Ancient Vedic literature have a mantra for marital rape

Many in India and abroad believe that ancient Vedic literature is full of wisdom and high philosophy. Here is how Vedas are described by the website run by Indian ministry of Culture

The Vedas are the source of integral wisdom, science, tradition and culture of a remarkable civilization. They are Oral compilations of distilled wisdom of cosmic knowledge survived from the time immemorial. They are not only identified as scriptures, but also as the fountain head of Indian culture and human civilization….

The Veda in the form of prose and poetry in Sanskrit language, has been regarded as authoritative knowledge. Its authority seems to have remained unquestioned for several millennia, and it has been considered the last tribunal in matters of dispute whether in religion or philosophy or social customs. ….

The religion and culture of the Hindus are rooted in the Veda. Till date, their worship, sacrifice, rites and attitudes are influenced by the Veda.

The Veda contains the highest spiritual knowledge (Para vidya) as well as the knowledge of the world (Apara vidya). Thus, apart from philosophy, we find here descriptions of various aspects of the different subjects such as sciences, medicine, political science, psychology, agriculture, poetry, art, music etc.
The Veda is unique in its purity and sanctity. The text of the Veda is preserved in its pure and original form without any alteration or interpolation even after thousands of years. The Veda is the only unadulterated treasure house of true knowledge.

[Read more…]

Atheist meetings on women’s issues in Kochi and DC

This weekend there are two atheist meetings dealing with women’s issues in places thousands of miles apart.  One is a small one day event in Kochi, Kerala in India on Sunday while the other is the more star studded three day 4th Women in Secularism conference in Arlington, VA near Washington DC.

Here is the schedule of Women in Secularism Conference.

SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 ▾
Registration opens at 11:00am.

1:00pm – 1:15pm
Opening Remarks

1:15pm – 2:00pm
Melanie Brewster
Why There Are Fewer Atheist Women (And Other Fun Gender-Based Speculation from Folks in Ivory Towers)

2:00pm – 2:45pm
Ashley F. Miller
Class and the Secular Movement: Why Class Matters

2:45pm – 3:00pm
Break

3:00pm – 3:45pm
Linda LaScola
When Women Are “Caught in the Pulpit”

3:45pm – 4:30pm
Maryam Namazie
Women’s Resistance to Islamism in the Age of ISIS

4:30pm – 5:00pm
Break

5:00pm – 6:30pm
Women in Secular Leadership
Moderator: Debbie Goddard, Panel: Robyn Blumner, Sarah Haider, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Rebecca Hale, Hypatia Alexandria

6:30pm – 7:30pm
Break

7:30pm – 9:30pm
Reception

image

[Read more…]

Bengal blogger arrested for comments on Islam

In India it is very easy for the State to put you in jail for expressing your thoughts. This is especially true when the thoughts are critical of religion. This happened in India’s state of Bengal.

A freethinker blogger from Bengal, Tarak Biswas was arrested on Thursday for posting updates on the social media for criticising Islam religion. On Thursday, minutes after Biswas posted a message on the social media, one Sanaullah Khan registered a complaint with the Cyber Police Station of the Howrah Police Commissionerate demanding his arrest. According to the locals, Khan is a local leader from the ruling- Trinamool Congress party.

From http://aaablogs.uoregon.edu/mian/2011/07/11/censorship/

From http://aaablogs.uoregon.edu/mian/2011/07/11/censorship/

[Read more…]

This Atheist Youtuber is asking to vote for Trump

A popular American atheist Youtuber who calls himself ‘Amazing Atheist’ proved why he is amazing. He declared his support for Trump in the coming Presidential election.

Martin Hughes has written about it well. He writes:

Not only did he encourage them to vote for Trump — he proudly said that he won’t vote. Which galls me. How the fuck are we supposed to ensure separation of church and state if we don’t vote? And how do you endorse a candidate who says he’ll violate that boundary with statements like, “When I’m President, we are going to start saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again, that I can tell you”? I mean…what?!

image

[Read more…]

17 Indian soldiers killed in terrorist attack in Kashmir

Islamist terror strike from across the border on an Indian Army camp in Kashmir resulted in deaths of 17 soldiers. All four terrorists were killed later in a gun battle.

