- Indian Girl Alleges Forced Christian Conversion Drove Her To Suicide
Location: India
On January 19th, Lavanya, a 17-year old girl from Tamil Nadu died from her suicide attempt. According to local BJP politicians, her decision to end her life came after an alleged forced conversion to Christianity. Lavanya was a grade 12 student at Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School. An unverified video showed Lavanya on her death bed claiming she was abused and forced to clean all the rooms in the St Michael's Girls' Home where she was staying. She also mentioned in the video that she was told that if she converted to Christianity then all of her educational expenses will be taken care of. There are multiple angles that complicate this narrative. Lavanya had previously given a testimony to authorities before her death, which did not mention conversion and instead emphasized being forced into menial labor. There are also reports that she was physically abused by her step-mother, and thus preferred life at the girls schools. Finally, it has been revealed that there were other videos taken before her death in which she denies ever being forced to remove her bindi and other Hindu religious symbols.
- Former Pope Admits to Giving False Statements in Sex Abuse Investigation
Location: Vatican
Former Pope Benedict XVI has admitted to giving a false statement in a child sex abuse investigation. He initially denied that he was present at a 1980 meeting in Munich, during his tenure as archbishop. German police acquired documents proving that he was indeed at said meeting, at which point, he admitted he had attended, calling the inaccuracy of his previous statement “an oversight.” The admission came four days after a report was released on abuse in the archdiocese from 1945 to 2019, which said that the former Cardinal, Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict’s original name), failed to take action against clerics in four cases of alleged abuse while he was the archbishop, between 1977 and 1982. One case involved an approval from Ratzinger in 1980 for a priest to be transferred to Munich for therapy. The priest was then allowed to return to pastoral work. The same priest was found guilty of molesting another child six years later. Martin Pusch, a lawyer at Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, said during the press conference, “During [Ratzinger’s] time in office, there were abuse cases happening. In those cases, those priests continued their work without sanctions. The church did not do anything.”
- Former Hostage Hunger Strikes To Push For Release Of Hostages Held By Iran
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/former-hostage-hunger-strikes-push-release-hostages-held-iran
Location: Vienna, Austria
On January 16th, Barry Rosen, a former U.S. Diplomat who was among the 52 Americans who were held hostage from 1979-1981 after the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, announced his plan to conduct a hunger strike. The hunger strike coincides with the 41-year anniversary of his release from captivity. To conduct his protest, the 77-year-old flew to Vienna, Austria where the Iranian nuclear deal negotitians are being held. He stated, “My message is simple, no deal with Iran unless the hostages are free,” referring to the many foreigners and Iranian dual-nationals that are falsely charged of espoinage and imprisoned by Iran, to be used by the regime as political bargaining chips on the world stage while their health deteriorates. Rosen ended his hunger strike after 5 days on January 23rd, upon the insistence of his family and the United States Special Envoy to Iran. Others took up on the hunger strike on his behalf, including two hostages currently imprisoned by the Iranian regime, Anousheh Ashouri and Kamran Ghaderi.
- Indian Muslim Man Killed Hours After Anti-Muslim Speech
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/indian-muslim-man-killed-hours-after-anti-muslim-speech
Location: India
On January 17th, two Muslim men, Sameer Shahpur and Shamseer Khan, were brutally attacked in Gadag, Karnataka, India. The men were on their way to a barbershop when they were ambushed by a group of between 10 and 12 Hindu nationalists. The alleged attack came only hours after the accused had delivered anti-Muslim speeches. Members of the Hindu-nationalist groups Bajrang Dal and RSS had been protesting in front of a local police station, in opposition to cases that have been filed against their members related to other recent incidents of communal violence. Both victims were taken to the hospital, but Shahpur did not survive his injuries. Four people have been arrested in connection to the attack. They have been charged with violating eight sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rioting with a deadly weapon and murder. On the national level, several prominent Hindu nationalist figures have called for mass violence against the Muslim minority in order to retain a Hindu majority state. Attacks on religious minorities have risen in significantly in the state of Karnataka over the past several months.
- Hindu American Foundation Opposes Anti-Caste Discrimination Policy
Location: USA
On January 21st, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) demanded to remove the recent addition of caste to the California State University (CSU) anti-discrimination policy. In an open letter, signed anonymously by over 80 CSU faculty, HAF claimed that “the new policy would unfairly target a minority community for policing and disparate treatment.” The addition of the new policy was partially informed by survey conducted by the caste-opprosed led organization, Equality Labs. HAF questioned the scientific validity of the survey and deemed Equality Labs as “anti-Hindu.” The HAF and the CSU faculty signatories were met with wide-spread criticism on social media for their position opposing the new anti-discrimination policy, with many stating that they are effectively whining about being discriminated against for no longer being able to enact discrimination.
