Exposing David Wood: Of Mosques and Men, Pt. 1 Posted on 24 June 2010 by Garibaldi of loonwatch.com David Wood is a Christian apologist who attempts to save Muslim souls through his organization Acts 17 Apologetics and http://www.answeringmuslims.com. In the past Wood and his entourage, including ex-Ahmadi Muslim Nabeel Qureshi have targeted the Dearborn Arab Festival in Michigan for proselytism. At the 2009 Arab Festival, David Wood made a controversial, and some claim one sided video that received over a million hits on YouTube which showed them getting kicked out of the festival. They claim that they were just engaged … Continue reading Reverend Mullahaha David Wood!

Working-class Protestants are lashing out and leadership is needed to address racism before someone is killed Tim Brannigan guardian.co.uk, Thursday 24 June 2010 12.30 BST Article history The sound of broken glass: Sorin Ciurar, 20, at his house in Belfast, which was attacked in a spate of racist incidents against Romanian families in 2009. Photograph: Niall Carson/PAThe latest race attacks in Northern Ireland are as depressing as they are predictable. Isolated families in loyalist areas having their homes ransacked, their belongings destroyed and their lives threatened is a phenomenon now occurring with sickening regularity. In the latest incidents, a mob … Continue reading Ethnic minorities make easy scapegoats in Belfast

Iran’s ‘blogfather’ on trial in Tehran Hossein Derakhshan, the Iranian blogger and Cif contributor, is accused of producing propaganda against the Islamic regime Brian Whitaker guardian.co.uk, Thursday 24 June 2010 16.29 BST Article history Hossein Derakhshan, a prominent Iranian blogger and occasional contributor to Comment is free, finally went on trial in Tehran yesterday. Derakhshan, who has been imprisoned since his arrest in November 2008, is accused of “propaganda against the Islamic regime, propaganda in favour of anti-Iranian regime political groups, managing and running lurid and immoral websites and co-operating with hostile governments,” according to the Fars news agency. Known … Continue reading Hossein Derakhshan on trial in Tehran

Caste is still the tie that binds in India Primitive practices around caste and marriage are still finding support – even in urbanised, educated India Kaushik Barua guardian.co.uk, Thursday 24 June 2010 16.00 BST Article history A leading Indian matrimonial website found that more than 99% of its users chose to mention caste when searching for a partner. Photograph: Raminder Pal Singh/EPAIn villages across northern India, the most dangerous choice young people could make is one most of us take for granted – choosing their own partner. In the rural hinterlands, the khap panchayats, traditional community organisations, mete out their … Continue reading Caste holds back Indians

Don’t let Cuban cigars be stubbed out The drop in cigar exports is a heavy blow for Cuba’s ailing economy – it’s time for us to show some support Sholto Byrnes guardian.co.uk, Thursday 24 June 2010 17.00 BST Article history Cuban’s have 70% of the world market in cigars. Photograph: Pedro Armestre/AFP/Getty ImagesWhen a statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel was unveiled at the London college bearing his name three years ago, some commented on the absence of the cigar that Brunel was rarely seen without. (He got through 40 a day.) The worry was, apparently, that Brunel’s vile habit had … Continue reading Cuban cigars dying?

Martin Rees makes a religion out of science so his bishops can gather their tithe The BBC’s reverence for genes, space and bugs gives its Reith lecturer a claim to public money based on faith, not reason Simon Jenkins guardian.co.uk, Thursday 24 June 2010 21.30 BST Article history A “mammoth of research” is about to rise behind London’s St Pancras station, a biomedical centre costing £600m and housing about 1,250 “cutting-edge” scientists. Ask not its value. Science jeers at the idea. The UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation has already been dubbed a “cathedral of science”, justified by faith, … Continue reading Rev. Martin Rees

COMMENT: In love with Lovelock —Nasir Abbas Mirza “Do not kill women, elders, children, civilians and trees.” Yes, this too is the Holy Quran, if you look for it. Perhaps in Indonesia they see and read the holy book differently because religion is not big business there and they do not use Islam — and the holy book — as a tool for power and pelf It is hard to go through a day and not come across something to do with the environment. Ecology and biology are the most in-your-face words being used these days. It is fashionable to … Continue reading In love with Lovelock

VIEW: A gun-slinging nation —Dr Mahjabeen Islam When a government is entirely incapable of providing security to its citizens, it takes up arms to protect itself, and when the going gets tough those arms are used Pakistanis have developed a markedly predatory character, on an individual, community and national level. Democracy is neonatal yet, and as scores are not settled in the ballot box, bullets are so much more efficient it seems. We do not have an effective population control programme and it seems to me that people at large know this for they are doing their bit in subscribing … Continue reading A gun-slinging nation