Ben Stein's 'Expelled' releases across US despite controversy
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/ben.steins.expelled.releases.across.us.despite.controversy/18150.htm
As the pro-intelligent design documentary “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” launched full throttle into over 1,000 theateres across the US Friday, its producers are no doubt feeling a strong sense of anticipation and anxiety.
“Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” starring actor and former presidential speech writer Ben Stein, is an in-depth investigation of teachers, professors, and researchers who are mocked and threatened with expulsion by an elitist scientific establishment that punishes the scientific proponents of intelligent design because they reject some of the claims of Darwin’s theory of evolution.
The film has generated fierce reactions and attacks from the moment of its conception, according to its producers.
In a series of incidents last month, producers grappled with what they described as both an intentional bootleg distribution campaign designed to wash away the film’s value, and the “crashing” of a pre-screening by two vocal atheist scientists.
And after the most recent wave of attacks – an accusation of copyright infringement and a series of elaborate attacks on the internet – producers have cried of an intentional campaign to discredit and destroy the film.
Despite the attacks, however, Executive Producer Walt Ruloff said that he would not be deterred by what he described as groups of zealot-like scientists unwilling to allow for civil debates on Darwinism.
“We certainly will not allow a small group of self-appointed gatekeepers to infringe our rights of free speech and our obligation to expose them for what they are - namely, intellectual thugs unwilling to accept any dissent from Darwinian orthodoxy,” he said, according to a statement.
Logan Craft, chairman and executive producer of the film, also gave an upbeat commentary, adding that the production team would not be silenced.
"Opponents of our film are attempting to interfere with its important message,” he said.
“As the movie documents, similar tactics are being used across the country against many of the researchers, scientists, and professors who want to engage in free debate within science but have inadequate resources to challenge the Establishment. However, we do have the platform to confront the 'thought police,' and we will work tirelessly to open the doors of free speech and inquiry," he added.
Thousands March to Demand EU Protection for Iraqi Christians
http://www.newsmax.com/international/eu_iraqi_christians/2008/04/19/89405.html
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Thousands of people demonstrated outside EU headquarters Saturday to demand protection for Christians in Iraq, saying they were increasingly being targeted in attacks.
Iraqi religious leaders led the protesters, whom police prevented from marching toward U.S. Embassy. Organizers said 4,000 to 7,000 had come for the demonstration from several European countries. Police put the turnout figure at more than 3,000.
"Christians in the Middle East are being assassinated and massacred," Iraqi priest Jacob Idine said. "Above all, religious leaders, the archbishops and priests, are being killed in cold blood in Iraq."
Islamic extremists have killed prominent members of Iraq's Christian community in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians are believed to have fled since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Idine said the demonstrators wanted the EU to help protect Iraqi people and clergy in Iraq.
German officials on Friday sought backing from other EU nations to accept more Christian refugees from Iraq, arguing that they were particularly vulnerable to violence and discrimination.
But other EU countries expressed concern that giving priority to Christians could discriminate against other groups.
Barnabas Fund requests urgent prayer for Somalia’s persecuted Christians
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/barnabas.fund.requests.urgent.prayer.for.somalias.persecuted.christians/18162.htm
Barnabas Fund, a ministry supporting the persecuted church worldwide, has made an urgent appeal for prayers to support Christians in Somalia in the wake of the murder of four Christian teachers last Sunday.
Daud Assan Ali and Rehana Ahmed, both Somali converts from Islam who had previously lived in Britain, were shot dead alongside two Kenyans when Islamic militants stormed the school where they were sleeping in, in Beledweyne in south-central Somalia.
Mr Ali returned to his hometown in Somalia in 2004 to fulfil his lifelong dream of founding his own school, the Private English School, which was completed just one month ago. On March 30, Mr Ali wrote in his last posting on his blog for the school’s supporters that he was concerned over night time raids by Islamic militants, according to Barnabas Fund.
