March Wrap Up

So there were a number of articles that I found interesting over last month, but either didn't get time to write about them or had forgotten that I had saved their links. I will share each one here and make short comments also.

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Full Article: http://www.opposingviews.com/i/religion/christianity/creation-scientist-offering-10000-anyone-who-can-disprove-genesis-creation

March 27, 2013

A Californian scientist "Dr. Mastropaolo is certain that the Biblical creation narrative found in Genesis can be defended in the face of evolutionary science. In fact, he’s so sure of this that he’s willing to bet $10,000 on it." Dr Mastropaolo is a Young Earth Creationist, i.e., he believes the world is between 6000 and 10000 years old.

I am really not sure where this guy received his "science" education from, but your average high school student should be able to tell him about a phenomenon called radioactive dating from the decay of unstable isotopes, and fossil layers. Chapter 4 - Silence and Slow Time - of Richard Dawkins book, The Greatest Show on Earth, explains both the difficulties and the successes of the method. He says that although fossils are generally embedded within sedimentary rock which cannot be dated, layers of igneous rock associated with sedimentary layers CAN be dated. He also explains that there are 158 unstable isotopes of which 121 are extinct. The extinct isotopes are those with half-lives of under 200 million years, while the surviving isotopes have half-lives greater than 700 million years. This alone shows the world is not 6000-10000 years old because if it was, all 157 isotopes would still be present. 

The reason why evolutionary science cannot disprove the creation story is because religious fruitcakes insist on it being a metaphor, and re-interpret it for every scientific discovery that invalidates it. So there is no way to challenge a shifting story.

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Full Article: http://www.smh.com.au/world/delhi-has-four-rapes-a-day-says-minister-20130307-2fopq.html

March 8, 2013

Just a few horrifying statistics on the number of rapes in India. You will all remember the barbaric incident from late last year where a 23 year old girl in Delhi had been raped on a bus, beaten, had her genitals mutilated by an iron bar and stripped of her clothing before being dumped naked with her boyfriend on the side of the road by five men. She died from her internal injuries two weeks later. This grueling story has put India in the hot seat and brought worldwide attention to their neglect of rape cases. Since then more women have become braver about coming forward with complaints. The report states:

"Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran told the Indian Parliament's upper house 181 rapes had been reported in the city between January 1 and February 15, an average of about four a day." (OMG!)

"In 2012, 706 rapes were reported, at an average of less than two per day. The increased rate might be attributable to increased reporting of assaults."

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Full Article: http://www.smh.com.au/world/push-to-make-black-magic-a-crime-in-indonesia-20130308-2fpc7.html

March 8, 2013

I found this article mostly amusing. The black magic law is harmless, but just a little bit out of place in the 21st century. What is of concern though is the prospect of jailing those who live together outside of wedlock. It says:

"Australian travellers to Indonesia beware: smuggling drugs will still earn you jail time but, if an official draft of the country's new criminal code becomes law, witches and people practising "black magic", even adulterers and those living together outside wedlock, may also be locked away. 

The new draft law is meant to modernise Indonesia's 1918 Criminal Code, which was last updated in 1958, but some of its proposals constitute a big step back to the Middle Ages. 

In a country where many people earnestly believe that they could be killed, injured or robbed by a sorcerer using black magic, that crime will, for the first time, become part of the criminal law."

Oh, and it also states that "white" magic is perfectly legal :-P Sometimes articles like these make me realise how futile my hope for enlightenment is, where so many people in the largest Islamic population in the world still believe magic is real. If only it was real, I would have asked for an end to poverty and injustice with the wave of a wand.

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Full Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/14/britons-iraq-invasion-wrong-poll

March 14, 2013

Thought this survey was interesting and showed how the people of Britain and probably other Allied nations understand that all the rhetoric about fighting terrorism and weapons of mass destruction from over 10 years ago has not made a lasting impression on good people, and that the majority now know how destructive the wars have been for their own countries and its international relations.

"More than half the British public believe the decision to invade Iraq was wrong and more than a fifth believe Tony Blair should be tried as a war criminal, according to a poll conducted to mark the 10th anniversary of the conflict.  

A majority (56%) of the public believe the war has increased the risk of a terrorist attack on Britain. More than half, (53%), of those questioned think the invasion was wrong, while just over a quarter (27%) think it was right, according to the YouGov survey.... 

More than a fifth (22%) believe Blair knowingly misled parliament and the public and should be tried as a war criminal over the conflict, according to the poll."

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Full Article(s): http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/15/muslim-brotherhood-backlash-un-womens-rights
http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=30731

March 15, 2013

Ok so my comments for the above two articles (which should be read in conjunction with one another) might shound ranty, but is oh-so-necessary for me cause it simply makes my blood boil. The articles are about the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt's denouncement of the very rational, humanistic and egalitarian conclusions of a UN declaration that seeks to 'End Violence against Women" (see link to conclusions at the end of post). Between the 4th and 15th of March 2013, at the New York UN Headquarters, the 57th session on the UN Commision on the Status of Women (CSW) convened to discuss the declaration. 

