Category: In the News

News articles

In the News: The Kazimierz Łyszczyński Foundation denounces the Polish Catholic Church and its Thugs

Declaration of the KLF in Defense of Freedom of Artistic Creation, Kazimierz Łyszczyński Foundation, 2017-04-26 The Kazimierz Łyszczyński Foundation protests the recent attack on freedom of speech, artistic expression and art in Poland for religious reasons. After a long campaign

In the News: A Universalist Secular Movement in Morocco

Un mouvement universaliste et laïque au Maroc (A universalist, secular movement in Morocco), Rose St-Pierre, L’AUT’JOURNAL, 2017-04-18 Click to view full size A courageous young atheist woman Ibtissame Lachgar, is co-founder (along with Zineb El Rhazoui formerly of Charlie Hebdo)

In the News: Laval University Pushes Religious Propaganda

Contre le prosélytisme religieux à l’Université Laval (Against Religious Proselytism at Laval University), Claude Simard, Le Devoir, 2017-04-22 The Faculty of Theology and Religious Sciences of Laval University in Quebec City has announced the establishment of a new professorship in

In the News: EU Court: Employers May Ban Religious Symbols

Top EU court rules employers have right to ban religious symbols, France24, 2017-03-14 Private employers may bar staff from wearing Islamic headscarves and other visible religious symbols under certain conditions, the European Union’s top court ruled on Tuesday. In its

In the News: Play “Djihad” Censored in Quebec City

Lever la censure sur la pièce «Djihad» (Lift the censorship of the play “Djihad”), Djemila Benhabib, Le Devoir, 2017-03-13 The Belgian play “Djihad” by Ismaël Saïdi, which deals with the issue of Islamist radicalization among youth in Brussels, has been

In the News: Montreal Police Investigating Imams

Montreal police investigating imams for controversial comments, Shuyee Lee, iHeart Radio, 2017-03-10 Montreal police are investigating controversial comments made by Montreal imams at a mosque in St. Laurent captured in YouTube videos. The 2014 videos were posted by a member

In the News: Georges Bensoussan Acquitted

French Jewish Historian Cleared Of Anti-Muslim Hate Speech, Cnaan Liphshiz, Forward, 2017-03-08. A French court acquitted the Jewish historian Georges Bensoussan of hate speech charges over his assertion that Arabs receive anti-Semitism with their “mother’s milk.” […] Bensoussan, a scholar

In the News: Quebec City Hospital Restores Crucifix

After outcry, Quebec hospital restores crucifix taken down in interest of ‘religious neutrality’, Graeme Hamilton, National Post, 2017-03-01 After a patient complained last month about the presence of a large crucifix on the wall of the publicly funded Saint-Sacrament Hospital

In the News: US Law Protects Nonbelievers

H.R.1150 – Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, Congress of the USA, 2016-12-16 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) to state in the congressional findings that the freedom of thought and religion

In the News: Victory for Djemila!

The Quebec Superior Court rejects the suit against Djemila Benhabib. École musulmane de Montréal c. Benhabib, Carole HALLÉE, J.C.S., Decision of the Quebec Superior Court, 2016-12-13 Judge Carole Hallée concluded that EMM failed to show that prejudice or damage had

In the News: The Quebec Council on the Status of Women Proposes Revision of the ERC Program

L’école participe à l’inégalité des sexes, selon le Conseil du statut de la femme (Schools Contribute to Gender Inequality, says the Council on the Status of Women), Patricia Cloutier, Le Soleil, 2016-12-07 The Quebec Council on the Status of Women

In the News: The Netherlands Bans the Full Veil

France, Belgique, Bulgarie et maintenant Pays-Bas… ces pays d’Europe qui ont interdit le voile intégral, ceux qui s’y refusent (France, Belgium, Bulgaria and now the Netherlands… European countries which have banned the full veil, and those that have not), Simon

In the News: Researchers Critize SHERPA Study

Le rôle de la religion dans la radicalisation menant à la violence (The Role of Religion in Radicalization Leading to Violence), Marie Lamensch et al., Huffington Post Québec, 2016-11-23 The authors of the above article (Marie Lamensch of the The

In the News: The Trial of Djemila Benhabib opens Monday September 26th 2016 in Montreal

In an interview published in a Belgian magazine, on the eve of the opening of her court case for defamation, the writer and secular activist warns us of the dangers posed by political Islam. Djemila Benhabib : « Nous faisons face au

In the News: RCMP Approves Uniform with Hijab

RCMP Approves Hijab As Part Of Mounties’ Uniform, Mohamed Omar, Huffington Post Canada, 2016-08-24 Sixteen years after the RCMP let Sikh officers wear a turban, it’s now allowing Muslim Mounties to wear a hijab as part of their uniform. Global

In the News: In Morocco, Burkini Ban at the Pool, No Problem

Piscine et burkini au Maroc (Swimming pool and burkini in Morocco), Marc First, Dernières Nouvelles Alsace, 2016-08-27 Click to view full size Entrance to swimming pool in Morocco The ban which causes such contention in France seems to be accepted

In the News: Defend Salman Rushdie Against Iranian Fatwa and Bounty

In Defence of Salman Rushdie, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB), 2016-02-25 We […] are outraged to learn that forty state-run media outlets in Iran have raised $600,000 (£420,000) to add as bounty to Ayatollah Khomeini’s death fatwa on the

In the News: U.S. House Resolution 569 Condemns Anti-Muslim Bigotry

A resolution recently introduced into the United States House of Representatives condemns “violence, bigotry, and hateful rhetoric towards Muslims.” H.Res.569 – Condemning violence, bigotry, and hateful rhetoric towards Muslims in the United States., 114th Congress, 1st Session, 2015-12-17 RESOLUTION Condemning

In the News: End of Blasphemy Ban in Alsace-Moselle

The French Ministry of Justice has just ruled that the ban on blasphemy in the eastern region of Alsace-Moselle—which includes the three departements of Moselle, Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin—is no longer in effect. Although the blasphemy ban was repealed in France

In the News: Charlie Hebdo Marks Anniversary of Attack

Charlie Hebdo anniversary edition cover released: ‘the assassin is still out there’, The Guardian, 2016-01-04 French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo will mark a year since an attack on its offices with a cover featuring a bearded man representing God with

In the News: Anti-Radicalization Centre Dismisses Researcher

The Centre for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence (Centre de prévention de la radicalisation menant à la violence or CPRMV) has dismissed one of its researchers because of the tendentious nature of an article he coauthored in a

In the News: New Zealand Approves Pastafarian Marriage

New Zealand: Pastafarian marriage ceremonies approved, BBC News, 2015-12-16 Members of the church call themselves Pastafarians and believe that the world was created by an airborne spaghetti and meatballs-based being, although its own website notes that some followers consider it

In the News: Negative Correlation between Religiosity and Altruism in Children

A recently published study indicates that children of religious parents are not more altruistic then children of atheists. Indeed, they are apparently less so. The Negative Association between Religiousness and Children’s Altruism across the World, Jean Decety et al., Current

In the News: For ISIS, The Theology of Rape, an Act of Religious Devotion

ISIS Enshrines a Theology of Rape, Rukmini Callimachi, 2015-08-13 Claiming the Quran’s support, the Islamic State codifies sex slavery in conquered regions of Iraq and Syria and uses the practice as a recruiting tool. […] The systematic rape of women

In the News: Top European Court Upholds Headscarf Ban

Top European court upholds France’s headscarf ban, Deutsche Welle, 2015-11-26 The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favor of a hospital in France, which had enforced a ban on headscarves at work. The court said the ban did