Terrorists have killed 17 Army soldiers and injured 19 in a suicide attack on an Army camp in Kashmir. Four terrorists struck the camp close to the headquarter of the 12th Brigade at Uri in Baramulla District . This makes it one of the deadliest terrorist strikes on security forces in recent times.
To put the death toll in perspective, seven military personnel had been killed in the Pathankot terror attack in January 2016. The attack on the Indian Air Force base there has since become a major international diplomatic incident.
The high number of casualties in the Uri terror attack could be attributed to the fact that a large number of soldiers, from the Dogra Regiment, had been stationed at the camp in tents and other temporary structures. Some of these tents caught fire during the attack, and the fire spread to other parts of the barracks. The soldiers had been stationed there as they were turning over from a tour of duty.

image

Credit – BBC

[Read more…]

Ex Muslim atheist leader faces death threat in India

He is arguably the strongest critic of Islam in this part of the world. He is an ex Muslim atheist who is very knowledgable about the religion. He lives and propagates his ideas in a district in Kerala with a Muslim majority. He is the leader of Yukthivadi Sangham, a rationalist organisation of Kerala. This brave freethinker is E A Jabbar, a retired school teacher from Malappuram.

Now he is facing death threat. A blog in malayalam has named him along with some other freethinkers as enemies of Islam and has threatened to silence him.

image

[Read more…]

Glorifying stalking results in horrific murders

Young men in India are taught not to take no as an answer from girls they fall in love with. This result in horrific murders.

A 23-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death by a man for rejecting his proposal, in fourth such killing in Tamil Nadu in the last three months.
A 23-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death by a man for rejecting his proposal, in fourth such killing in Tamil Nadu in the last three months.

Jahir (27) attempted suicide after killing Dhanya last night at Annur near here. He is in a critical condition, police said.

Dhanya, who worked in a private firm, was allegedly being harassed for some time by the accused to marry him though she had spurned his proposal, police said.

This is the fourth fatal attack on young women in the state, who had spurned proposals of their stalkers, since the killing of software professional Swathi at a railway station in Chennai in July.

Last month, an engineering student was clubbed to death in her classroom in a private college by her senior in Karur while a 25-year-old teacher was killed in a church by a man, who later ended his own life, for spurning his love.

[Read more…]

Canadian PM proves he does not care about universal gender equality

The Canadian PM Justin Trudeau indicated that he do not care for gender equality in cultures and communities other than his own.

He attended a gender segregated function in a mosque in Ottawa and actually seemed to praise the gender segregation as diversity and as a source of strength.

 “Diversity is a source of strength, not just a source of weakness, and as I look at this beautiful room — sisters upstairs — everyone here, (I see) the diversity we have just within this mosque, within the Islamic community, within the Muslim community in Canada.”

image

[Read more…]

Thank you for the overwhelming support for Shirin Dalvi

Few days ago I had posted a request for donations for starting an online publication to give voice to the jobless and hounded Urdu journalist Shirin Dalvi. There was very good response, especially through Twitter with many sharing the link to my article. I am happy to announce that we have now reached the targeted amount.

A big thank you for all who helped out a woman journalist silenced by religious censorship of free speech.

Sacked and hounded Urdu journalist needs your help

Shirin Dalvi, the sacked and hounded Urdu journalist needs your help.

Last year, in January, she was sacked from her post of editor of Mumbai edition of Urdu daily Avadhnama. Her crime was re-publishing of a Charlie Hebdo cartoon on the front page,  ten days after the horrific killing of Charlie Hebdo journalists by Islamic fundamentalists. This was a drawing by the assassinated French cartoonist Cabu published in 2006 cover of the magazine titled “Mohammed Overwhelmed by Fundamentalists,” in which a bearded man is shown covering his face and saying that “it’s hard to be loved by idiots.” It is still not clear whether the publishing of cartoon was a mistake or an honest attempt to criticise fundamentalists who killed cartoonists. Looking at her past record I tend to believe the latter, though faced with death threats she said it was a mistake.

image

Image credit – Indiatimes

[Read more…]