The Brotherhood's denouncement states:

"...The (declaration) includes articles that contradict established principles of Islam, undermine Islamic ethics and destroy the family, the basic building block of society, according to the Egyptian Constitution. 

This declaration, if ratified, would lead to complete disintegration of society, and would certainly be the final step in the intellectual and cultural invasion of Muslim countries.... 

A closer look at these articles reveals what decadence awaits our world, if we sign this document: 

1. Granting girls full sexual freedom, as well as the freedom to decide their own gender and the gender of their partners (ie, choose to have normal or homo- sexual relationships), while raising the age of marriage. 

2. Providing contraceptives for adolescent girls and training them to use those, while legalizing abortion to get rid of unwanted pregnancies, in the name of sexual and reproductive rights.

3. Granting equal rights to adulterous wives and illegitimate sons resulting from adulterous relationships. 

4. Granting equal rights to homosexuals, and providing protection and respect for prostitutes. 

5. Giving wives full rights to file legal complaints against husbands accusing them of rape or sexual harassment, obliging competent authorities to deal husbands punishments similar to those prescribed for raping or sexually harassing a stranger. 

6. Equal inheritance (between men and women). 

7. Replacing guardianship with partnership, and full sharing of roles within the family between men and women such as: spending, child care and home chores. 

8. Full equality in marriage legislation such as: allowing Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men, and abolition of polygamy, dowry, men taking charge of family spending, etc. 

9. Removing the authority of divorce from husbands and placing it in the hands of judges, and sharing all property after divorce. 

10. Cancelling the need for a husband’s consent in matters like: travel, work, or use of contraception.  

These are destructive tools meant to undermine the family as an important institution; they would subvert the entire society, and drag it to pre-Islamic ignorance... 

In conclusion, we call on women's organizations to commit to their religion and morals of their communities and the foundations of good social life and not be deceived with misleading calls to decadent modernization and paths of subversive immorality..."

It saddens me that words like equal rights, sexual rights, reproductive rights, protection, sharing, partnership, respect and freedom are seen to be threatening by these people. In  no way do any of the above points undermine family. There are so many practices in Islamic countries that undermine family, and force women to remain in households that are harmful and belittling for themselves as well as well as their children. And although it may be true that abortion should essentially be an upsetting concept or experience for a parent, a number of benefits with regards to family life have been observed in areas in the United States where abortion was legalised and made safe and accessible to women. Benefits can be found on the Planned Parenthood website here: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/med_social_benefits_2009-11.pdf

Egyptian people have fought hard to overthrow the Mubarak government, against its dictatorship, corruption and violation of human rights. It will be absolutely heartbreaking if the revolution became wasted on the mere transferal of one dictatorship to another.

CSW Conclusions 2013: daw/csw/csw57/CSW57_agreed_conclusions_advance_unedited_version_18_March_2013.pdf

Bunnies Lay Eggs?

Another round of Easter celebrations are among us. For an agnostic like myself, the mention of Easter merely conjures up visions of a four day weekend and two consecutive four-day weeks of work (Yippee!!) And, having attended a Catholic School for 6 years of my life, Easter Thursday was also the day we all went to Mass for a feet washing event commemorating Jesus's last supper. 

Easter is in fact "a Christian festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary as described in the New Testament." (Wikipedia) But as I stared down at the easter eggs given to me during work today, I wondered where this tradition of Easter Bunnies and Easter Eggs came from? Firstly, rabbits are mammals so they don't lay eggs. Secondly, what does it all have to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

The answer is simple: Absolutely nothing.

"Bunnies, eggs, Easter gifts and fluffy, yellow chicks in gardening hats all stem from pagan roots. These tropes were incorporated into the celebration of Easter separately from the Christian tradition..." (Discovery News)

Eostre
Source: Wikipedia

The concept of an Easter Bunny originates from  "13th-century, pre-Christian Germany, when people worshiped several gods and goddesses. " (Discovery News) Their goddess of Spring and fertility, Eostre or Ostara, was symbolised by the rabbit due to its high proliferation/reproductive rate. Feasts were held in Eostre's honour at the March equinox.

Eggs have also been a long-standing symbol for fertility. Furthermore, legends stemming from the Persians, Indians and Egyptians who told of the earth being born from a cosmic egg also contributed to it becoming a symbol for birth and life, which was later incorporated into the concept of Jesus' resurrection by 15th century Roman Catholics in Germany. 

"By 1680, the first story about a rabbit laying eggs and hiding them in a garden was published. These legends were brought to the United States in the 1700s, when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania Dutch country, according to the Center for Children's Literature and Culture." (Discovery News)

The abundance of eggs during Easter may also be attributed to the fact that during Lent egg was not eaten by Catholics, and therefore it was made available after the fasting period.

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More fascinating to me than the history of it, is the fact that people have somehow managed to grip onto meaningless, pagan traditions that have no basis in Christianity (which is more or less a monotheistic religion) whatsoever. But nobody seems to question it, or wonder why these misplaced and incoherent symbols have been commercialised and used to such an extent by the media? It shows that once people become comfortable with a tradition it's difficult for them to discard it.

