Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1871

Acts of Terrorism Rose 60 Percent In One Year, and You’ll Never Guess What the Main Cause Is

From the water-is-wet department, via the Guardian:

Religious extremism has become the main driver of terrorism in recent years, according to this year’s Global Terrorism Index. The report recorded 18,000 deaths in 2013, a rise of 60% on the previous year. The majority (66%) of these were attributable to just four groups: Islamic State (Isis) in Iraq and Syria, Boko Haram in Nigeria, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and al-Qaida.

Overall there has been a fivefold increase in deaths from terrorism since the 9/11 suicide attacks. The report’s authors attribute the majority of incidents over the past few years to groups with a religious agenda. …

More than 80% of deaths from terrorism in 2013 occurred in just five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria. …

The number of incidents from nationalist separatist groups has remained relatively stable in the years since while religious extremism has grown.

It’s a sober reminder that most acts of terrorism are perpetrated by Muslims against other Muslims.

Today, a Judge Heard Arguments That Could Put an End to Saying the Pledge of Allegiance in New Jersey Schools

The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center announced earlier this year that it had filed a lawsuit against the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District in Monmouth County, New Jersey. If successful, the lawsuit would put an end to saying the Pledge of Allegiance in the state’s public schools.

Much like their (failed) lawsuit in Massachusetts, the plaintiffs are anonymous for the time being (presumably to avoid harassment from Christians) and the argument is all about discrimination. They’re not trying to take “Under God” out of the Pledge — instead, they’re arguing that reciting the Pledge itself goes against the state’s constitution and that ritual should stop immediately.

The AHA’s New Jersey lawsuit says:

By affirming that the United States is one nation “under God,” the daily classroom Pledge recitation directly contradicts the religious beliefs and principles of the plaintiffs. Jane Doe, John Doe, and Doechild embrace a Humanist world view and do not believe that any God exists or that any country is “under God.” Despite this, on a daily basis the Defendants public schools assert, through an official, school-sponsored patriotic exercise, that in fact the Does’ religious views are wrong.

…

Although the Does have no desire to evangelize their Humanism and atheism, they strongly desire to be treated equally, not as second-class citizens, by their government and school system.

Today, a judge finally heard oral arguments in the case.

The school district doesn’t require that students say the pledge. [Judge David] Bauman said there wasn’t any evidence the student in question had been “bullied, ostracized or in any way mistreated.” [But] he also noted during his questioning of district attorney David Rubin that district policy requires parents whose children don’t say the pledge to furnish an explanation in writing.

Keep in mind that Bauman’s complaint against the Humanists — that they were never really mistreated — was the main argument the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court made when dismissing the AHA’s previous lawsuit. (Which is incredible to me, as a non-lawyer, because it’s almost suggesting you need to get beaten up in order to show the Pledge is discriminatory.)

But the district policy — that you better have a good reason not to stand up for the Pledge — is clearly over the top.

Bauman, who was nominated to the bench by Gov. Chris Christie, says he’ll issue a ruling very soon. I’m not optimistic… but I felt the same way about the Massachusetts case and was pleasantly surprised when a lower court judge ruled in the AHA’s favor.

(Large portions of this article were published earlier)

FFRF Urges IRS to Investigate Ken Ham’s Noah’s Ark Theme Park

Answers in Genesis, Ken Ham‘s ministry, is a religious non-profit. That’s why the Creation Museum can require you to sign a “statement of faith” if you want to work there.

Ark Encounter, the Noah’s Ark theme park that’s eligible for millions of dollars in tax rebates, is a for-profit business. They cannot discriminate in hiring.

Sounds simple enough.

But as I’ve mentioned on this site a few times already, there’s a job listing at AiG’s website that makes no sense at all:

As you can see, it’s a job that requires you to be a Christian… but appears to be an Ark Encounter position.

When my colleague Dan Arel asked Ken Ham about this directly, Ham was adamant that it was a position for Answers in Genesis:

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has already said a lawsuit may be forthcoming, though no action has taken place yet. And AiG may have given up more than $18,000,000 in tax rebates if the state decides they are discriminating in their hiring.

This week, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the IRS urging them to look into the theme park:

“Answers in Genesis cannot have it both ways,” said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Either the Ark Encounter is a religious enterprise and is eligible for tax-exempt donations, or AiG and Ark Encounter can be taken at their word that the park is purely a commercial enterprise.” In the latter case, then AiG is not “‘operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific’ or other exempt purposes,” as required for exempt status, and should lose its tax exemption, FFRF contends.