The Somali Islamist guerrilla group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the killings although a spokesman for the group said that its fighters “did not intentionally kill” the teachers.
According to Barnabas Fund, however, several residents of Beledweyne believe that the militants deliberately targeted the teachers because of their Christian faith and out of a fear that they were teaching pupils about their Christian faith.
Christians form a tiny minority in predominantly Muslim Somalia and many converts there have been murdered in recent years by Islamic extremists.
According to Barnabas Fund, Islamic radicals have vowed to wipe out all Somali Christians and anti-Christian feelings have only intensified in the face of recent fighting between Somali Islamic militias and Ethiopia.
“Somali converts from Islam to Christianity are specially at risk at this moment in time. They need our prayers urgently,” says Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund.
Please Pray
• Please pray for the families and loved ones of those killed. Pray that the Lord will comfort them and keep them strong.
• Pray for the small number of Somali Christians, all converts from Islam, both in Somalia and in other countries, that God will protect them from violence and further attacks.
Turkmenistan officials clamp down on church teaching
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/turkmenistan.officials.clamp.down.on.church.teaching/18182.htm
Officials who raided a Bible class held by the Greater Grace Protestant church in the capital Ashgabad on 11 April have insisted that the church does not have the right to teach its own members without approval from the government's Gengeshi (Committee) for Religious Affairs, reports Forum 18 News Service.
The church was checked by about ten officials from the Religious Affairs Department of the Hyakimlik (the executive authority) of the city's Kopetdag district, the Justice Ministry, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) secret police, local police and the Tax Ministry.
A Religious Affairs department official from the Hyakimlik told Forum 18 he saw nothing wrong with the check-up, and insisted that they had a right to check up on organisations. Forum 18 was told that the church could face removal of registration if violations are found this time and then again on a future occasion.
Religious activity without state registration remains illegal and punishable, in defiance of Turkmenistan's international human rights commitments. Both registered and unregistered religious communities face intermittent raids from various state agencies.
Like most of the few non-Muslim and non-Russian Orthodox communities allowed to gain legal status, Ashgabad's Greater Grace church has no dedicated place of worship. Even if it could afford it, church members doubt if they would be allowed to buy one.
This makes it vulnerable to official pressure as owners prepared to rent to a religious minority congregation are few. Communities which had their places of worship bulldozed or confiscated over the past decade - including Muslims, Pentecostals and Baptists - have been given no compensation.
Vladimir Tolmachev, the pastor of the Greater Grace church, told the news agency on 15 April that the government officials and police arrived unexpectedly and disturbed their Bible class.
"I had to gather our people in one room and asked them to stay there until I could sort out what they wanted," he reported. He said he was surprised to see as many as ten officials come to check on them. "We have our registration, our two employees pay their taxes out of the salary they receive from the church, and we are not doing anything illegal."
Tolmachev said it was disturbing for them before the neighbours, since it is not regarded as good when law-enforcement officials arrive at the door. "They checked our papers, and asked two people from the church whether they
were forced to attend the classes."
The officials realised that everything was fine but still invited him to visit the Kopetdag district Hyakimlik the following day, a Saturday.
"At the Hyakimlik, officials asked me to sign a paper admitting our violations," Tolmachev told Forum 18. Officials told him the church was not allowed to teach classes as it does not have the necessary special permission from the Gengeshi for Religious Affairs.
"I explained to them that we do not have an official Bible Seminary, and the courses we teach in our church cover basic Christian doctrines," Tolmachev reported. The Bible classes are for the internal needs of the community and teaching their members what they believe is a right expressed in their Charter confirmed by the Justice Ministry, Tolmachev insisted.
When he refused to sign the paper he was warned that he would in any case receive an official warning soon. He told Forum 18 that based on a regulation of the Justice Ministry, if an organisation receives two warnings it will be stripped of its official registration. "Without official registration we would be an illegal organisation," Tolmachev pointed out.
