A Turkish organisation has produced yet another report designed to fan paranoia about missionaries. The New Anatolian reports: There’s more missionary activity in Istanbul than anywhere else in the country and the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses is on the rise, according to a recent Ankara Chamber of Trade and Commerce (ATO) report. …Stating there are […]
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More complaints about anti-Semitism in Poland, via the Daily Telegraph: Poland was again forced on to the defensive over its attitude towards Jews yesterday after the Simon Wiesenthal Centre complained of the “anti-Semitic tenor” of a Good Friday procession. …Beards and Stars of Davids worn at the Way of The Cross ceremony at the Kalwaria […]
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Interfax-Religion reports that Belorussian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has delivered a bullish Easter message, in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Minsk: Lukashenko stated ‘those who seek world domination try to trample down our country and make the Byelorussians reject their religious roots, traditions and culture.’ ‘We are not going to blindly copy an alien […]
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From the Harare Herald (via AllAfrica): WITCHCRAFT practices will, with effect from July this year, be legally recognised in Zimbabwe following the amendment of some sections of the Witchcraft Suppression Act. Until the amendment, it was a criminal offence to brand anyone a witch or wizard or to accuse someone of meddling in the supernatural, […]
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Those of us brought up to believe that truth was an absolute justification in the matter of libel may be caught up short by section 8 of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Magazine Law: A Practical Guide has the following piece of information that will be of interest to any blogger based in the […]
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The blog entry which was originally posted here was removed in June 2006 on legal advice. Thank you to all those who offered me moral support and practical advice, and who were willing both to vouch for my personal integrity and to stand in support of free speech.
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The Guardian reports on yet another Muhammad cartoon controversy, this time from Italy: A cartoon depicting Muhammed in hell has been published by an Italian magazine close to Opus Dei, bringing angry criticism from Muslim groups and disapproval from the Vatican. The drawing in Studi cattolici takes its inspiration from Dante’s Divine Comedy, in which […]
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A couple of days ago I noted the response of the Papal Nuncio in Russia to a question about religious freedom in the country. Antonio Mennini told Interfax-Religion that: Unfortunately, I am not aware of any specific facts prompting the US Congress to make this kind of reproaches. He went on to praise Russia for […]
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Good Friday in the UK is traditionally marked by the consumption of Hot Cross Buns. The Telegraph gave us some background back in 2003: The tradition dates back to pagan times when the cross represented the moon and its four quarters. It was claimed for the Christian church in 1361 when Father Thomas Rockcliffe distributed […]
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Back to Russia, where Papal Nuncio Antonio Mennini is backing the mayor of Moscow’s ban on a Gay Pride parade. Interfax-Religion reports: I think it is a wise decision. Complying with all the arguments dictated by Christian faith against such public actions, I would like to point out what is essential and indisputable to any […]
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