“While religiously themed, a ‘theme park’ is quintessentially a commercial entertainment activity and not charitable,” wrote [attorney Patrick] Elliott. “Ark Encounter representatives have said that from an operational standpoint, the project will ‘have the look and feel of any other theme park.’”

“Based on information that is publicly available about the operations of both organizations, they are not operated exclusively for exempt purposes,” concluded Elliott, asking the IRS to investigate the operations and tax-exempt status of AiG.

To be clear, this isn’t a lawsuit. It’s just a public prodding of the IRS to do its job: You should check this out this map we’re handing you, because there might be buried treasure there…

(Large portions of this article were published earlier)

Pastor’s Son Donnie Swaggart Says Gay-Rights Activists Are Just Like ISIS, But (For Now) Without the Head-Chopping

Last month, the city of Houston embarked on a bit of a fishing expedition when it subpoenaed, from five conservative pastors, their sermons and other communications about a controversial local equal-rights ordinance. The city’s request, overbroad and seemingly hostile to First Amendment protections, got a lot of criticism (some fair, some not), so the Houston legal beagles backed off, the subpoenas were rescinded, and the whole thing soon looked like a (bygone) tempest in a teapot. Hemant wrote about the case here and here.

Though its bones have been picked over one too many times already, the affair was like a mini-Benghazi for the Religious Right, a chance to sink its teeth into a juicy anti-left narrative with lots of potential for demagoguery… and not a whole lot of substance.

And so it is that, five weeks after the fact, we find Donnie Swaggart, the son of the thoroughly disgraced televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, on a panel of Christian talking heads, alleging that the Houston affair portends a “war on God.”

“All of this is to shut the Bible up. They want the Bible gone. And I’m going to make a statement: These people that are trying to do this in Houston, the only difference between them and ISIS, those thugs in Iraq, is those here cannot chop our heads off. That’s the only difference. The heart is the same. If they could silence us that way to intimidate others, that’s exactly what they would do.“

Watch:

(via Right Wing Watch)

A Nativity Scene at the Michigan State Capitol Could Open the Floodgates to Everyone Who Wants to Put Up a Display

The front lawn of the Michigan Capitol Building (below) could soon be home to a Nativity Scene… which means state officials sure as hell better allow displays from everybody else who wants to put one up.

(Hello, Satanic Temple and FFRF!)

An out of state resident has petitioned the State Capitol Commission to place a nativity scene on the Capitol law. Years ago that was done.

John Truscott, a member of the committee, says if the person complies with all the rules, he will likely get permission. “Pretty much anybody has a right to demonstrate or protest on the Capitol lawn so as long as they comply with rules, the size of the display, they take it down every night and things like that. It probably would be allowed.

…

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a non-theist group based in Wisconsin, is already making plans for its own banner display at the Michigan Capitol if the Nativity scene is allowed.

“It’s best to just keep the space neutral from religion,” said FFRF attorney Rebecca Markert. “Once you open up that door you have to allow everything, and you can see that has turned into a circus in other areas of the country.”

You can read the rules right here. It appears to be a free-for-all as long as you follow the few basic rules about when the display can go up and when it must come down each day.

MLive.com, knowing what’s to come, even asks in its headline: “Christian Nativity scene proposed for Michigan Capitol lawn; will Spaghetti Monster be next?”

Let’s get a Festivus Pole up there while we’re at it, too.

It would be pretty hilarious to see the birth of Jesus drowned out by the voices of other religions, no religion, parody religions, and anti-religions. And for that, we can thank the unnamed individual who proposed the Nativity Scene!

(Image via Wikipedia. Thanks to Kate and Wendy for the link)

Atheist-Turned-Christian Files Complaint Against School District Because Teacher Wore a Star of David Necklace

I don’t understand this guy.

Two years ago, Ernest Perce V (below, the Pennsylvania State Director of American Atheists at the time) was one of the people trying to convince the Greencastle-Antrim School District board members to drop the Lord’s Prayer, a 50-year-old tradition.

And it worked! The board members realized they weren’t going to win this battle, so they stopped fighting it.

Last month, though, Perce appeared in front of the school board again… but for a very different reason. He apologized for his actions:

Wearing a white clergy collar against a black shirt, he said he was now a traveling preacher.