Murad Aksakov, an official at the Kopetdag Hyakimlik Religious Affairs department, told Forum 18 that they did indeed visit the church "since it is our duty to check up on religious organisations". "We went there as guests, and I don't see anything wrong with that since we have the right to check up on religious organisations," Aksakov told Forum 18 from Ashgabad on 16 April. Asked the reason for the check-up, he said they just wanted to find out how many people attended the classes, who those people were, and whether everything was in order with the church's documents.
Forum 18 tried to reach Bibi Agieva of the Justice Ministry, who also was present during the check-up. The official who answered the phone on 16 April said that she was on sick-leave, and they did not know when she would be back. Forum 18 tried to talk to another official from the international and legal issues department about the case but the official categorically refused to discuss it. "We are not going to talk to you over the phone," she said. "Write us a letter, and we'll look into it." She then put the phone down.
Tolmachev told Forum 18 that the church needs a larger place for Bible classes, as classes for up to 25 students are held at a small one-room apartment. However, the Hyakimlik refuses to give permission to the church to rent a place for the classes. "We have applied for permission to the Hyakim [head of the administration] more than a month ago, but there has been no response yet," he complained. "Without written permission from the Hyakim no-one would rent space to you in Ashgabad."
Tolmachev complained that the situation with the hall for the church services was not good either. "We have been renting the current place for a little over a month now but we don't know how long we will be able to keep this place." The proprietors would kick them out if official pressure would come on, he told Forum 18. "Since the end of December we have been evicted from ten places already."
Other religious communities have been raided this year. A Protestant congregation meeting in a private flat in the south-eastern town of Mary
was raided in mid-February by about 13 police officers and other officials, Protestants who preferred not to be identified told Forum 18.
The police - who had no warrant - wrote down the names of all fifteen or so church members present and briefly detained them. CDs of religious content were confiscated and police refused to return them. "They refused to give a record of the items confiscated," one Protestant told Forum 18. "They very rarely do so."
Protestants report that it is even more difficult to hold meetings in villages than in towns. One Protestant told Forum 18 that in a village in eastern Turkmenistan, which the Protestant preferred not to be identified, a church member who had hosted meetings in her home died. "The aksakals [village elders] banned people from attending the funeral and refused to lend chairs and crockery for the traditional funeral meal," the Protestant reported.
"The council of elders summoned a meeting and the Christians were not invited," the Protestant added. "At the meeting, the local police, prosecutor's office and secret police officials all said that Christianity had to be stopped. They ordered residents to watch their neighbours, see who the Christians are visiting and report this to the police and elders. Families of believers are now very afraid." The family of the dead woman who had hosted church meetings were too afraid to allow them to continue, the Protestant reported.
In December 2007 a Baptist congregation in Balkanabad (formerly Nebitdag) was raided. Religious communities face constant difficulty importing religious literature, which cannot be produced legally within Turkmenistan. Foreigners suspected of being involved in religious activity have been expelled. Local religious communities cannot invite their fellow-believers from abroad. The government severely restricts numbers of Muslims who can go on the haj pilgrimage to Mecca (only 188 out of a quota of some 5,000 were allowed to go in December 2007).
Christians face persecution in popular tourist spots, warns Open Doors
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.face.persecution.in.popular.tourist.spots.warns.open.doors/18138.htm
Open Doors has urged travellers from the UK to be aware of persecution against the Christian community in their favourite tourist destinations, including India.
The organisation stressed the need to raise awareness among Brits of persecution in India and to support fellow believers in the country, recommending that they write letters of concern to MPs.
Eddie Lyle, chief executive of Open Doors UK and Ireland, said: “‘Sun, sea, sand and persecution’ would be an appropriate adage here. The image many of us have in our minds of these gorgeous locations is one of sandy beaches, palm trees and exotic cultural treasures. But the reality for those people living there wishing to express their faith openly and responsibly is very different from how the brochures portray things.”
He added: “Christians commonly experience discrimination in the workplace and in education, are abused physically and emotionally, cannot hold church services, are thrown into jail and — all too often — murdered.”