I understand that these symbols are probably harmless in the present context of the world and only serve as stories used to engage children. But I still believe it is important to know why we give importance to certain practices, and where they came from. Again, being aware and being knowledgeable will benefit us as a race in the long run!


Stay safe, Happy holidays and a Happy Easter to all of you!

Full Article: http://news.discovery.com/history/what-does-easter-bunny-come-have-to-do-easter-120406.htm

Scholars

Was scrolling up and down my news feed on Facebook today and came across a status update that bothered me. I was going to comment on the status, but I knew that it would probably lead to a debate and end with a bad feeling overall.

The quote said:

Ibn Mas’ud –(radiyallaahu ‘anhu) – would advise his students, “If your intention is one of these three, do not seek knowledge: To shame the ignorant, or to argue with the Fuqahaa’ (scholars), or to cause people to turn their faces in your direction. Intend with your actions and words that which is with Allaah, for indeed that which is with Allaah shall remain and everything else shall perish.”

If I had commented on the status I would have simply and politely pointed out that the advice given by Mr Ibn Mas'ud was very poor, and wasn't very encouraging of a healthy, dynamic and versatile learning platform for students. How someone can post a quote like this as though it is some great piece of wisdom is beyond me, that too in this day and age.

Clearly the speaker believes that children should be seen and not heard, and that they should refrain from questioning their teachers and challenging them to reconsider their views. It asks people to not criticize ignorance, which basically means anybody can propagate false or harmful information and/or ideas and just get away without being condemned for it. This is PRECISELY why humankind fails to make progress, because people latch onto old, obsolete ways of thinking only because they were left behind by some epic scholar who cannot be disrespected.

I'm NOT against being respectful, or acknowledging those who have studied and gained expertise in a particular field. But every person must be prepared to face and ask questions, then only can they take their knowledge and their student's knowledge further.

Sex

While I am at work each day I often browse through the online news in the mornings and during the breaks. As I am unable to share news articles on Facebook (because it is blocked here), I email the articles to myself   with the intention of sharing it at a later time! But that never happens because the articles either become outdated by the time I remember to post them, or I hear someone comment on how annoying news-related Facebook posts can be, so I've decided to filter my deeper musings through to this page.

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I read the article "What the sex doctor orders" by Amrit Dhillon on SMH, Feb 28 2013. It is linked at the end of this page. The purpose of me referring to articles on this blog is not to paraphrase them here, or to repeat the same ideas. But to briefly share things which stir strong emotions inside me, whether it be anger happiness or  sadness.

The article is about a doctor named Mahinder Watsa who specialises in sex in India. He answers people's questions and concerns in the paper alongside seeing patients in person. Speaking about, writing about and depicting honest and natural sexual behaviour is sometimes a challenge in India, and can lead to major controversies especially when it comes to film. The article highlights a handful of common misconceptions about sex among young people in India, which I found to be quite frustrating but hardly shocking considering the number of people who are unable to access good education there.

''A man who had no sexual experience married a woman who happened to have received some basic sex education at her Catholic school,'' Watsa says. ''The first time they made love, neither had any idea what to do. So she made a suggestion. He was so horrified that she seemed to know about sex that he divorced her.''

This caught my attention because although I live in a developed country where there's little social pressure for anybody to be a virgin prior to marriage, I have still heard of this mentality showing through in our ethnic community. The idea of a girl knowing more or even as much as a man about sex is terrifying to them. This makes me angry, particularly because nowadays there is nothing you cannot Google to find out. And women are just as curious about sex as men are. And even if her knowledge came from practical experience, how she has chosen to use her body in the past does not define her morality. Or anyone's morality. So long as they did not hurt anybody in the process.


I have also heard of guys here becoming angry with their girlfriends because of the absence of blood during their first time. This frustrates me, as there is no way of telling if a man is a virgin or not, so it gives them no right to expect or want her body to show signs of virginity. 

''I had a 28-year-old woman from a rural background with no child. I told the husband to get a sperm count done,'' Watsa says. ''Before he could do it, she jumped into a well because the family kept blaming her. It's only when men remarry, after divorcing their wife for so called infertility, that they realise it's their problem because they can't conceive with the second wife either.''

Again, a similar kind of problem. I am surprised at how a family can blame the woman for everything, when they already know that it could be the man's problem (he was going to get a sperm count done - this validates my point that they were not uneducated about this). And many a times it is the mother-in-law and other female-in-laws who are most involved in the verbal taunting and blaming. They should know better. Everybody should know better. And that is why it is important for women to be independent and confident about their ability to live without a man, so that they don't jump into a well every time divorce is mentioned.

People say that ignorance is bliss. I believe ignorance is dangerous. Very very dangerous. I salute Dr Watsa for providing practical answers for the young generation, despite his age. He should be an inspiration to others in the same field as him.

Dr Mahinder Watsa

Full article: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/what-the-sex-doctor-orders-20130227-2f64a.html