“Every day I kick myself at what I did,” Perce told the board members and public in attendance. “Forgive me.”

Yeah… That happened.

Keep in mind that this was someone who once made actually-Islamophobic comments online, who threatened to publicly desecrate the Koran if Pennsylvania state officials didn’t drop their “Year of Religious Diversity” Resolution, and who dressed up like Zombie Muhammad during a local Halloween parade.

This guy was now a Christian.

Turns out that was the least of his delusions:

He also became convinced, after reading a book by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, that Jesus was not a Jew, the Jewish holocaust never occurred, and 9/11 was caused by “the false state of Israel.” He now leads Jesus Was Not a Jew Ministries, with 40 followers. He and his wife intend to pull their boys, Praise, 12, and Apple, 5, out of public school, to be homeschooled while traveling with them on the preaching circuit.

He somehow became a Holocaust denier and 9/11 Truther, too. When I found that out, I was perfectly fine seeing him enter the Christian fold.

And now he’s complaining about the sort of thing even atheist legal groups wouldn’t dare go after: He’s mad because his kids’ teacher at East Pennsboro Middle School wears a Star of David necklace. This, he says, violates the law:

“They are there to learn about education, not to learn about religious points of view,” said Ernest Perce, the parent who filed a formal complaint with the district over the necklace.

He says the law is being violated.

…

“If a child is subjected to a teacher where a symbol of Judaism is allowed to skirt the law, I believe that a Muslim should be allowed to cover her head as well as a Christian to cover her head like the Bible commands,” he said.

What’s wrong with a Muslim teacher covering her head if she wants…?

Anyway, Perce didn’t say what he thought about a teacher wearing a cross necklace or teachers who participate in Ash Wednesday. I have to assume he’d find those illegal, too.

He’s not entirely off-base because a 1949 Pennsylvania law (that appears to still be in effect) says this:

… no teacher in any public school shall wear… any dress, mark, emblem or insignia indicating the fact that such teacher is a member or adherent of any religious order, sect or denomination.

That’s… going way too far. The only thing I’m concerned about is whether a teacher is proselytizing in the classroom. Wearing a personal symbol of faith? That’s one of those things you just let slide because there are far bigger fish to fry. And, in a similar case about a decade ago, the rule of thumb was that teachers could wear religious jewelry as long as they tucked it inside their clothing. We don’t know whether the teacher in Perce’s case refuses to do that.

The school district wrote back to Perce and told him they’re not going to take any action, suggesting that the teacher didn’t do anything wrong. Which means Perce may possibly file a lawsuit against them…

If and when that happens, I just want to remind everyone: He’s a Christian now.

Don’t blame atheists for this one.

(Thanks to Brian for the link. Large portions of this article were published earlier)

Holy Hymen: If You Want To Be a Police Woman in Indonesia, Be Prepared For the Two-Finger Virginity Test

A two-finger virginity test for female cops? It’s just as ridiculous, degrading, and unnecessary as it sounds, but in Indonesia, it’s a reality.

The “virginity tests” are conducted under Chief Police Regulation No. 5/2009 on Health Inspection (Pemeriksaan Kesehatan) Guidelines for Police Candidates. Article 36 of the regulation requires female police academy applicants to undergo an “obstetrics and gynecology” examination. While the regulation does not specify that a “virginity test” is to be administered as part of the exam, two senior policewomen told Human Rights Watch that it has long been the practice. …

Applicants who “failed” were not necessarily expelled from the force, but all of the women described the test as painful and traumatic.

If recruits who aren’t sufficiently virginal aren’t even dismissed (not that I’d want them to be), what is the point of having the test in the first place? I’d normally venture that it’s just a scheme by a bunch of pervy men looking for a socially acceptable way to grope women, but the exams appear to be administered by female medical personnel.

Some police sources claim that the virginity tests were abolished years ago. However, Human Rights Watch investigators had no trouble finding plenty of policewomen who had undergone the preposterous procedure, including two who were tested in 2014.

Why virginity is a requirement for police work, no one seems to know. My best guess is that it’s a medieval proxy for a woman’s purity of character.

In case you were wondering how married women respond to the exam, the answer is they don’t: they’re not eligible for the job.

Indonesia isn’t the only nation where these loathsome methods are in use.

Human Rights Watch has documented the use of abusive “virginity tests” by police in several other countries including Egypt, India, and Afghanistan.

Occasionally, calls go up in Indonesia to finger-test schoolgirls in the same manner.

