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LGBT Editor In Bangladesh Murdered by Islamists—and More, In this Week’s Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ea have faced strong resistance from conservative Christian organizations. Europe: European Parliament calls from stronger measures against online harassment The European Parliament adopted a report on Thursday that calls for measures to counter homophobic and transphobic hate speech online. Malin Björk MEP, Vice-President of the LGBTI Intergroup, who was involved in the writing of the report, continued: “Many women and LGBTI people face online ha…

Why Atheists Should Fight For Establishment of State Religion

By Shanny Luft

…reachers, and they have cheaper preachers than can be found in any part of Europe.” What explained European Christianity’s weakness to compete? The answer, de Tocqueville reasoned, was that “the church cannot share the temporal power of the state without being the object of a portion of that animosity which the latter excites.” In other words, when religion and government become entangled, the public’s natural hostility toward government transfers…

Marriage Debate in Australia Shifts To Push For Religious Exemptions; and More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…region, subject to certain conditions.” But religious conservatives across Europe are organizing for a “Mum, Dad & Kids” European referendum that would defined LGBT couples and families out of those protections. Egypt: Recent anti-gay crackdown part of longer trend The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights has published “The Trap: Punishing sexual difference in Egypt,” an in-depth report covering “a targeted crackdown on people whose sexualities…

How to Choose a Tour Company for Your Hajj

By Amina Wadud

…nts than their quota allows. Most Muslim countries have a quota; a limited number of hajjis permitted from that country in any one year. This number is set by hajj authorities in Saudi Arabia, because, in all fairness, there has to be a cap on how many Muslims converge on the place. Right now, it stands at around 3 million! Countries with large populations of Muslims have many more applicants than their allotted number of pilgrims. This means you…

Who Is “Sam Bacile?”

By Sarah Posner

…d that the film was intended to be a provocative political statement assailing the religion. He denied being Sam Bacile, the pseudonym for the video’s purportedly Israeli Jewish writer and director, but AP said the cellphone number it called for a telephone interview with Bacile on Tuesday matched Nakoula’s address. —- For more RD coverage of the events in Libya see “Tragic Violence in Libya: No Excuses,” by Haroon Moghul — ed….

What Irish Marriage Vote Means for Catholic Church; The Lonely Fight for Equality in Belize; Progress and Backlash in Tunisia; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…margin of the Yes victory in Ireland obliges us all to take on board that Europe, and not just Europe, is undergoing an accelerated process of secularisation which touches on everything, including relationships. Faced with this reality, our response can be neither a stubborn refusal based on fear and arrogance nor an uncritical acceptance based on fatalism and retreat. National Catholic Reporter’s Jamie Manson wondered whether Pope Francis and Ca…

Catholic ‘Soul-Searching’ as Ireland Votes on Marriage; Churches, American Activists Join Kenyan Anti-Gay Group’s ‘Family’ Confab; Indian Mom Seeks Spouse For Gay Son; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…itudes, the Church still retains more power in Ireland than most places in Europe. Having run many of Ireland’s social services in the 20th century, most schools are still under its control and almost two-thirds of marriage ceremonies are celebrated in Catholic churches. While the number of Irish people who describe themselves as Catholic has fallen slowly to 84 percent, according to the 2011 census, churches began to empty before the abuse scanda…

“That Guy In Rome”: A Catholic Town in Idaho Where The Pope is a Heretic

By Jason Wilson

…se people were just holdouts, who would soon give up or die off. The large number of young families I saw at St. Joan of Arc—around a third of the parish—suggest to me what others must have by now have realized: that this constituency is not going anywhere soon.” Lefebvre’s views wove together theological, ecclesiastical and political conservatism. Though, like all traditionalist groups, the SSPX claims to be preserving the Church’s immemorial tra…

Competing Visions of Family & Freedom at UN; Methodists Try to Avoid Schism on Sexuality; Catholic Cardinal Denounces LGBT ‘Demonic Ideology’; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…estions and complaints we keep hearing from activists and funders. Gambia: Europe calls for decriminalization, better human rights protections The European Parliament last week adopted a resolution calling on Gambia to do away with laws criminalizing LGBT and to protect their human rights. China: Trans man continues fight over firing A transgender man who challenged his firing in court is vowing to challenge a ruling that his dismissal was legal,…

Mormons Fight Marriage Equality in Mexico; Is Catholic Church Italy’s Anti-Gay NRA?; Nigerian Anglicans Cut Ties With UK Diocese; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…Morty when the violence broke out. Ron Synovitz, reporting for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, says the attack came three days after “Georgian nationalist extremists marched in the streets of Tbilisi” during May 26 independence celebrations. It remains unclear whether the meat assault was merely a prank that turned violent, or an organised political actions by Georgian nationalists spurred on by the events of the independence day celebrations. T…