- Iran Did NOT Abolish the Morality Police Western Media Spreads Regime Lie
Location: Iran
Recently, many reputable western media outlets and other established mainstream news organizations have blindly echoed propaganda manufactured by Iran's regime. Aljazeera reported that Iran's prosecutor-general announced the cessation of the so-called "Morality Police." According to the article, Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said the Morality Police has been "shut down by the same place that it had been launched from in the past." The New York Times published an article with the misleading and bold title “Iran Abolishes the Morality Police After Months of Protests,” and claimed the news was unverified but added that the Morality Police is "scarcely" seen on the streets. Iranian activists sounded the alarm about the false victory. The New York Times title was later amended after massive backlash. The BBC was more conservative in their coverage and called Montazeri's announcement an "uncertainty." An anti-regime Instagram account called from___iran said, "mainstream media outlets are deceived at best," in its post. In an interview with MSNBC, Masih Alinejad, a US-based Iranian-American journalist and activist, made it clear that the reports about shutting down the Morality Police are lies started by the regime and propagated by western media, and that the chief aim of the uprising is to abolish the Islamic Republic itself, not solely the mandatory hijab.
- Indonesia Bans Premarital Sex in New Criminal Code
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/indonesia-bans-premarital-sex-new-criminal-code
Location: Indonesia
On Decembr 6th, Indonesia’s national legislature passed a new criminal code that will criminalize pre-marital sex. The new code will apply to Indonesians and also foreigners. The punishment for sex outside marriage would be up to a year in prison. Aside from pre-marital sex, the new code would also penalize cohabitation of unmarried couples, insulting or expressing opinions against the President or the state, and staging protests without a permit. Critics criticized these specific provisions of the criminal code as being against civil liberties. Business groups, newspaper outlets, human rights activists, and legal experts agreed that this new criminal code could inflict damage on Indonesia’s reputation as a destination for both vacation and investment. However, some Indonesian officials defended the new criminal code.
- Thai Buddhist Temple Left Empty After Monks Test Positive for Meth
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/thai-buddhist-temple-left-empty-after-monks-test-positive-meth
Location: Thailand
Recently, a local Buddhist temple, in the Bung Sam Phan district of Thailand, defrocked all the monks after they failed drug tests, leaving zero monks in the temple last month. The abbot and three other monks tested positive for Methamphetamine. According to a district official, the monks were sent to undergo drug rehabilitation in a health clinic. The monks were outed on November 28th, following a national campaign to tackle drug trafficking, when the police administered urine tests in the temple. However, it is unclear how the temple garnered the attention of the police authorities. Boonlert Thintapthai, a district official, said, "the temple is now empty of monks and nearby villagers are concerned they cannot do any merit-making." Merit-making, an essential ritual in Buddhist practice, brings good and agreeable results, determines the quality of the next life, and contributes to a person's growth toward enlightenment. According to the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime, drug-related seizures in Thailand reached an all-time high in 2021.
- Singapore Removes Gay Sex Ban, But It's Not All Good News
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/singapore-removes-gay-sex-ban-its-not-all-good-news
Location: Singapore
Recently, Singapore’s Parliament unanimously voted to repeal Section 377A of its Penal Code, removing the colonial-era ban on sex between men. Last August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced, “Sex between consenting men should not be criminalized. There is no justification to prosecute people for it, nor to make it a crime.” While the Singaporean legislature voted to remove the ban on gay sex, many LGBT individuals and groups were still disappointed because Prime Minister Loong also promised to protect the definition of marriage between a man and a woman from being challenged constitutionally in courts. Home Affairs Minister, K. Shanmugam, said, “We will try and maintain a balance…to uphold a stable society with traditional, heterosexual family values, but with space for homosexuals to live their lives and contribute to society.”
- 5-Year-Old Pakistani Girl Forced into Marriage, Investigation Ordered
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/5-year-old-pakistani-girl-forced-marriage-investigation-ordered
Location: Pakistan
Last October, in Pakistan, a five-year-old Baluchi girl was forced into a marriage contract. On November 1st, a federal sharia court in Pakistan instructed an officer representing Baluchistan Province to submit a report on the marriage, as well as an overview of the practice of child marriage and what steps are being taken to stop it in the region. The girl’s father secretly taped the exchange, insisting the girl was too young. He couldn’t stop the marriage due to local and tribal pressure. Still, he filed a police report and included the video as evidence. Local police have arrested two suspects who arranged the marriage. They are still looking for the cleric who officiated the ceremony. If convicted, they could serve a 6-month sentence. Reports say that the young girl has been recovered. Women's rights organization Shikat Gah says the country fails to prevent many child marriages because they simply aren’t registered. Lawyer Kishwar Zehra says the country’s Religious Right is the most prominent opposition to creating laws to safeguard children from marriage. The Council on Islamic Ideology has publicly opposed any law setting a minimum age for girls.