By the way, this is the same country whose pious population has a voracious appetite for porn, but where, in Aceh province, there are strictly enforced laws governing how women must dress and position themselves on motorbikes, so as not to inspire immodest thoughts.

Today, on Capitol Hill, There Will Be a Hearing on “Religious Accommodations” in the Military

Later today, the U.S. House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on “Religious Accommodations in the Armed Services” — and Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation will be one of the non-right-wing representatives on the panel (sitting next to people from Family Research Council, Liberty Institute, and the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty):

[Weinstein] plans to tell Congress that numerous leaders in the military practice a “twisted version of Christianity” that oppresses not only Muslims and other religious minorities, but Christians who are not devout.

“If they intend to try to shoot the messenger, to assassinate the messenger, I couldn’t care less about that,” Weinstein said Tuesday. “To me, this is about the U.S. Constitution. They will not assassinate the message, and the message is that tens of thousands of our brave members of the U.S. military are being persecuted by a version of Christianity, a twisted version, that is the closest thing to the American, Christian version of the Islamic Taliban.”

I’m not sure what the hearing will accomplish, but when you have representatives of groups that encourage military proselytizing and a very vocal opponent of it in the same room, there’s bound to be some fireworks.

(Thanks to Brian for the link)

Can’t Turn Off Your Lights on the Sabbath? No Problem. Just Ask the Local Police to Do It For You

Lakewood, New Jersey is home to about 60,000 Orthodox Jews who take the “resting on Sabbath Day” rule very seriously. That means, among other things, that they don’t use modern technology between Friday evening and Saturday evening.

So what happens when they need to turn off the lights or drive to get some groceries?

They’re enlisting the help of local law enforcement:

Orthodox Jews cannot drive a car — save for cases of life and death — during the 25 hours of the Sabbath, which begins at sundown every Friday and lasts until one hour after sundown on Saturday. Often, members of the Orthodox community have called police in order to handle seemingly routine tasks such as changing batteries in hearing aids and turning lights on and off because it is akin to starting or extinguishing a fire, which the rules of the Sabbath prohibit.

…

In Lakewood, the police department has taken the step of training its officers for special situations such as this. [Lakewood Police Chief Robert] Lawson said that the members of the Orthodox community will help train officers.

…

“As chief, I’ve tried to change the culture of the police department to be more friendly,” Lawson said. “Not only to the Orthodox community, but the various cultures in Lakewood, whether it be Latinos, African-Americans and I’ve reached out to leaders of those communities and built relationships with them.”

To be clear (even though the article is very confusing about this issue), the cops will not just respond to, say, phone calls from Orthodox Jews asking for someone to come flip the light switch. (That is, if they could make phone calls during the Sabbath.)

It’s more like if cops are walking around town and happen to run into someone who needs some help, they now have a better understanding of what’s going on and they’re welcome to take care of it.

But that still raises a lot of questions: How far does this generosity go? At what point does building a friendly relationship with the community — a great idea, by the way — turn into an illegal use of government resources? Where is the line drawn? Can non-Jews ask cops to help out with menial tasks in their homes? What happens if an actual emergency occurs when they’re running errands for the Orthodox Jews who don’t want to do it themselves?

There’s nothing inherently wrong with police officers helping people out like this on a lark, but at what point do we say it’s too much?

Even from a religious angle, what the Jews are doing violates the spirit of the law. If you’re not supposed to switch on the lights because your Holy Book says so, then don’t do it. Forget church/state separation — asking cops to do your dirty work because you choose not to do it is just a waste of the officers’ time. They’re not your personal weekend servants. In fact, there are people Orthodox Jews can hire (“shabbat goy“) to do those tasks for them, but even that seems problematic if they take the Sabbath seriously. To quote one online commenter, “If your religion says you can’t turn on the light, than sit in the dark or convert.”

By the way, this isn’t the first time Orthodox Jews have tried to outwit God using government resources.

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Richard for the link)

They Must Sing These Songs at Camp Quest

If you ignore the fact that comedian Tim Hawkins doesn’t understand what the Sunday Assembly is, or why we accept evolution, or how atheists think, I suppose his roundup of atheist kids’ songs is pretty funny:

Did I say funny? I meant eye-roll-inducing. I have no problem with jokes at atheists’ expense. I just didn’t find these particular songs all that entertaining… maybe I’m alone. What’d you think?