- Indians Asked to Celebrate “Cow Hug Day” Instead of Valentine’s Day
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/indians-asked-celebrate-cow-hug-day-instead-valentine-s-day
Location: India
India’s Animal Welfare Board has issued an appeal calling to not celebrate Valentine’s Day, and instead use February 14th to celebrate “Cow Hug Day.” The board claimed that hugging cows “will bring emotional richness” and “increase individual and collective happiness.” In Hinduism, the country’s largest religion, cows are considered sacred since they represent Mother Earth. The appeal criticized Western culture and argued that “The dazzle of western civilization has made our physical culture and heritage almost forgotten.” The board’s Assistant Secretary Prachi Jain stated that the appeal applies to all states and territories in India. However, after widespread criticism from the political opposition and mockery on social media, the Indian government withdrew its appeal to celebrate February 14 as Cow Hug Day.
- Pakistan Bans Wikipedia For "Blasphemous" Content
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/pakistan-bans-wikipedia-blasphemous-content
Location: Pakistan
On February 3rd, Pakistan’s Telecommunications Authority (PTA) blocked Wikipedia and its other projects in Pakistan over accusations of not removing allegedly “sacrilegious” content. Wikimedia Foundation revealed that they received a notification from the PTA on February 1st saying that their services “have been degraded for 48 hours” after failing to remove “unlawful” content. Then, despite not communicating what the supposed offensive content was, the warning was extended into a total ban. The move was heavily criticized on social media, arguing that the ban was “regressive.” Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, ordered the government to restore Wikipedia’s services on February 6th. The ban was lifted after 3 days.The Wikimedia Foundation expressed its gratitude by saying that lifting the ban “means that the people of Pakistan can continue to benefit from and participate” in the growth of a global movement “to spread and share knowledge that is verified, reliable and free.” Many Pakistani users expressed their embarrassment at their government’s actions.
- The Islamic Republic of Iran Exposed as Hacker of Charlie Hedbo
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/islamic-republic-iran-exposed-hacker-charlie-hedbo
Location: Iran
On February 3rd, security researchers at Microsoft revealed that a hacking team backed by the Iranian regime allegedly stole and leaked private customer data from the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. In January 2023, the magazine was hacked after it published a series of cartoons mocking and criticizing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the Islamic Republic. As Iran heavily criticized the Khamenei cartoons by Charlie Hebdo, a group of hackers who called themselves "Holy Souls" posted on an online forum claiming they had access to the sensitive personal information of the 200,000 subscribers of Charlie Hebdo. In ap public reaction to the cartoons, Iran summoned the French Envoy to Iran, terminated the French Institute of Research’s activities in the country, and re-evaluated France’s cultural activities in Iran. A report by Microsoft stated that the cybersecurity attacks were part of a broader digital influence operation whose techniques were highly similar to previous activities connected to Iranian-backed hacking teams. The report also shows that the hacking group responsible for the cyberattack is reported to be the same one that US Department of Justice officials identified as having conducted a "multi-faceted campaign" to interfere during the 2020 presidential elections.
- First-Ever Anti-Caste Discrimination Law Introduced in America
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/first-ever-anti-caste-discrimination-law-introduced-america
Location: USA
On January 24th, District 3 City Council Member Kshama Sawant, submitted a draft ordinance proposing a law against caste discrimination to the City Council of Seattle, Washington. If approved, this will be the first anti-caste discrimination law in the United States. Sawant wants to add caste discrimination to the list of prejudices outlawed in workplaces in Seattle which already includes gender, age, race, and sexual orientation. Sawant stated at a news conference, "We know that caste discrimination has been growing in the United States across many industries, including technology, construction, restaurants, and the service industry, and in domestic work. Caste discrimination is increasingly a grave contributor to workplace discrimination and bias." Sawant added that the area's elected officials have the duty to address caste discrimination and not let it be "invisible" in the eyes of the local populace. Several other South Asian organizations, including the Ambedkar Association of North America, Ambedkar International Centre, and the Ambedkar King Study Circle, helped Sawant to draft the ordinance.
- Malaysian Official Says "Islamophobia" Should be Criminalized
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/malaysian-official-says-islamophobia-should-be-criminalized
Location: Malaysia
Recently, a senior Malaysian official suggested criminalizing Islamophobia and demanded a “firmer” response from Muslim countries, in response to the recent events in Sweden involving the burning of the Quran by far-right activist Rasmus Paludan. In an interview with the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Agency (AA), Abdul Razak Ahmad, said, "Anything that is Islamophobic can actually be considered as something which is criminal in nature. So, much like anti-Semitism is a criminal offense in many other countries." He also stated that only a few Muslim countries, like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, had demonstrated leadership in combating Islamophobia. He stressed that other Muslim countries should be more responsive toward the problem. He pointed out that Western countries need to be “realistic” by saying, "They can burn another 1,000 or 1 million Qurans, but you can never eliminate the teaching of Islam from the hearts and minds of the Muslims.” While countries like Canada have taken steps to combat anti-Muslim bigotry amid attacks against Muslims, countries like Malaysia have long penalized speech and acts insulting Islam and even criminalized apostasy.
