- Iranian Hardliners Blame Pornography & Sexual Frustration for Mass Protests
Location: Iran
Recently, pro-regime supporters in Iran blamed sexual agitation, computer games, and remote learning for the ongoing protests. This is an unusual addition to the standard conspiracy that social unrest is caused by Western and Israeli backing, a belief frequently pushed by Ayatollah Khamenei and his lackeys. Ali-Akbar Raefipour, head of the Masaf Institute and a leading perpetrator of this venereal misinformation, stated that teenagers, who were at home and couldn't go anywhere during the pandemic, became sexually aroused by the internet, and now the mass uprising seen throughout the nation is an expression of their sexual repression. Raefipour added that the street protests result from "the discharging of sexual urges onto the issue of women." Raefipour, along with other pro-regime political figures, is dismissing the protests as a sexually driven violent campaign inspired by western media. A former Iranian parliament member, Hamid Rasaee, said the women protest because they want "to sleep with somebody each night and behave like animals." Mohammad Sadegh Kushaki, a professor at Imam Sadigh University and a Khamenei loyalist, said, "Some of these young people and teenagers, who are seriously harmed by a lack of identity and values, were at the core of recent unrest."
- LGBT Palestinian Beheaded After Escaping West Bank
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/lgbt-palestinian-beheaded-after-escaping-west-bank
Location: Palestine
Ahmad Hacham Hamdi Abu Marakhia, a Palestinian gay man who escaped from the West Bank after being outed as gay, moved into an Israeli safehouse in the Greater Tel Aviv area. He was in the process of getting asylum in a third country, as even Israel isn't safe for many gay Palestinians. On October 5th, 25-year-old Marakhia was kidnapped and murdered. His beheaded and dismembered body was seen in horrific videos circulating in Palestinian territories and Jordan. A Different House, the safe house where Ahamd took asylum, caters to the Palestinian and Arab Israeli gay community. Rita Petrenko, the CEO of the safe house, who secured Ahmad's permit to live in Israel, said Ahmad was an industrious, intelligent man looking forward to leaving the country. His friends report that they are certain that he was murdered because of his sexuality.
- ISIS Insurgents Killed by Lions & Crocodiles in Mozambique
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/isis-insurgents-killed-lions-crocodiles-mozambique
Location: Mozambique
Recent reports show that wild lions and crocodiles have killed many ISIS insurgents in Mozambique. Bernardino Rafael, the local police chief of the Quissanga district in Cabo Delgado, said that in the fight against the jihadist fighters, locally known as the al-Shabab, the wild animals contributed to the death toll of the insurgents. Snakes, buffalos, lions, and crocodiles living in the forest of northern Mozambique may have more experience killing Islamic militants than the pro-government forces currently fighting with the ISIS group. The regional forest is the hideout for the ISIS insurgents. According to the British think tank, International Institute for Strategic Studies, ISIS aims to create an internal power struggle in Mozambique by taking advantage of the socio-economic problems and ethnic and religious marginalization from the national government in Maputo. So far, over 950,000 people have left their homes for safety, and more than 4,000 have lost their lives in this war.
- Hindu Hate-Preacher Booked for Saying Islamic Schools Should Be "Blown Up"
Location: India
On September 18th, Yati Nasinghanard was booked by the Aligarh police in Uttar Pradesh, India, for calling for the demolition of a Muslim university and local madrassas (Islamic learning centers). Yati, the Dasna Devi Temple priest, has openly called for violence against Muslims in the past. During the recent event, he said, "Madrassas should be blown to bits with gunpowder, and we should practice the policy of China and send the residents of the madrassas to detention camps." He also said that the Aligarh Muslim University should be demolished "using bombs." Yati stated that he is not concerned with the legal consequences of his speech. He was arrested on January 15th for calling on the genocide of Muslims and again for another inflammatory speech in April while he was on bail for the previous offense. A human rights movement in India, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), said it is "dedicated to finding and bringing to light instances of hate speech so that the bigots propagating these venomous ideas can be unmasked and brought to justice." They approached the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) last year concerning Narsighhanand's bigoted statements when he warned Hindus that if they let Muslim plumbers, electricians, and delivery boys into their homes, they would fall prey to the "jihadis."
- "Dishonest Decision;" Court Rules Texas Courtroom May Open with Prayers
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/dishonest-decision-court-rules-texas-courtroom-may-open-prayers
Location: Texas, United States
On September 29th, an appeals court in Louisiana allowed a judge to lead prayer in his public courtroom, overturning last year’s verdict from a district court in Texas. According to the original lawsuit filed in May 2021, attorney John Roe (pseudonym) contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) with complaints about the court’s behavior. Roe mentioned that each day started with an overview of the court’s “Chaplaincy Program,” wherein an assigned chaplain (usually Protestant) delivered a prayer of their choosing, which Judge Mack invited everyone to stand up for. In response to a letter from FFRF, Judge Mack installed signs outside and a television in the back of the courtroom notifying that people are not required to be present or participate in the brief opening ceremony that includes a invocation by a volunteer chaplain pledging to the United States and Texas state flag. On May 29th, 2019, FFRF and Roe sued the judge in both his individual and official judiciary capacity on behalf of the state of Texas. However, on this most recent appeal, a three-judge panel ruled two-to-one to overturn that decision, officially allowing prayer to continue in the Texas courtroom.