- David Silverman Tries to Sell NFT of Meme He Doesn't Own
https://friendlyatheist.substack.com/p/why-is-a-once-prominent-atheist-selling
Location: USA
On December 27th, 2021, David Silverman, former president of American Atheists, listed an NFT of the popular meme of a drawing of himself via the OpenSea marketplace. The meme, known as the “Seriously?!” face, was created by a Reddit user “@where_god_now” after Silverman appeared on FOX News’ The O’Reilly Factor in 2011 to discuss American Atheists’ provocative billboards. The meme has gathered enormous popularity over the years. Silverman’s decision to list the meme on the NFT market is being questioned, as he didn’t create the meme and is not the rightful copyright owner. The NFT was listed at a starting bid of 2 WETH (equivalent to approximately $6,677). However, once @where_god_now contacted OpenSea and confirmed that the meme is copyrighted, the listing was taken down before any bidding took place. Silverman’s ethics are being questioned since he attempted to profit from intellectual property that was not his own.
- Religious Divide in Indian State Election; Anti-Hindu Threats Go Viral
Location: India
On January 25th, 2022, a video of Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate, Adil Chaudhary, went viral on Twitter when he seemed to be stating that Muslims “will take revenge” for crimes committed against them. In the video, he encourages Muslims to rally against the current government in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He continued; “Not a single person will be spared; God willing.” BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya shared the video, asking if SP chief, Akhilesh Yadav, only nominated candidates who were “anti-Hindu goons like…Adil Chaudhary.” Chaudhary’s defenders contend that he was not threatening Hindus, as no specific community was mentioned in his statements. When India Today reached out to Chaudhary for further comment, he stated the video was altered by the BJP in an attempt to attack him. SP spokesperson, Vineet Bhatnagar, told news outlets the video would be investigated to see if it breached the Election Commission's Code of Conduct.
- "No Hijab Day" Fights White-Washing of Religious Veiling
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/no-hijab-day-combats-white-washing-religious-veiling
Location: Global
February 1st marks “No Hijab Day,” which aims to raise awareness about the millions of women who are not able to choose to remove the religiously mandated garment. The day was intentionally set on the same day as “World Hijab Day,” which was created to promote and spread acceptance of religious veiling in society. According to Reformist Muslims Asra Nomani and Maajid Nawaz, “World Hijab Day” is a conservative campaign that feeds the idea that hijabs are always worn voluntarily. Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist, sees the purpose behind “No Hijab Day” as personal. In a video she posted to Twitter, she says, “In Iran, I was told if I take off my hijab, I will be hanged by my hair by God.” Yasmine Mohammed, a Canadian human rights activist, shared that she was forced to wear the hijab from the age nine, and threatened with death if she removed it. She acknowledged that most Muslim women simply cannot speak out against it without facing dangerous, if not life-threatening, consequences. On February 1st, you can show your support of those who fight for the freedom to remove the hijab by posting on social media about the campaign and using the hashtag, #NoHijabDay.
- Children's Rights: International Day of Protest Against Hereditary Religion
Location: Global
On January 29th, 2022, advocates worldwide are holding the 11th Annual International Day of Protest Against Hereditary Religion. One of the goals of the protest is to raise awareness about forcing religion on children. End Hereditary Religion, a Facebook page, has spoken out against the practice. Rivka Goldstein, one of the protest organizers said, "these religions are inherent to the family and to the culture where the child belongs.” The annual protest, which began in 2010, is gaining traction within atheist communities. The parental obligation to indoctrinate children remains an overwhelming tendency in many families. There may be forms of indoctrination that are harmless, but telling a child that they will burn in hell for all eternity if they fail to meet the requirements of an imaginary being, or reinforcing religious belief with punishments, is psychologically damaging. To join End Hereditary Religion in the 11th Annual International Day of Protest Against Hereditary Religion, you can send a picture of yourself with the graphic provided to their Facebook page.
- Atheist Republic Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary!
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/press-release/atheist-republic-celebrates-its-10-year-anniversary
Formally established on January 31st, 2012, Atheist Republic has grown from a Facebook page dedicated to giving disbeliever's a louder voice, to the world’s largest community of atheists. What began as a collection of individuals passionate about expressing their atheism, grew to become a place where hundreds of thousands of people have gathered together to build like-minded godless communities. We’ve established local communities in over 70 countries and 150 cities around the globe. We’ve built a platform for atheists to share their voices in numerous languages. We’ve organized relief efforts and international protests for atheist prisoners. We’ve even helped atheists escape death.
This is just a tiny snapshot of everything we’ve accomplished in the past 10 years. Without you, none of these accomplishments would have been possible.
If you would like to join us in celebrating, send us a picture of you with our commemorative fan-sign, write what you love about Atheist Republic or your favorite memories on the bottom, and submit it through our website!
