In a win for the LGBT community, the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary, which is affiliated with the Conservative Jewish seminary in Israel, has said that it will allow gay and lesbian students to study to become rabbis. This decision will bring the seminary up to par with its U.S. branch, which...
Apr20
Woman Faces Beheading For Witchcraft
Good To See The Saudi's Stepping Up Their Human Rights Efforts
Saudi Arabia – A Sri Lankan woman is facing decapitation by sword following accusations of witchcraft from the father of a 13 year old girl. The woman came into brief contact with the girl at a local shopping mall and allegedly cast a spell on her. But how does the dad know this? According to reports in the daily Okaz, the man told authorities that his daughter “suddenly started acting in an abnormal way” which apparently was enough to determine that the Sri Lankan was in fact a witch, and for the Jeddah police to arrest her. The penalty of death by decapitation is of course derived from the principles of Wahhabism,...
Apr08
Broken Promises
Syria Continues the Slaughter
The peace agreement Syria agreed to seems to have been nothing more than hot air as the attacks increase and the death toll continues to rise. Nearly 130 people were killed on Saturday alone and another 26 reportedly died as of this morning. Syria’s government is now demanding that...
Apr03
Slide from Secularism
Turkey's Education Bill
Human Rights – Protests and conflict have marked the passing of a controversial education bill in Turkey. The new law overturns provisions made by the military in 1997 by allowing for middle-school education in religious institutions. Turkey is built on secular foundations, despite being populated by a strong Muslim majority. The new bill has met with heated opposition from secularists who claim that it affords too much influence to Islamic schools and detracts from the country’s secular stance. Opponents claim that Islamic schools serve as a breeding ground for militant Islamism and remove the opportunity for middle-school...
Mar28
Appropriately Skeptical
Syria Accepts Peace Plan
Social Issues – According to U.N. envoy Kofi Annan, Syria has agreed to a UN sponsored peace plan. At this point though, for some, the idea of resolving the conflict through diplomacy undercuts the value of the lives lost. Along with the announcement, Syrian state television has broadcast a video of President Bashar al-Assad walking through the Baba Amr district Homs, a particularly bloody center of conflict during the rebellion and Assad’s crackdown. The peace plan “calls for a national dialogue but does not hinge on him leaving office.” It is not exactly a win for the rebels. Abu Jaffar, an opposition supporter summarized...
Mar27
Out in the Cold
Syria May Soon Stand Alone
Social Issues – The Syrian regime is facing growing isolation this week as Russia, one of its last remaining allies, edges nearer to international cooperation. With the situation growing increasingly dire and current UN figures suggesting that over 8,000 people have been killed in the...
Mar27
The Long Road Home
US-Taliban Negotiations Deemed Failure
Social Issues – The United States’ Afghanistan exit strategy has taken another hit this week with a report from the International Crisis Group (ICG) concluding that U.S. attempts to negotiate with the Taliban have been a failure. The report comes after several turbulent months in U.S.-Afghan relations, with its findings likely dramatically affected by the recent killing of 17 Afghan civilians and the burning of Korans at an American military base. The ICG report represents a significant dent in hopes that a negotiated settlement would mark the end of the war. Candace Rondeaux, the report’s lead author, stated that...
Mar18
Peaceful Research?
Iran Not Making Nuclear Weapons?
Social Issues – Iran continues to insist that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, and after searching for years for evidence showing otherwise, reports are coming in from Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Service, and a source in U.S. Intelligence, that there is no proof that Tehran is working on a nuclear weapons program. In fact, it is believed that Iran’s program was shut down in 2003. “Mossad does not disagree with the U.S. on the [Iraninan] weapons program,” an unnamed former senior U.S. Intelligence official told the New York Times. “There is not a lot of dispute between the US and...
Mar15
Learning from the Best
Assad's Emails Released
Human Rights – A cache of personal emails received by the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad have been obtained by British newspaper the Guardian and have revealed the central role played by Iran in advising the brutal leader. The emails were handed to the media by opposition activists in...
Mar12
Stone Cold Murder
Iraqi Teens Stoned for Being Emo
Human Rights – After Iraq’s Moral Police released a statement condemning the “emo phenomenon” and those that have an “emo” appearance because it signals “devil worshiping,” religious extremists in Baghdad are literally taking aim at Iraqi...
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Mar11
The Unforgivable [Warning - Graphic]
U.S. Soldier Massacres 16 Afghan Civilians Including Women And Children
Human Rights – The void between the U.S. and Afghanistan has widened this weekend with the murder of 16 Afghan civilians by an American soldier. He opened fire in a village near his base in the south of the country, leaving nine children and three women among his victims. President Hamid Karzai has described the attack as “an assassination, an intentional killing of civilians” which he says “cannot be forgiven.” With tensions between the two countries already heightened following the burning of Qurans by U.S. forces and subsequent violence by protestors, this newest development has created an even more volatile...
Mar09
Fuel Back Up Plan
Cross Country on 10 Gallons?
Environment – Cliff Ricketts, an agricultural education professor at Middle Tennessee State University, has a big trip ahead of him, and he’s only got a little bit of fuel. He plans to drive across the country on 10 gallons of gasoline, from Savannah, Georgia to Long Beach,...
Feb22
Watching Innocents Die
Syrian Conflict Affecting Families
Opinion – It is difficult to imagine that the crisis plaguing Syria could become any more horrendous, however reports emerging of the conditions facing many of the country’s civilians have increased concern in the international community. With escalating levels of violence in Homs,...
Feb19
A Threat To Humanity?
