- Hindu-Nationalists Echo Nazis in Violent Oath: "Make India a Hindu Nation"
Location: India
On December 21st, several videos surfaced showing prominent Indian figures, including a leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party of India, calling for citizens to attack Muslims. These messages were being spread from two separate events in Delhi and Haridwar on December 17th and 19th, respectively. In one video, Suresh Chavhanke, the editor-in-chief of Sudarshan News, can be found saying, “We take an oath and make a resolution that ‘til our last breath, we shall fight, die for, and if need be, kill, to make this country a Hindu [nation].” Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, the head priest of the Dasna Devi Temple, is seen in a video suggesting Hindus produce more children to counter the Muslim population. Annapurna Maa, Secretary of Hindu Mahasabha, encouraged the crowd to take up arms. She remarked, “If we become soldiers and kill 2 million Muslims, then we’ll be victorious.”
- Satanic Christmas Display Predictably Sparks Christian Outrage
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/satanic-christmas-display-predictably-sparks-christian-outrage
Location: Illinois
On December 20th, the Illinois State Capitol Rotunda featured a holiday art display from The Satanic Temple. The temple, a nontheistic religious group, promotes reproductive rights and separation of church and state. On the 25th, they celebrated the holiday of Sol Invictus, a “celebration of being unconquered by superstition and consistent in the pursuit and sharing of knowledge.” This year’s celebration featured the “satanic deity” Baphomet, depicted as a swaddled baby, similar to Jesus in a nativity scene. The Christian community in the area was outraged hearing about the theme. Catholic Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, of the Diocese of Springfield, stated to the State Journal, Satanic displays “should have no place in this Capitol.” The Satanic Temple attempted to invite Bishop Paprocki to the unveiling of their display. However, the bishop refused. Lucien Greaves, co-founder of The Satanic Temple, in response to Paprocki’s refusal to attend, stated, “Our real message is to re-establish pluralism… It doesn’t mean that people with opposing viewpoints have to be in conflict.”
- Sikh Sacrilege; Man Beaten to Death for Attempting to Steal Holy Sword
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/sikh-sacrilege-man-beaten-death-attempting-steal-holy-sword
Location: India
On December 18th, a man aged between 20 and 25, attempted to steal a ceremonial sword during prayers inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India. The sword was kept next to the Guru Granth Sahib, Sikhism’s holy book. According to witnesses, he attempted to strike the holy book with the sword, which is considered a sacrilege. He was stopped by security and was being taken to the office, but the devotees overtook control from the officers and beat him to death. His body was left outside the gates. The identity of the murder victim remains unknown. Such attempts of sacrilege happen often at that temple and get swept under the rug without capturing the perpetrators. Just three days prior to this incident, a man was handed over to the police for allegedly tossing a holy book into the pond which surrounds the temple. Punjab MP Sukhbir Badal said, "Since no culprit was caught in the last five years, they were emboldened."
- Blatant Injustice for Imprisoned Nigerian Atheist Activist Mubarak Bala
Location: Nigeria
December 22nd was the 600th day that Mubarak Bala spent in police custody. Bala, an Ex-Muslim atheist and President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was arrested at his home in Kaduna on April 28th, 2020 for allegedly insulting Prophet Mohammed via social media. He was taken to the Muslim-majority state of Kano where he faced blasphemy accusations and charges from religious figures. Prosecutors claim that Bala confessed to the charges while imprisoned when his attorney was not present. Even though Nigeria’s Customary Constitution punishes blasphemy with a possible 2-year sentence, in regions where Sharia Law is applied, blasphemers are punished with death sentences. Bala has already spent nearly 2 years incarcerated, but has not yet faced trial. James Ibor, Bala’s attorney, said that Bala has been denied access to health care, kept in solitary confinement, and forced “to worship the Islamic way” since he’s been imprisoned.
- Indian Muslim Man Beaten to Death, Hate-Crime Alleged
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/indian-muslim-man-beaten-death-hate-crime-alleged
Location: India
On December 14th, Rahul Khan, a 22-year-old Muslim from Husangabad village in Haryana’s Palwal district, succumbed to his injuries after being assaulted. On the day of the incident, Rahul went to a wedding ceremony with his friends. He was accused by his friends of stealing a phone and beaten severely, leading to his eventual death. The next day, his family was told that Rahul had been killed in a hit-and-run collision. The post-mortem report however clearly showed that the cause of death was assault. Soon, Khan’s family was made aware of footage of their son being beaten. In the viral video that led to the arrest of all three suspects, one of the men allegedly repeated “I am Hindu” as Khan was being attacked. That was enough for Khan’s family to declare Rahul Khan’s murder a hate crime. As of now, the police consider this incident as an act of vigilantism, with faith having nothing to do with the murder.
