West Virginia Legislature introduced a controversial bill on February 10th, 2021, to remove essential teachings from public schools.
House Bill 2157 proposes eliminating any teachings of sexuality and forbids displays meant to promote understanding among all students related to such instructions in public schools. Although it doesn’t specify any particular group or sexuality in written form, it is widely known as an attempt to ban any mention of the LGBTQ+ community.
While Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, held a virtual forum on Telegram, a messaging platform, and someone posed a question for him, the Al-Arabiya news outlet reports. Since Iranian women were mandated to wear hijabs after the 1979 Islamic revolution, Khamenei was asked if “characters in animated films” should likewise be required to wear the hijab.
On Wednesday, February 10th, the United Nations released a report describing the heinous human rights violations in Iran. The report reveals appalling details of electric shock and other means of torture that the Islamic Republic of Iran uses against LGBT children while claiming their intent is to “cure” them.
Same-sex relations are finally legal in Angola as of February 10th. The changes were passed in January 2019 when Angola’s Parliament approved the amendments.
Among white evangelicals, over 25 percent still believe in “QAnon” conspiracy theories. This may suggest some people experience difficulty abandoning one conspiracy theory when they believe whole-heartedly in another.
According to ‘Muslim Personal Law,’ a Muslim girl is free to marry anyone of her choice once she reaches puberty. The Indian High Court recently upheld this law.
The court’s ruling came after a Muslim couple filed with the court, pleading for protection from threatening relatives. Family members were opposed to their marriage due to the significant age difference between them. They sought protection from the Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP).
Police recently arrested five people for making death threats against the French teenager who said Islam is a ‘shit’ religion in a viral video.
Mila, the teenage girl (her last name is kept private), previously defended her intense atheist beliefs on French television after she offended Islam. During one outburst, she said the Quran is ‘full of hate.’
Nothing says "my religion isn't shit" like threatening teenage girls for saying otherwise.
After many years of trying to obtain a “no religion, no caste” certificate, Sneha Parthibaraja was finally certified on February 5th.Sneha, a 35-year-old lawyer from Vellore, became India’s first citizen to have a ‘no caste, no religion’ certificate.
Human rights activists commend Indonesia’s decision to mandate public schools to allow students autonomy when choosing their attire. The schools’ practice of forcing women to wear religious clothing is now banned as of February 3rd.
Loujain al-Hathloul, the Saudi activist who gained international attention as she publicly opposed the ban on women drivers in the country, was placed in custody by the Saudi government in May 2018 due to her activism.
