News and Opinion

Free Speech & Jerry Springer The Opera The show Jerry Springer: The Opera starts at De Montfort Hall 27 February until 4 March. Members of Leicester Secular Society will be displaying a banner outside the gates of Victoria Park in support of the producers of the show who have been under attack from extreme christian sects who regard it as blasphemous or insulting rather than satirical. This is just one of a series of attacks on freedom of speech. Other cases are the protests, and indeed riots, ostensibly against the Mohammed Cartoons, which we discussed here earlier this month, and the Sikh protest against the play Bezhti in Birmingham last year. It seems that it is people who hold to fragile beliefs that cannot withstand the heat of open discussion who protest the loudest. Their emotional reaction derives from their fear that unbiased examination of the origins of their beliefs will undermine their faith. On the other hand, rational thinkers don't mind people criticising or

Darwin and the Bishops The following is the text of the 'First Person' column I wrote for the Leicester Mercury last Saturday, the response by the Bishop of Leicester on Tuesday, and the response by Ibrahim Mogra on Thursday. Apparently there is more to follow this weekend. The texts have been copied from the Leicester Mercury site: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk See under News/First Person. It is possible to add comments there if you wish. ====== BISHOPS SHOULD SPEAK UP ABOUT DARWIN'S TRUTH 10:30 - 11 February 2006 As scientists celebrate Darwin Day tomorrow, George Jelliss wonders where the Church of England stands Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809. His birth is increasingly celebrated by biologists and many others influenced by his ideas, through holding lectures and festivals on and around Darwin Day. These will lead up to his 200th anniversary in 2009, which will also mark 150 years since the publication of Origin of Species. When Darwin died in 1882

Maybe I was wrong There's a corner shop two doors away from where I live. It's run by a couple who I would count as friends. I have defended them against racist comments made in the shop when I was present. I see them as English as they aren't immigrants (and being Welsh I count myself as an immigrant). They sell alcohol, and newspapers that carry the sort of images of women that most Muslims reject. Both wear what is being termed 'western' dress (in fact she tends to expose her ample cleavage to a slightly distracting extent). I assumed that, if anything, they were Hindu. I was wrong. I raised the issue of the cartoons when I went in this evening (I was taking a very concilatory tone (she wasn't there) so I accepted that 'that one' cartoon was probably offensive) assuming that we'd at least agree over the issue of this whole thing being blown out of all proportion. Again I was wrong. Turns out they're Muslim. Given the above, how was I supposed

The Mohammed Cartoons The following links have been provided by two of our members. The first shows the 12 cartoons published in the Danish magazine which have been used as an excuse by various Muslim groups to stir up trouble. http://www.michellemalkin.com/archives/004413.htm Note the link at the end of the article to earlier historical examples of depictions of the prophet, some from Islamic sources. "In response to the notion that the West (or Islam) has ever followed the prohibition against depicting Mohammed, Zombie has created the Mohammed Image Archive , which contains dozens of Mohammed images from throughout history." This link, to a Saudi blogger, includes some of the same images in a spoof report to the Saudi ruling family: http://tinyurl.com/99cn6 Muslims should lighten up a bit, and learn not be so easily offended. A Bit of Old News I've been offline since 14th January due to problems with my computer, now resolved. While I was offline one of the most annoyin