Open Doors is not asking Christians in the UK to boycott holidays to India but instead requests them to be aware of the issues and contribute to the saving and serving of the persecuted in the country.
A spokesman for the charity told The Telegraph that an estimated 200 million Christians around the world were facing varying degrees of persecution.
Steve Gaukroger, chairman of Open Doors' council of reference, said: “These days we routinely make decisions about important ethical issues such as the impact food-miles have on global warming. Given the appalling ways that our Christian brothers and sisters are being treated in many places around the world, we need to apply similar criteria to our holiday destinations, too," he was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
“In the largest democracy in the world, seven states now have anti-conversion laws which are being increasingly used by Hindu ultra-nationalists to harass Christians."
“Reports of threats against pastors, false arrests, beatings and even murder have been increasing, now averaging one incident every three days. Many of the Dalits, the ‘untouchable’ caste of Hinduism, are converting to Christianity. This is one reason why Hindu nationalists are targeting Christians.”
North Korea heads the list of places where Christians face “severe persecution”, followed by Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Maldives. India ranks 30 in the list of 50 offenders; Bhutan 7th; Pakistan 17th.
McCain Jabs Obama Over Connection to Radical Activist
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/20/mccain-jabs-obama-over-connection-to-radical-activist
Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain condemned Barack Obama’s relationship with a controversial radical activist during an interview Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
Speaking of William Ayers, a college professor who was once part of the violent Weather Underground group and served on the same charity board as Obama, McCain said:
“His relationship with Mr. Ayers is open to question … if you’re going to associate and have as a friend and serve on a board and have a guy kick off your campaign that says he’s unrepentant, that he wished (he) bombed more.”
Obama’s campaign was quick to respond to McCain’s remarks on Sunday, saying the Arizona senator is “unable to sell his out-of-touch ideas on the economy and Iraq” and “has stooped to the same smear politics and low road that he denounced in 2000.”
“The American people can’t afford a third term of President Bush’s failed policies and divisive tactics,” Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement.
The Obama campaign also drew attention to a statement made by McCain’s senior adviser Charlie Black, who said the Arizona Senator believes “candidates cannot be held accountable for all the views of people who endorse them or people who befriend them” during a March 14 interview on MSNBC.
McCain also has taken criticism for seeking the endorsement of the Rev. John Hagee, an evangelical Christian pastor who has been criticized heavily for anti-Catholic remarks. McCain on Sunday told ABC that it was “probably” a mistake to seek Hagee’s endorsement.
But, he added, “I admire and respect Dr. Hagee’s leadership of the, of his church. I admire and appreciate his advocacy for the state of Israel, the independence of the state of Israel.”
McCain also said he condemned “remarks that are made that has anything to do which is condemning of the Catholic church.”
McCain also criticized Obama for comparing Ayers to Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., during Wednesday’s ABC News democratic presidential debate. Obama said he did not agree with the views held by many of his associates, including Coburn, who once proposed the death penalty for those who perform abortions.
“Worst thing of all, that, I think, really indicates Senator Obama’s attitude, is he had the incredible statement that he compared Mr. Ayers, an unrepentant terrorist, with Senator Tom Coburn, Senator Coburn, a physician who goes to Oklahoma on the weekends and brings babies into life,” McCain said.
“Comparing those two — I mean, that’s not — that’s an attitude, frankly, that certainly isn’t in keeping with the overall attitude,” he said.
Hillary Clinton was first to raise questions over Obama’s relationship with Ayers during Wednesday’s debate.
In his defense, Obama has said that Ayers is “a guy who lives in my neighborhood” and not someone who has endorsed him or talked to him often.
“The notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn’t make much sense,” Obama said at this week’s debate.
Afghan, Iranian Forces Trade Gunfire on Southwestern Border
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351891,00.html
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan police clashed with Iranian forces at the southwestern border between the two countries, leaving one civilian dead and two Iranian officers wounded, officials said Sunday.
