1) Some Islamic women have a special Ikea superpower…
IKEA just gave new meaning to the phrase “some assembly required.” The chain store has airbrushed images of women from its new furniture catalog for Saudi Arabia so as not to offend hard-line Islamists. Women in that Muslim country will now need to imagine themselves using IKEA furniture.The Swedish store’s action – which it has since regretted for violating its values against gender discrimination – nonetheless is a welcome reminder that women in many Arab countries still find themselves fighting for basic rights.
There is nothing reasonable about accommodating the erasing of women. If your eye offends you, pluck it out.
2) Now, I like bacon, but this is just childish.
Mounties are investigating as a hate crime the piles of bacon and ham thrown at and scattered on the doorsteps of a Port Coquitlam mosque last week.
And and although I’m not sure I would call it hate crime, it is certainly a jerk thing to do.
3) The atheist acrimony continues… this petition, followed by a resignation:
Following a lengthy period of self-reflection and deliberation, I am freely resigning from my position as co-chair of the Secular Coalition for America’s Pennsylvania chapter.
I don’t really know enough about this situation to comment. If the accusations against Vacula are true, he’s a jerk. And I can understand the petition on that basis. Still, some of those attacking him seem to only be doing so because they disagree with him about feminism. Ideological purity tests and witch hunts are something we always have to vigilant to prevent. Feeling self-righteous is the easy part.
And some good behaviour:
In response to the Islamophobic ads, which went up around New York subway stations last week, two religious groups (one Jewish, one Christian) are taking out ads to urge tolerance.The original anti-Islam ad read, “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.” The posters from the Jewish group Rabbis for Human Rights will directly counter this message with the slogan, “In the choice between love and hate, choose love. Help stop bigotry against our Muslim neighbors.”