- Extremist Monk Sparks Outrage by Asking Hindus to Kill Muslims & Christians
Location: India
On February 5th in Delhi, various Hindutva groups organized events where calls for killing Muslims and Christians were made. A video of the event went viral on social media, where a Hindu spiritual leader is seen urging the Hindu community to take up arms to kill Christians and Muslims. He asked, "When will you [Hindus] slay and kill? After all of you die? When will you kill them? When will you kill Muslims and Christians?" He urged the Hindus to have access to weapons at all times in their homes and kill anyone who would "attack" them. "Keep shastra [arms] in one hand and shaastra [religious scriptures] in the other. Whoever attacks our community, our scriptures, our mothers and sisters, convict them of sedition and shoot them at the border...kill them on roads," the monk said. Although no legal actions were taken against any event speakers, a notice was issued by the Delhi Police against Molitics, an online portal who reported on these events. Anudeep Jaglan, the founder and director of Molitics, replied to the Delhi forces in a tweet about the notice. "I'm still confused! Why would you send this to us? I hope such notice must have gone to these saffron-clad criminals too."
- Honor Killing of Iraqi YouTuber Sparks Mass Outrage
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/honor-killing-iraqi-youtuber-sparks-mass-outrage
Location: Iraq
On January 31st, a young female Iraqi YouTube star was murdered by her father in the southern province of Diwaniya. The victim was identified as 22-year-old Tiba al-Ali. The news of this murder was announced by Iraq’s Interior Ministry Spokesman, Saad Maan, on Twitter. Tiba had gained a sizeable following on YouTube, with her channel garnering over 25,000 subscribers. A police source verified that Tiba traveled to Turkey with her family in 2017 but refused to return with them and chose to stay in Turkey instead, where she has lived ever since. She posted contents about her daily life which often featured her fiance, Mohammad. She was visiting family in Iraq to “resolve the family dispute in a definitive manner.” Unverified audio recordings of Tiba and her father’s conversations seemed to show that Tiba fled because she was raped by her brother, nevertheless her father disapproved of her choice to live in Turkey. Her father admitted that he killed her in his initial confessions. Tiba’s murder ignited outrage among Iraqis on social media, who held protests in Baghdad on February 5th.
- Mass Arrests From Child Marriage Crackdown Trigger Indian Women to Protest
Location: India
Since February 3rd, more than 2,400 people in the Indian state of Assam have been arrested, which include husbands and relatives of alleged child brides, along with the priests who conducted the marriages. Hundreds of women have protested against the measure initiated by the Assam state government. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam’s Chief Minister, stated that the government received police reports regarding child marriages that have named more than 8,100 people. He also told the authorities to act with "zero tolerance.” Although it’s illegal for girls under 18 to marry in India, the practice persists in many parts of the country due to poverty and patriarchal traditions. However, there are exceptions for Muslims in the country, who mostly get married under the Muslim Personal Law, and it is legal for girls to marry once they reach puberty. Government data reports that more than two out of every ten girls are married before they turn 18. The protesting women said the men arrested by authorities were primary breadwinners for their families, and they were completely dependent on them. "My husband works in the fields, and I'm completely dependent on him," one woman told reporters, adding that she doesn’t know how to seek legal help since she only has a primary school level of education.
- Hindu-Nationalists Hold Massive Rally in Mumbai Against "Love Jihad"
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/hindu-nationalists-hold-massive-rally-mumbai-against-love-jihad
Location: India
On January 29th, several Hindu organizations held a protest rally against "Love Jihad" and religious conversions in Mumbai, India. Many leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attended the rally. One of the speakers of the event, the serial hate-monger T. Raja Singh, urged the Hindus to boycott goods from Muslim shops and called for lawful actions against "Love Jihad" and religious conversions. He said, "our sisters and daughters are falling prey to the systematic designs of the other community." Last year Singh was suspended from the BJP for allegedly posting a video that contained disparaging remarks about the Islamic prophet. He added, "A specific community grabs land by building places of worship at any vacant plot of land. The citizens of Mumbai are opposed to this." He was referencing the conspiracy of “land jihad,” wherein Muslims illegally buy homes in areas where Hindus are predominant to take over that locality in a few years.
- Largest Protest of Overseas Iranian Freedom-Fighters in History: First-Hand Report
Recently, Atheist Republic’s CEO Susanna McIntyre attended the largest demonstration of Iranians outside of Iran in history. Over 100,000 (some guess approximate as many as 180,000!) people gathered in front of Los Angeles City Hall on February 11th, 2023, to call for regime change in Iran and express solidarity with the country's female-led protest movement. The event was held on the 44th anniversary of the formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and drew freedom fighters from across the entire West Coast of the United States. The Atheist Republic team reviewed Susanna’s first-hand footage of the event and discussed her experience there. They also talked about the surprise appearance of Reza Pahlavi, the Crown Prince of Iran, and the passionate reaction of the demonstrators.