The incident in the village of Pul-e-Abreshum in Nimroz province happened Saturday after an Iranian patrol entered Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Afghan police dispatched a unit to the village and a gunbattle ensued. A teacher from the village was killed during the firefight, said provincial police chief Gen. Ayub Badakhshi.
Two Iranian officers were wounded, the statement said.
The long and porous border between the two countries is used by smugglers to traffic drugs into Iran. Many Afghans also cross illegally into Iran from the area. Border clashes are common.
Separately, in eastern Kunar province, a rocket attack killed a 15-year old-boy and wounded five other children Sunday, said Abdul Sabur Allayar, the deputy provincial police chief.
He blamed "the enemies of Afghanistan" for the attack, which killed the children as they collected grass for their sheep in the provincial capital Asadabad.
More than 1,000 people, mostly militants, have died this year in insurgency-related violence, according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Afghan and Western officials. Many of those killed were civilians caught up in insurgent attacks.
Anti-Western Protests Flare in Several Chinese Cities
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351886,00.html
BEIJING — Fresh anti-Western protests flared in several Chinese cities Sunday as people vented anger over pro-Tibet demonstrations along the Olympic torch relay. State media appealed for calm in an apparent attempt to dampen the nationalistic fervor.
Over the weekend, protesters waving Chinese flags have rallied in front of the French Embassy in Beijing and at outlets of French retailer Carrefour in nine cities across the country. They have threatened boycotts of the retailer, whom they accuse of supporting the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader — a charge Carrefour denies.
A front-page editorial in the People's Daily newspaper, the official mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party, called for calm, urging people to cherish patriotism "while expressing it in a rational way."
"As citizens, we have the responsibility to express our patriotic enthusiasm calmly and rationally and express patriotic aspiration in an orderly and legal manner," the commentary said.
The editorial seemed to reflect concern among China's leaders about a growing anti-Western backlash, fueled by anger over the demonstrations in Paris, London and San Francisco during the Olympic torch relay. The relay has become a magnet for protests against China's rule in Tibet and its human rights record.
Barry Sautman, a political scientist at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said the government is trying to rein in the demonstrations in order to ensure calm and project an inviting image ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August.
"That's why they want demonstrations to be very short," Sautman said. "They want to wrap them up as soon as possible so they can go on to restore the image of China as welcoming to people around the world."
He said that Beijing's move to rein in the budding nationalism follows similar patterns seen in the past, such as in 1999 when anti-U.S. outrage erupted after the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and in 2001 when a U.S. spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet.
"The government allows people to vent their spleen but then immediately reins it in," Sautman said. "They are certainly afraid it will go too far."
On Sunday, more than 1,000 demonstrators carrying banners gathered for a second day in the tourist city of Xi'an in front of a Carrefour, chanting "Oppose Tibet Independence," "Go China," and "Condemn CNN," the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Protests also continued in central Wuhan for a second day, when another 2,000 people, mostly students, waved the Chinese flag and sang the national anthem.
Rallies also were staged in the cities of Harbin, Dalian, and Jinan. An estimated 1,000 demonstrators blocked traffic in Dalian, while another 1,000 protesters in Harbin held up at a 33-foot-long banner in support of the Olympics, Xinhua said.
Xinhua reported that one protest organizer in Xi'an, identified as Wu Sheng, said the demonstrations were not necessarily aimed at pushing customers to boycott Carrefour.
"We do not support a boycott of French companies because the economy is globalizing. We chose Carrefour's front doors only because we draw more attention there," Wu was quoted as saying.
In an interview published in Journal du Dimanche, Carrefour's chief executive Jose Luis Duran said the company is "taking the situation very seriously," though its earnings had not yet been affected.
With 2 million Chinese customers, "we cannot take the reaction of some of our clients lightly," he said. "It must be understood that a large part of the Chinese population has been very shocked by the incidents that have peppered the passage of the Olympic torch through Paris."
