The Iraqi parliament votes to ban the sale, import and production of alcohol, arguing that its availability is unconstitutional.
Iraq alcohol: Parliament imposes ban in a surprise move – BBC News
Sigh…
Category: Religion,
Christian Terrorists Arrested In Plot To Bomb Muslims
Domestic terrorists in Kansas charged with plotting attack on Muslims.
Christian Terrorists Arrested In Plot To Bomb Muslims
sigh…
Today In Gay History: Gay Activist Pies Anita Bryant In the Face
Defeat never tasted so sweet.
Anita Bryant: “It’s not bad.”
Today In Gay History: Gay Activist Pies Anita Bryant In the Face | Out Magazine
hmmm
A study of medieval rituals in same-sex unions raises a question – what were they solemnizing?
If these words, taken from a manuscript preserved in the Vatican and dating from the year 1147, were for a bride and bridegroom, no one would find them startling: “Send down, most kind Lord, the grace of Thy Holy Spirit upon these Thy servants, whom Thou hast found worthy to be united not by nature but by faith and a holy spirit. Grant unto them Thy grace to love each other in joy without injury or hatred all the days of their lives.”
hmmmm
Chibok schoolgirls ‘swapped for Boko Haram militants’
Twenty-one of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped in 2014 by Islamist militants have been freed, the president’s spokesman confirms.
Chibok schoolgirls ‘swapped for Boko Haram militants’ – BBC News
hmmmm
25 New ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’ Revealed
More than 25 previously unpublished “Dead Sea Scroll” fragments, dating back 2,000 years and holding text from the Hebrew Bible, have been brought to light, their contents detailed in two new books.
25 New ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’ Revealed
hmmm
Poland Parliament rejects near-total abortion ban
Poland’s parliament rejects a citizens’ bill for a near-total ban on abortion, after the government was swayed by nationwide protests on Monday.
Poland abortion: Parliament rejects near-total ban – BBC News
Well done, ladies!
Georgia Pope: Tbilisi stadium largely empty for papal Mass
The Pope says Mass in a largely empty stadium on a visit to Georgia after the majority Orthodox Christian Church asks followers to stay away.
…The Orthodox patriarchate said on its website: “As long as there are dogmatic differences between our churches, Orthodox believers will not participate in their prayers”.
One Georgian priest told AP it was a protest against Catholic attempts to convert Orthodox Christians.
“Can you imagine how it would be if a Sunni [Muslim] preacher came to Shia [Muslim] Iran and conducted prayers in a stadium or somewhere else?” Father David Klividze asked. “Such a thing could not be.”
Georgia Pope: Tbilisi stadium largely empty for papal Mass – BBC News
Hmmmm
Pope Francis speaks of the importance of women during mass in Tbilisi
Pope Francis on Saturday conducted a mass on Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in the center of the Georgian capital Tbilisi. In his sermon, the head of the Roman Catholic Church spoke about the importance of women in Georgia, quoting Mother Teresa, who said that more women show more love of God than men do.
hmm
Pope says Christian divisions ‘wound’ the Body of Christ
In Tblisi’s Georgian Orthodox Cathedral, believed to contain the burial spot of Christ’s seamless garment, Pope Francis on Saturday said he historical divisions among Christians today are “the real lacerations” that wound the body of Jesus.
Pope says Christian divisions ‘wound’ the Body of Christ
hmmm
Has Pope Francis Helped Reform the Church?
Readers disagree with an Op-Ed article suggesting that Francis’ papacy has failed.
: Has Pope Francis Helped Reform the Church? – The New York Times
hmmmm
In Georgia, Francis makes veiled criticism of Russian aggression
Pope Francis called for more respect for the “sovereign rights” of nations under international law, on the first stop of a two-day visit to the Caucasus country.
In Georgia, Francis makes veiled criticism of Russian aggression | National Catholic Reporter
hmmm
These Photos Capture The Beauty And Grace Of The World’s First Muslim Hijabi Ballerina
Stephanie Kurlow, growing up in Australia, dreamed of being a ballerina. A convert to Islam, she now dreams of dancing professionally in the hijab.
Ballerina in hijab: Australian teen dancer Stephanie Kurlow – CNN.com
Judging her form from a still is next to impossible so I cannot say if she is any good but she’s found a way to make her dreams and her beliefs work together and that’s always a good thing.
Split Over Donald Trump and Cut Off by Culture Wars, Evangelicals Despair –
The change in America seemed to happen so quickly that it felt like whiplash, the Odgaards said. One day they felt comfortably situated in the American majority, as Christians with shared beliefs in God, family and the Bible. They had never even imagined that two people of the same sex could marry.
(Psssst, having well-funded PACS does not make you the majority. If you confuse being the loudest and living in a bubble with blinders on with being the majority… Well, you’re deluded.)
The case was settled in arbitration, and the Odgaards had to pay $5,000 to Mr. Stafford and Mr. Ellars, which they donated to an anti-bullying program for gay students.