- Data Reveals Most Indians "Do Not See Liberalism as a Virtue"
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/data-reveals-most-indians-do-not-see-liberalism-virtue
Location: India
According to a recent book by data journalist Rukmini Shrinivasan, India, despite having a secular and pluralistic constitution, is still massively majoritarian in its views. According to the data, “Age, education and urbanization, and income do not produce the moderating, progressive liberal effects on views that we in our popular imagination in India assume they do. Young people do not hold more progressive values than their parents or even their grandparents.” In an interview with Betwa Sharma of Consortium News, Rukmini explained that the data showed the “intensity of anti-Muslim sentiments, propaganda, and violence.” Since Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014, this intensity has increased. The data showed that the country remains steeped in casteism, where the banned practice of untouchability is still followed, even by people in urban areas. Rukmini further explained that, despite women having the liberty to choose who they marry, most Indians firmly believe that “women should be subservient to their husbands and should not go out for paid work.”
- Muslim Mob Attempts To Kill Christian for Merely Sharing "Blasphemous" Text
Location: Nigeria
In May, Rhoda Ya'u Jatau, a Nigerian Christian health worker, received a WhatsApp message denouncing the horrible murder of a university student Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu who was lynched and burned after being accused of blasphemy against Islam. After learning about the tragic death of Deborah, Rhoda shared the message with her colleagues through WhatsApp to raise awareness. However, the Muslims interpreted this message as an act of blasphemy and went out on a hunt to kill her. When Muslim mobs surrounded and attacked her house, the Nigeria Secret Police from the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested her and whisked her away. Jatau's lawyer, Joshua Nasara, said that since the arrest, Mrs. Jatau has been confined in prison over false allegations of blasphemy and charged with "inciting public disturbance, exciting contempt of religious creed and cyber-stalking." The charges state that Jatau disrespected many religious figures of Islam and the entire Muslim community in a WhatsApp group "with the intent to cause religious crisis," he added. She has been held incommunicado for more than four months since her arrest on Friday, May 20th, with numerous illegal and intentional delays in her court proceedings.
- Cuba Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage!
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/cuba-legalizes-same-sex-marriage
Location: Cuba
September 27th was a very joyous day for many Cuban citizens as the country made official changes to its "family code" laws. In a progressive move by the Cuban government, gay marriage is now accepted by the law. On September 25th, in a referendum, the Cuban citizens voted for a brighter and safer future for the country as they stood for the rights of same-sex couples. More than 3.9 million, two-thirds of all the voters, opted for ratifying the updates to the national family code. The 100-page family code also boosted women's rights by defining the equal sharing of domestic rights and responsibilities between men and women. President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, tweeted, "It is paying off a debt with several generations of Cuban men and women, whose family projects have been waiting for this law for years." Although the turnout was a huge win, it was modest by Cuban standards. In most previous referendums, the changes were accepted with almost unanimous approval.
- The Satanic Temple Battles Idaho Abortion Ban
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/satanic-temple-battles-idaho-abortion-ban
Location: Idaho
On September 30th, the Satanic Temple (also known as TST) filed a lawsuit against the current abortion laws in the state of Idaho. The lawsuit claims that the laws violate religious freedom, property rights, and involuntary servitude. The case is against the state's "trigger law," which bans almost every type of abortion. TST stated that under the abortion law, an involuntarily pregnant woman would be forced to provide a fetus with hormones, nutrients, oxygen, body heat, and antibodies, protecting the unborn child from external dangers. This amounts to involuntary servitude, violating the thirteenth amendment. Furthermore, TST stated that the state discriminates against many pregnant women by only permitting abortion for those who were raped or were in an incestuous relationship but not for accidental pregnancy, hence violating the equal protection clause. And finally, TST claimed that their religious freedom had been violated due to these laws by forbidding the members of the Temple from engaging in the "Satanic Abortion Ritual." In this ritual, a pregnant person is reminded that their body is theirs and "not subject to violation by others."
- Help Us Create a Mahsa Amini Mural!
https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=7EL84EE7EKN4Y
Location: Vienna, Austria
Atheist Republic is sponsoring the local Viennese Iranian community's effort to create a mural commemorating Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian woman who was killed while in custody for "improper hijab" and the freedom-seeking uprising that her death sparked. To cover the initial costs of materials and food for volunteers, we've set up this campaign with a goal of €500. Any additional funds will go towards continuing the mural project throughout different areas of Vienna, Austria. With your help, Atheist Republic can reach this goal and continue the work we've set out to do in this campaign! Please help if you can by donating here.
