Category Archives: Human Rights

The Ahmadiyyah Movement: Not so moderate

By Ziryab | Published: September 3, 2010
This is a guest post by Raziq Followers of the Ahmadiyya movement (known as Ahmadis) are often victims of religious bigotry. They have long been popular targets of religious extremists and have suffered a great deal, especially in Pakistan where they have been continuously persecuted.  Like most commentators on this site I utterly deplore such actions [...]
Also posted in Activism, Antisemitism, Freedom of Religion, Israel/Palestine, Sectarianism | Leave a comment

religious people need to recommit to and engage with critical thinking

By bananabrain | Published: August 23, 2010
following an unusually thoughtful broadcast last week by richard dawkins (he’s obviously trying to take on board how much his militancy turns people off by some of the pleas he made on behalf of sacred texts as fine language, cultural literacy and so on) i am grappling again with some of the issues raised by [...]
Also posted in Anti Muslim bigotry, Antisemitism, Blogosphere, Christian Evangelical Nutters, Democracy, Exegesis, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Religion, Hate Speech, Hermeneutics, Interfaith, Islamism, Jewish Extremism | 16 Comments

Veiled Values

By Guest | Published: August 9, 2010
This is a cross-post by Kenan Malik In his bestselling book America Alone, the Canadian writer Mark Steyn fantasises about the state of Europe in 2020. The Islamists have stormed to power right across the continent. No English pub can sell alcohol. Holland’s gay clubs have been relocated to San Francisco. And every French woman is [...]
Also posted in Anti Muslim bigotry, Fashion, Feminism, Freedom of Religion, Identity Politics, Islamism, Moral relativism, Multiculturalism, Secularism | 15 Comments

Is this the “counter-Enlightenment”?

By bananabrain | Published: August 6, 2010
i’ve not posted for a while, mostly because of pressure of work, but there are a number of things which are currently causing me to more or less lose sleep. recently, i gave up posting on pickled politics, partly because of the level of personal animosity i was facing, but mostly just in frustration at my [...]
Also posted in Anti Fascism, Anti Muslim bigotry, Antisemitism, Blogosphere, Christian Evangelical Nutters, Civil Rights, Democracy, Entryism, European Fascism, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Religion, Identity Politics, Interfaith, Islamism, Jewish Extremism, Moral relativism, Multiculturalism, Obscurantism, Sectarianism, Secularism, The Far Left, The Regressive Left, UK Politics | 37 Comments

Jamaat Leaders Arrested For Genocide

By Guest | Published: July 31, 2010
This is a cross-post by Tendance Coatesy The International Crimes Tribunal yesterday issued arrest warrants against already detained four Jamaat-e-Islami leaders on charges of committing genocide and crimes against humanity and peace during the Liberation War. “Warrants of arrest should be issued against these four people to ensure effective and proper investigation,” Tribunal Chairman Justice Nizamul Huq [...]
Also posted in Islamism | 51 Comments

When Tariq Met Mona

By Faisal | Published: July 21, 2010
Take a look at the video of the fascinating discussion on the banning of the niqab which saw the Mona Eltahawy, British-Egyptian feminist take on Tariq Ramadan’s dishonest dissembling. The debate was electric, not least because this is probably one of the only times you will ever hear the “Muslim right wing” as a stakeholder in [...]
Also posted in Islamism | 12 Comments

Holding dear the universalist agenda of Human Rights

By Guest | Published: July 18, 2010
This is a cross-post by Joseph Mathai from Himal Southasian Gita Sahgal was suspended from her post as head of the gender unit of Amnesty International consequent to a Sunday Times article published in 7 February 2010. In this article Sahgal expressed her discomfort with the Amnesty International’s collaboration with Moazzam Beg, a former inmate at [...]
Also posted in Islamism | Leave a comment

Human Rights Watch apologises to Peter Tatchell

By admin | Published: June 30, 2010
This is a Press Release from Peter Tatchell “Inappropriate, disparaging, inaccurate, condemnatory and intemperate personal attacks,” acknowledges HRW “Apology accepted, let’s move on and work together,” urges Peter Tatchell London – 30 June 2010 Human Rights Watch (HRW) has made a full and unreserved apology to human rights rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. The apology has been made by HRW’s Executive [...]
Also posted in Defamation | Leave a comment

Sing When You’re Losing!

By Effendi | Published: June 10, 2010
Sunny Hundal is overjoyed. Evidently Amnesty International have published a report detailing their human rights activism in Afghanistan. Hundal seems to be suggesting that publication of this report legitimises Amnesty UK’s partnership with the jihadi pressure group Cageprisoners: Wait! I thought they were in league?? I’m getting all confused here, because according to certain defenders of human [...]
Also posted in Islamism, Moral relativism | 2 Comments

If a tree falls in the forest, does Pakistan have any liberals?

By Faisal | Published: June 9, 2010
Declan Walsh provides superb background on the social and religious inequities, marginalisation and oppression historically suffered by Pakistan’s Ahmadi community. He presses home a point that I made here. On the complete silence that followed the massacre of more than 100 Ahmadi worshippers in 2 mosques in Lahore, in contrast to the “tsunami of outrage” of [...]
Also posted in Freedom of Religion | 7 Comments