Their wedding was held in a barn, officiated by a minister with the Disciples of Christ church that Mr. Stafford attends. To this day, Mr. Stafford, who is 43 and a business systems analyst, is troubled that the debate over religious liberty appears to be “so one-sided,” he said.
“Their religious beliefs say they don’t approve of gay marriage, but my religious beliefs say that we can,” he said. “Why does their religion trump mine?”
Split Over Donald Trump and Cut Off by Culture Wars, Evangelicals Despair – The New York Times
“Why does their religion trump mine?” Exactly.
Pope Francis’ Vatican commission to train bishops on church sex abuse awareness
Pope Francis created a commission on sex abuse in 2013 to help end the culture of silence…
Pope Francis’ Vatican commission to train bishops on church sex abuse awareness – CBS News
hmm
Chibok girls: Nigeria’s Buhari calls for UN mediation
Nigeria’s president calls for the UN to mediate with militant Islamist group Boko Haram to secure the release of girls it is holding captive.
Chibok girls: Nigeria’s Buhari calls for UN mediation – BBC News
sigh….
Wouldn’t it have been nice if he was so intent on helping these girls and willing to collaborate and cooperate a fucking year ago?
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson delivers incendiary maiden speech to Senate
Greens Senators have walked out of Pauline Hanson’s incendiary first speech to the Senate, where she claimed the nation was “in danger of being swamped by Muslims”.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson delivers incendiary maiden speech to Senate
Unfortunately the US does not have a monopoly on electing backwards, racist, pieces of shit.
Of Arab and Ajam
But the fresh tension in the relationship of the two states practically means that this year Iranians wouldn’t be able to perform Haj, which is one of the fundamental elements and institutions of Islam. The row started with a strong statement by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei with severe criticism of “incompetence of Saudi royal family” in the administration of Haj. The response to his statement came from the Saudi grand mufti who declared the Iranians to be out of Islam. As if this was not enough he also labeled Iranian leadership to be “enemies of Islam”. The gulf between the two countries was never wider than it stands today as both sides are using religion to promote their own hegemony.
hmmmm
Hajj Prep: Search Soul, Buy Sturdy Shoes, Pay the Dentist – The New York Times
“You may get shoved out of the way by a burly Turkish woman,” my brother continued. “A man might think it is his God-given right to pee in front of you. Just be patient and know why you are there in the first place.”
He called a few days later: “Listen, I forgot to tell you something.”“Do your business before you go anywhere,” my brother said, describing how he once had to wait two or three hours to move perhaps 50 yards to a hotel. “Toilets, toilets, be very conscious of where they are and how you can get there.” Diarrhea is an ever-present threat. “You might need to find a quick escape route to a bathroom.”
My father chimed in: “Buy your dates in Taif,” a Saudi city near the holy sites. There, he said, “they only cost a couple of dollars a kilo. If you buy them in Mecca or Medina, it’s around $35 a kilo. Everything is more expensive there.”
And then, Arwa, who made the journey in 2004, refocused me.“The spiritual feeling overtakes” these earthly issues, “the people that rip you off, the men that are sexually assaulting people in front of you,” she wrote on WhatsApp. “It takes over all of that. It’s beautiful and unforgettable.”
Hajj Prep: Search Soul, Buy Sturdy Shoes, Pay the Dentist – The New York Times
Wild.
After Prayer at Hajj, a Universal Treat: Ice Cream
Diaa Hadid, a Times correspondent in Mecca for the hajj, found that frozen desserts and the power of prayer brought pilgrims together.
After Prayer at Hajj, a Universal Treat: Ice Cream – The New York Times
hmmm
Maeril Made A Guide For What To Do When You See Islamophobia And It’s Perfect
Maeril Made A Guide For What To Do When You See Islamophobia And It’s Perfect – BuzzFeed News
It pains me that people need instructions on how not to be an asshole but I guess it is better this comic exists than not…
French police make woman remove clothing on Nice beach following burkini ban | World news | The Guardian
Authorities in 15 towns have banned burkinis, citing public concern following recent terrorist attacks in the country
Photographs have emerged of armed French police confronting a woman on a beach and making her remove some of her clothing [emphasis mine] as part of a controversial ban on the burkini.
This is absolute bullshit. There is no difference whatsoever between this and the immoral monsters who call themselves morality police and attack or harass women for not being properly hijabbed. Monsters.
Obama cuts all funding for Christian-based ‘Abstinence Only’ sex-ed programs
President Obama’s 2017 budget proposal has removed a $10 million annual grant proposal that goes towards funding “abstinence-only” sexual education classes in public schools. By eliminating the grant, Obama would end the financial incentive for states to continue teaching the debunked sex-ed program.
Obama cuts all funding for Christian-based ‘Abstinence Only’ sex-ed programs – DeadState
hmmm
Comments From The Peanut Gallery 