- Indian Government Blocks 20 YouTube Channels for "Anti-India propaganda"
Location: India
On December 20th, the Indian government announced that 20 YouTube channels have been blocked for spreading fake news. The YouTube channels, as well as two websites, are blocked because they have been identified as part of a disinformation network based in Pakistan. The goal of these channels is to spread fake news relating to sensitive topics such as Kashmir, the Indian military, minority communities in India, etc. One of the biggest fears that the government had with these outlets was that they might undermine the Indian democratic system. Information and Broadcasting Minister, Anurag Thaker, tweeted “We have taken strict action against cross-border activities aimed to spread unrest in India by way of spreading fake news and propaganda.”
- Second Mob Lynching in 1 Week For Sacrilege of Sikh Holy Sites
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/second-mob-lynching-1-week-sacrilege-sikh-holy-sites
Location: India
On December 18th, a man in the Kapurthala district was lynched by a mob for supposedly “disrespecting” the Nishan Sahib (the Sikh flag) by locals. Harkamalpreet Singh, a police officer at the scene, explained that the man tried to steal the flag. The angry mob overpowered the officers who were apprehending the suspect, and beat him to death. A few hours prior to this incident, a man was beaten to death by the crowd after attempting to steal a ceremonial sword that was placed next to the Sikh holy book at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Sacrilege cases are historically not given as much attention compared to other crimes in the region, which some say motivates the mob justice. Jarnail Singh Dogra, a Gurdwara official, said to NDTV “This was an unfortunate event; such incidents are happening repeatedly.”
- Teacher Who Harassed Non-religious Student Loses Court Appeal
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/teacher-who-harassed-non-religious-student-loses-court-appeal
Location: Houston
On December 16th, American Atheists announced their success in a lawsuit on behalf of Mari Leigh Oliver, a nonreligious high school student in Houston, Texas. The lawsuit was filed against Mari’s teacher, Benjie Arnold, who retaliated against her for sitting out from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to grant Benjie qualified immunity in June. He then petitioned for a new hearing. On December 15th, by a vote of 10-7, the Fifth Circuit of Appeals rejected his request. Geoffrey T. Blackwell, American Atheists’s Litigation Counsel, said “This is an important victory for nonreligious Americans—and all Americans’”. He added, “The classroom is not a pulpit. It is a place of education, not indoctrination. No student should be punished for exercising her First Amendment rights.” Mari’s civil rights lawyer, Randall Kallinen, said “A student’s right to peaceful freedom of expression does not end at the schoolhouse steps.”
- USA Announces $5 Million Reward for Info on Murder of Atheist Writer
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/usa-announces-5-million-reward-info-murder-atheist-writer
Location: USA
On December 20th, the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, with its Rewards for Justice office, offered a $5 million reward for information on the terrorist attack and murder of Avijit Roy. Roy was a naturalized US citizen originally from Bangladesh. He was an engineer by profession and founded the blog Mukto-Mona (translation: "Free Mind"), in 2000, to promote secular and humanist writings in Bangladesh. He was murdered on February 26th, 2015, at an annual book fair in Dhaka. Roy and his wife were attacked by a group of people armed with machetes, leaving Roy dead and his wife severely injured. The person who led the attack, former army major Syed Ziaul Haque, is still on the run. Another fugitive involved in the murder is Akram Hussain. Four others were charged and sentenced to death, with one sentenced to life in prison. More information about the reward can be found at www.rewardsforjustice.net.
- Atheist Republic Members Help Man Living on the Street in India
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=846149889318018
This week the Atheist Republic team reviewed a video of Atheist Republic community members in Siliguri, West Bengal, India helping a man who is living on the street with a severely broken leg. In the video, the volunteers are seen helping the man sit up, then cut and shave his hair and bathe his body, then changing his bandages before taking him to the hospital. In the corner of the video, the word “Youth” is written in Bengali, referring to the power and spirit of young people in India. The Atheist Republic team then discusses the acts of charity that are not motivated by religion and the pro-social benefits of being charitable.