Libya Takes Anti-Gay Stance At UN
LGBT Issues – Libyan UN representative Ibrahim Dabbashi has made something of a bold claim: homosexuality threatens human rights because it threatens the longevity of humanity. Not surprisingly, the comments have ticked some people off. Addressing a UN Human Rights Council...
Feb16
Hunger Strike
Palestinian Detainee Near Death
Human Rights – An independent United Nations human rights expert has voiced his concerns in regards to the health of Khadar Adnan, a Palestinian detainee who has been on a hunger strike for two months to protest his imprisonment without charge by Israel. Adnan has been refusing all...
Feb12
The Vicious Machine
416 Syrian Detention Centers
Human Rights – Activist group Avaaz has released a report showing that the Syrian regime has a whopping 416 detention centers for political prisoners. According to Avaaz, 69,000 people have seen the inside of one of these detention centers since the uprising began in March of last year....
Feb12
How’s It Hangin?
Iraq Executes Over 60 in 2012
Human Rights – It is only February and the Iraqi government has already executed more than 60 prisoners this year, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW). In Iraq, people can be executed for nearly 50 crimes including murder and acts of terrorism, as well as what might...
Feb02
Crazy In Kabul
Woman Killed For Having A Girl
Human Rights – KABUL, Afghanistan – According to authorities, 22-year-old Storai Mohammad was strangled to death by her husband for giving birth to second baby girl instead of a son that he was hoping for. Storai was found dead in her home by a neighbor in the Khanabad district of...
Jan29
Egyptian Uprising
Bianca Jagger Voices Support
Celebrity Charities – We’ve frequently reported on the fight for democracy in Egypt, from the military police vs. the people, to the blatant violations of women’s rights, and more. While many of these issues receive support from the celebrity community, there are few...
Jan19
Kuwhat?!
Transgender Hunting In Kuwait
LGBT – Kuwait City – Kuwait is a dangerous place in general, but it’s a totally different story when it comes to the country’s transgender population. Under a 2007 discriminatory law, Kuwait police have justified their acts of torture and sexual abuse on transgender...
Jan16
In The Footsteps Of MLK JR.
Palestinian Brings The Message Of Martin Luther King To His Community
Civil Rights – Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Where there is an injustice somewhere, there is an injustice everywhere.” While Americans celebrate today in honor of a historic civil rights leader, there is a Palestinian man in the “little town of Bethlehem” who has dedicated his life to spreading the teachings of Dr. King from far beyond America’s boarders. To his family, Sami Awad is a devoted husband, loving father, and a thoughtful and caring provider. But what his three young daughters may not be able to understand quite yet, is that their dad is a growing symbol of the modern-day Palestinian civil...
Jan09
Snuggle Buddies!
U.S Courts Muslim Brotherhood
Social Issues – The United States, forced to acknowledge the impact that the Muslim Brotherhood has in the new Egypt, is reaching out to the group that holds significant cultural weight in the nation. This signifies a change in U.S. foreign policy from the previous administration, which...
Jan08
We Came Bearing Gifts Of…White Phosphorus?
Horrific Birth Defects Plague Fallujah Years After U.S. Incursion
Human Rights – According to new reports from Al Jazeera, the city of Fallujah is suffering from a rate of birth defects that’s nearly 14 times higher than the rate in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the use of the atomic bombs in WWII. Doctors say that the onslaught of birth defects is likely linked to the U.S. military’s use of white phosphorous and other weapons during the Iraq war. Fallujah was the site of two infamous U.S. military battles in 2004, and most of the resulting debris was unwisely bulldozed into the river that is the primary source of drinking water for the town. Doctors in Fallujah noticed the shift as...
Jan07
Saudi Lingerie Law
An invitation for immoral acts?
Civil Rights – Saudi Arabia has announced its intention to begin enforcing a 2006 law banning men from working in female lingerie and cosmetic stores. The law was created in response to the embarrassment of women when purchasing their undergarments from male shop attendants. The lack of...
Jan04
Mubarak On Trial
Egypt Waits for Answers
Human Rights – After months in adjournment, the trial of former-Egyptian dictator, Hosni Mubarak, has resumed amidst rumors of a possible dismissal of charges against the ousted leader. While these initial sessions will be mainly procedural, the New Year will see a host of witnesses...
Jan03
Halting What?
Iran Test Fires New Missile
Social Issues – Iran has done the opposite of halting its nuclear energy program as it announced a nuclear “fuel” breakthrough while simultaneously test-firing a new radar-evading medium-range missile in the Gulf on Sunday. The moves come as a direct contradiction to recent...
Jan03
Pushing For Peace
Israel & Palestinians Try Again!
Social Issues – Palestinian and Israeli negotiators are set to meet this week, ending a year long stand-still in peace negotiations. Saeb Erekat of the Palestinian Authority and Yitzhak Molcho of Israel are to meet in Jordan along with representatives of the U.S., the EU, the UN, and...
Jan02
Afghan Girl Tortured
15 Year Old Refuses Sex Trade
Human Rights – Details are emerging of a 15-year-old Afghan girl who was held captive and tortured by her in-laws for refusing to work as a prostitute. The girl was imprisoned for six months in a basement, having her fingernails ripped out, her fingers broken, and facing torture with...
Jan02
Pakistan’s Hijras
Transgender Seeks Election
LGBT – Shahana Abbas Shani, the president of Pakistan’s She-male Association (SMA), announced that she will be running for a seat on the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, to bring light to the problems faced by the country’s transgender (hijras) community. “Now that the...
Jan01
Immediate Withdrawal!
Arab League Monitors Recalled
Human Rights – In response to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s continued slaughter of opposition protestors (including women and children), the 88-member Arab Parliament is now calling for the “immediate withdrawal” of it’s Arab League monitors (ALM). Activists...
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