
Headscarf debate highlights Russian Muslims’ grievances
A ban on girls wearing the Islamic headscarf to a school in southern Russia has angered Muslims and forced President Vladimir Putin, who has robustly defended the Orthodox Church, to affirm that Russia is a secular state.
Muslims in the town of Kara Tyube in the Stavropol region say the ban on the hijab at School No. 12 forces their children to choose between their religion and a state education.
Hope not hate Norfolk defends democratic right of Nick Griffin admirer to incite hatred against Muslims
The Reverend Alan Clifford of Norwich Reformed Church first came to prominence back in 2004 when the local paper published a front-page article under the headline “I Think Islam Is Evil, Says Pastor”, with the subheading “Church leader backs BNP view on faith”.
The story concerned a letter Clifford had written to the Norwich Evening News declaring his support for the views on Islam expressed by Nick Griffin. The British National Party leader had been exposed in a BBC TV documentary which showed him telling a party meeting that Islam is a “wicked, vicious faith” and accusing Muslims of raping white girls as “part of their plan for conquering countries”. In his letter Clifford said that Islam was indeed an “evil religion” and that Griffin had been correct to describe it as “a monster in our midst”.
Far right and atheists hold small anti-Islam protest in Melbourne
The cancellation of Saturday’s planned rally in Melbourne against Islamophobia didn’t prevent people turning up to denounce Islam. The small anti-Islam protest brought together atheists brandishing signs reading “(Like all religions) Islam is false” and fascist thugs wearing SS insignia. The latter included Nationalist Alternative, a neo-Nazi group who reject opportunist attempts to win popular support by targeting Islam alone and uphold the right of white Australians to abuse and insult Muslims and Jews equally.
Sam Harris defends ‘the freedom to offend an imaginary God’
Sam Harris presents his characteristically nuanced thoughts on The Innocence of Muslims and what he terms “the latest wave of Muslim hysteria and violence”. He writes:
“Consider what is actually happening: Some percentage of the world’s Muslims – Five percent? Fifteen? Fifty? It’s not yet clear – is demanding that all non-Muslims conform to the strictures of Islamic law.”