Censorship in the Islamic World, Through the Eyes of Journalist Jessica Davey-Quantick (Josh Zepps, Point of Inquiry)

We know more and more about how repressive attitudes about blasphemy and religious criticism in parts of the Islamic world can become explosive, as with the Charlie Hebdo attacks or the murder of secularist bloggers in Bangladesh. But these extreme instances don’t tell the whole story.

This week our guest is Jessica Davey-Quantick, who spent several years in Qatar as a reporter and editor for Qatar Happening and Time Out Doha. She experienced first hand the often laughable degrees of arbitrary censorship and cultural oppression, and simultaneously the liberty with which certain members of society could behave as they pleased. She discovered a world that both reinforced and contradicted commonly held beliefs about the restrictiveness of the culture of Islam in the Gulf States, and wrote about her experiences in a recent article at Vox.

She and host Josh Zepps discuss the problems with how we discuss cultures outside our own, the ways religion is intertwined with repressive norms, and how we might hold a mirror up to our own practices.
Interview:
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/censorship_in_the_islamic_world_through_the_eyes_of_journalist_jessica_dave/

Freedom From Religion: Rethinking Article 18 (Freedom From Religion Foundation, Forethought Radio)

FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel tells us about our exciting new federal court victory stopping school-board prayer in California. We announce FFRF’s newest lawsuit challenging Texas Governor Gregg Abbot’s censorship of our “Bill of Rights” nativity display. After hearing Lena Horne sing the irreverent Yip Harburg song, “Ain’t It The Truth?”, we talk with Australian author Meg Wallace about hew new book, Freedom From Religion: Rethinking Article 18, suggesting how the U.N. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” can be improved to strengthen secular government.
Interview:
http://ffrf.org/news/radio/shows/#sthash.JCcZLdzv.dpuf
http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/4/3/e/43e2e376f90e8104/FTradio_513_022716.mp3?c_id=11020920&expiration=1456761679&hwt=2f7e634745209a84cb36b386aeee7b16

Pride Goeth: The Arrogance Of The Public School Proselytizers

Public school teacher-preachers believe that they know better than you what’s best for your children.....

https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/pride-goeth-the-arrogance-of-the-public-school-proselytizers

President Obama: Religious freedom keeps us strong (RNS EXCLUSIVE – COMMENTARY)

First, at a time when others are trying to divide us along religious lines, we have to reaffirm that most fundamental truth — that we are all God’s children, all born equal with inherent dignity. Mere tolerance of different religions is not enough. Our faiths summon us to actively embrace our common humanity...
http://www.religionnews.com/2016/02/06/president-obama-religious-freedom-keeps-us-strong-rns-exclusive-commentary/

High-Flying Hothead?: Federal Court Says There’s No Religious Freedom Right To Insubordination

Wilson, a Mormon, read an article about the ceremony taking place at West Point’s chapel and got so worked up that he decided to email the Academy’s Commandant of Cadets to protest it.
... Read more

Comforting Thoughts (Freethought Radio)

We start the show talking about three recent movies with freethought connections. Then we ask, "How do atheists deal with death?” Greta Christina tells us about her new book, Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing To Do About God. Then we talk with Barbara Mancini, who was arrested and prosecuted for handing her terminally ill 93-yr-old father prescribed medicine that he requested, a charge of "assisted suicide" that was religiously and politically motivated, and ultimately dismissed.
Interview:
http://ffrf.libsyn.com/comforting-thoughts

Toward True Religious Freedom

The Orwellian named in Religious Freedom Restoration Act Indiana looks like it is about to become the law of the land. The gist of this act is that it...  Read more

Does ‘religious freedom’ give Tanzanian witchdoctors the right to murder albinos?

At least 75 Tanzanians with albinism have been killed in the past 15 years. Why? Because they are the ghosts of colonialists. Because their mothers cheated on their fathers with white men. Because their body parts are magical...
- See more at: http://brianpellot.religionnews.com/2015/03/13/religious-freedom-give-tanzanian-witchdoctors-right-murder-albinos/#sthash.C2dOmgGq.dpuf

The whole world says hunger is an outrage -- everyone except...

Once upon a time, 180 nations of the world voted that hunger is an outrage and a violation of human dignity. One nation voted against all the rest. Guess who was that one.

Here is a hint, an excerpt from the United Nations General Assembly report:

Draft resolution XX on the right to food, approved on 24 November by a recorded vote of 180 in favour to 1 against ( United States), with no abstentions, would have the Assembly reaffirm that hunger constitutes an outrage and a violation of human dignity, requiring the adoption of urgent measures at the national, regional and international level, for its elimination.

And elsewhere in the document, there are these details:

By a vote of 180 in favour to 1 against (United States) and no abstentions, the Committee also approved a resolution on the right to food, by which the Assembly would “consider it intolerable” that more than 6 million children still died every year from hunger-related illness before their fifth birthday, and that the number of undernourished people had grown to about 923 million worldwide, at the same time that the planet could produce enough food to feed 12 billion people, or twice the world’s present population. (See Annex III.)

By the terms of the text, the Assembly would express concern that, in many countries, girls were twice as likely as boys to die from malnutrition and childhood diseases and that twice as many women as men were estimated to suffer from malnutrition. Accordingly, it would have the Assembly encourage all States to take action to address gender inequality and discrimination against women, including through measures to ensure that women had equal access to resources, including income, land and water, so as to enable them to feed themselves and their families. By further terms of the draft, the Assembly would urge Member States to promote and protect the rights of indigenous people, who have expressed in different forums their deep concerns over the obstacles and challenges faced in the full enjoyment of the right to food.

After the vote, the representative of the United States said he was unable to support the text because he believed the attainment of the right to adequate food was a goal that should be realized progressively. In his view, the draft contained inaccurate textual descriptions of underlying rights.

The Committee also approved a draft resolution on the rights of the child by a vote of 180 in favour to one against ( United States), with no abstentions. Among other things, that omnibus text would call upon States to create an environment conducive to the well-being of all children, including by strengthening international cooperation in regard to the eradication of poverty, the right to education, the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, and the right to food.

Now, tell that part again about how people don't like us because they don't like our freedoms. And explain to me how the party that has been in power is a pro-life party. Well, actually, save your breath -- I don't want to hear it. Actions speak louder than words.