- Qatari Authorities Forced Transwoman to Remove Breast Tissue After Arrest
Location: Qatar
Since Qatar won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it has received criticism for its poor treatment of migrant workers and members of the LGBT community. The Qatari government has denied all allegations regarding human rights abuse, but Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International published reports disputing these claims. The world knew little about the conditions of transgender Qataris until recently, when BBC spoke to two trans-Qataris. Shahid, one of the transgender Qataris interviewed by BBC, stated that she was arrested several times for interrogation. During one of the arrests she was forced to remove her breast tissue, which had formed since she began taking estrogen and also go under conversion therapy. She described Qatar’s preventive security department as a "gang.” In response to the reports and interview of the trangender women, a Qatari government official stated that fans “from all walks of life come together in Qatar to build bridges of friendship and break down barriers of misunderstanding."
- Abuse Survivors Bid to Seize Catholic Properties After Failure to Pay
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/abuse-survivors-bid-seize-catholic-properties-after-failure-pay
Location: Sydney
The Marist Brothers, an international Catholic order, is set to lose some of their properties, including their Sydney Headquarters, after failing to pay for three abuse victims' legal costs despite a court order. The three abuse victims, known to the courts as MM, MJ, and HG, previously settled with the Marist Brothers over historical child abuse claims that haunted the organization. The Catholic order said there were “unfortunate” delays in sending the payment due to an unnamed “third party.” They also said they’re now trying to urgently communicate with the defendant’s lawyers to make the payment. When the Catholic order failed to act on the deadline, in one of the motions, the supreme court allowed the sheriff to seize a building serving as the Marist Brothers headquarters in Sydney. MM said, “Marist Brothers are spending a fortune of their followers’ money making life hard for victims of child abuse, of multiple, pandemic-level pedophilia going on in the Marist Brothers...” According to a spokesperson for the Marist Brothers, they are now processing the payment for the legal costs as soon as possible.
- Pakistani Activists Speak Out Against Torture of Accused Blasphemers
Location: Pakistan
Cases of custodial torture in blasphemy cases has raised concern among Pakistani rights activists. Rights groups have found several flaws in the law enacted by the Pakistan Senate two months ago, which makes the torture of the accused in custody unlawful. Reports claim that the activists requested a better implementation of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) 2022 bill. Joseph Janson, chairperson of Voice of Justice, stated that the current blasphemy law neither guarantees the accused a fair trial nor provides them religious freedom. The accuser, on the other hand, receives no consequences even after using fake evidence and false testimony. There is yet any countermeasure to be taken to prevent the misuse of the blasphemy law. Janson further noted that Pakistan's blasphemy laws were inconsistent and incompatible with international human rights standards. Activist Ashiknaz Khokhar has said that digital media and popular social media platforms in the country play a significant role in spreading misinformation. In August, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that in order to end Pakistan's custody torture issue, first, we have to criminalize the system itself.
- Woman Tries to Open Plane Door Mid-Flight Because "Jesus Told Her To"
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/woman-tries-open-plane-door-mid-flight-because-jesus-told-her
Location: Ohio
Recently, an Ohio-bound Southwest Airlines Flight 192 was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger tried to open the door mid-flight. 34-year-old Elom Agbegninou tried to open the emergency exit while the plane was 37,000 feet in the air. When a passenger tried to help the airline staff restrain Agbegninou, she bit the passenger on the inner thigh and refused to let go until the passenger forced their fingers into her jaw. She began hitting her head on the plane floor and said, "Jesus told her to fly to Ohio, and Jesus told her to open the plane door." Eventually, the flight attendants managed to restrain Agbegninou by pinning her down with the help of other passengers, and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. Agbegninou was taken away by police officers after the aircraft landed. The passenger she bit was treated with hepatitis shots and antibiotics. Agbegninou was charged with assault “within maritime and territorial jurisdiction” as well as interference with the flight attendants, according to the criminal complaint against her.
- The Analysis of Iran’s Feminist Revolution That You’re Missing
https://areomagazine.com/2022/12/06/irans-feminist-revolution/
Armin Navabi, Atheist Republic's founder, recently published his first article for Areo Magazine titled Iran's Feminist Revolution. This piece gives a much more detailed analysis than what is presented in most media and takes a big-picture look at the history that informs today's events. Navabi examines everything from the role of the Qajar dynasty in legitimizing the clerical class to the secular leftists' role in the Islamic Revolution and how these each play a part in the popular uprising for Iran's freedom that we see today. Make sure to read the full article here!