Duran denied rumors spread on the Internet that Carrefour supports the Dalai Lama, saying the company has never supported any political or religious cause. The retailer is the second-largest "hypermarket" in the world after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. It has 122 stores in China employing 44,000 people.
The protests began Saturday, erupting in Beijing and five other major cities — Hefei, Wuhan, Kunming, Xi'an, and Qingdao.
In Beijing, small protests broke out at one Carrefour and outside the French Embassy as well as the Beijing French School. Dozens of police, some in riot gear, quickly dispersed the crowd in front of the embassy.
Anger also has been channeled against Western media organizations, including CNN, for so-called "distorted" coverage of recent unrest in Tibet and neighboring provinces. Foreign journalists have received threatening phone calls and e-mails.
Several thousand ethnic Chinese marched outside CNN's office in Hollywood Saturday to demand the firing of a commentator who recently compared China's leaders to a "bunch of goons and thugs."
CNN insists its coverage has been impartial and has said it refutes allegations that it "distorts its coverage of the events in Tibet to portray either side in a more favorable light."
Paper Shut Down After Report Vladimir Putin Divorced Wife to Marry Gymnast
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351860,00.html
A newspaper that defied the Kremlin by reporting that President Vladimir Putin was planning to marry an Olympic gold medal-winning rhythmic gymnast half his age was shut down Saturday.
The closure of Moskovski Korrespondent, whose editor Grigori Nekhoroshev was forced to resign, was a sharp reminder of the perils of invoking Kremlin displeasure.
Rumors of a romance between Putin, 55, and Alina Kabaeva, 24, who is also an MP in his party, have been circulating in Moscow for months, but until last week no one had dared to print them.
The paper admitted there was no factual basis for its claim that Putin had already divorced Ludmilla, 50, his wife of 24 years, and would marry Kabaeva in June, shortly after stepping down as president and becoming prime minister. It cited information from a party planner who claimed to be bidding to organize the lavish reception.
Both Putin and Kabaeva denied the report, which was followed up by European newspapers but ignored by Russia’s media, which do not delve into the private lives of politicians.
“I thought we should run the story to help break the taboo,” said Nekhoroshev. He paid a swift penalty for his daring: the paper, owned by Alexander Lebedev, the billionaire tycoon, ceased publication immediately.
Its parent firm blamed “costs” and “conceptual disagreements with the newsroom” but insisted in a statement that “this has nothing to do with politics and is solely a business decision”.
Few in Russia will believe that. The closure came a few hours after Putin had said during a visit to Sardinia that there was not a word of truth in the story and derided the “snotty noses and erotic fantasies” of the journalists concerned. So protective is the president of his private life that the Russian public has not seen his daughters since he came to power eight years ago.
“Our director came to the newsroom and told us we were being shut down,” said Nekhoroshev, who sounded shaken. “As far as the story is concerned I’ve full faith in my correspondents.”
Kabaeva, who is famed for her “extreme natural flexibility," had threatened to sue. Her high profile as a sporting pin-up has been enhanced by photographs showing her wearing nothing but furs, but she has spoken of her strong political ambitions.
During Putin’s presidency, the Kremlin has brought all the television channels under its control and become highly sensitive to criticism in the press.
Lebedev, who had ordered his editors to stand up the story with some facts or apologize – they apologized – may now come under further pressure. He also owns Novaya Gazeta, a paper fiercely critical of the Kremlin.
“It just goes to show what a terrible state the Russian media is in after eight years of Putin’s regime,” said Oleg Panfilov, an analyst. “It is so cowed that one just needs to bark at it to see it hide under a table.”
At least Putin, who burnished his macho image by posing bare-chested on a fishing trip last year, saw the funny side of his new-found reputation as a ladies’ man. Relishing a question from a friendly reporter about his supposed engagement, he declared that he fancies all Russian women: “It won’t come as a surprise if I say that I like them all, the most talented and beautiful in the world.”
No comments:
Post a Comment