Another NHS page on how to deal with the health risks of Ramadan; this one is much more forthright, so that’s good.
Some common health complications that can arise from fasting and how to prevent and deal with them.
The following advice has been provided following consultation with medical experts and Islamic scholars.
Um…they’re the Health Service; they shouldn’t be consulting religious “scholars” on health issues. [Read more…]
The Student Secular Alliance had a conference – SSA Con East – this weekend.
Look who met there – three of the best!
Via Facebook
That’s Heina, Leo, and Hiba.
The NHS has advice on Ramadan fasting and health.
Fasting during the month of Ramadan can be good for your health if it’s done correctly. [Read more…]
Diana Darke reports for BBC News Magazine on the destruction of Syria’s ancient treasures. There are many photographs.
The Krak des Chevaliers has been bombed and shelled.
The Great Mosque in Damascus took a hit to some gorgeous mosaics.
The Temple of Bel in Palmyra has been battered.
The temple is one of the most important religious buildings of its time in the Middle East – it represents a synthesis of Roman with Greco-Persian-Babylonian architecture. [Read more…]
Kirsten Gillibrand – you know, the wild and crazy “radical feminist” US Senator – tweeted about a must-read article in the New York Times today, so I read it.
It’s an extended look at one investigation of a sexual assault complaint at a college.
She was 18 years old, a freshman, and had been on campus for just two weeks when one Saturday night last September her friends grew worried because she had been drinking and suddenly disappeared. [Read more…]
This is a bit weird. I don’t mean in a “help help omigod US soldiers are being told to be polite to Moooslims” way, but in a “wait what about the health and safety of the soldiers themselves” way. US troops have been told to respect Ramadan.
Some 5 million people live in Baghdad but its busy sidewalk restaurants are now empty. No smoking, no drinking — not even water. [Read more…]
Kiran Opal is calling on all closeted Ex-Muslims who are forced to fast during Ramadan to send her their stories.
Are you someone who’s been fasting, pretending to fast, or forced to lie about fasting to your Muslim family and friends? Are you under pressure to stay hungry and thirsty for several hours in the hottest part of the year? Are you someone who doesn’t believe in Islam anymore, but has to remain ‘in the closet’ about it?
If so, I want to hear from you.
I am working on an idea for a blog article to be posted soon for Ramadan on ExMuslimBlogs.com.
Similar to the International Women’s Day post from a few months ago, this one requires participation from as many Exmuslims as possible. I’ve compiled a few questions down below, and if you are a closeted Exmuslim, I’d love to hear your responses to them.
I’d like to hear a lot about this too, especially the thirst part. The prohibition on drinking – not “drinking” meaning consuming alcohol, but just plain drinking, as in, water – makes me really angry. It’s very unhealthy, and in hot climates and/or for extended periods it’s plain dangerous.
So spread the word, and if you’re a closeted Ex-Muslim and you want to do this, send something to Kiran by July 16. Detalls in her post.
Meet Meggan Somerville, who actually works for Hobby Lobby.
Customers were coming in after the ruling and high-fiving her, and she was forcing a smile while not letting on that she wasn’t all that pleased.
Sommerville has worked there for 16 years. She loves her job and the store, which she said pays a good wage and carries supplies that she’s used for many of her own crafting projects.
Still, the congratulations from customers were hard to swallow. “I’d smile and nod and say, ‘Yes, it’s a victory for the company,’ and then I’d push my real feelings down and not think about it anymore.” [Read more…]
More “Not us, not us! We get special rules because we’re special! We get to exclude people because god!” bullshit.
PQ Monthly reports that George Fox University has successfully obtained a religious exemption from the Department of Education (DOE) to deny a transgender student named Jayce a place in the campus’ single-sex residence halls. When Jayce first filed his complaint in April, the university said that it had offered him a single apartment as an accommodation, but that it stood by its refusal to allow him to live with other men on religious grounds.
What religious grounds? What religious grounds are there? [Read more…]
A Québec judge orders a Catholic religious order to pay compensation to victims of sexual abuse.
A Quebec court has ordered a religious group to compensate victims of sexual abuse involving several of the organization’s priests — a total payout that could eventually reach millions of dollars.
The Quebec Superior Court ruled Thursday that the Redemptorist Order will have to pay at least $75,000 in damages to each victim who attended the Saint-Alphonse Seminary between 1960 and 1987.