No freedom of speech in Turkey

A Turkish court has banned internet users from viewing the official Richard Dawkins website after a Muslim creationist, Adnan Oktar (pen name: Harun Yahya)

claimed its contents were defamatory and blasphemous. Story here.

Adnan Oktar is a Muslim creationist. Creationists (also known as intelligent designers) are light-headed people who deny Darwin's view of evolution, as well as many other scientific facts, such as the age of the Universe, the fact that the Earth is round (some think the Earth is flat). Typically, creationists are Christian fundamentalists. But here we see that creationists exist amongst Muslims as well. That this event happened in Turkey is not surprising because Turkey has a long track record in banning websites, and is particularly fond of blocking YouTube for allegedly offending national sensibilities. The bans have hurt its image at a time when its restrictions on free speech are under scrutiny owing to its EU membership bid.

It is very sad that the Turkish government, under the pressure of a fundamentalist, decided to ban Dawkins' site. Free speech should mean free speech, regardless of whether you agree with it or not. Banning a source of information is not what the 21st century is supposed to be about.

Note, added on 25/11/o8:
This guy is now offering some 50,000 euros for an essay on why evolution is false:






You have about a year to right some idiocy and send it to the so called (euphemistically) Research Science Foundation, Çakırağa mah, Katip Müslihittin sok, Sağlam İşhanı No.3 D.12-13 Aksaray/İstanbul.

Orthodoxy makes front page news (again)

Fighting erupted between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ's crucifixion in Jerusalem's Old City. Israeli police have had to restore order after a mass brawl broke out between monks. Stories here and here.








Several similar incidences have occurred in the past:

On Palm Sunday, in April 2008, a brawl broke out due to a Greek monk being ejected from the building by a rival faction. Police were called to the scene but were also attacked by the enraged brawlers. Story here.

In 2004 during Orthodox celebrations of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a door to the Franciscan chapel was left open. This was taken as a sign of disrespect by the Orthodox and a fistfight broke out and some people were arrested. Story here.

In 2002 Ethiopian and Copt monks threw stones at each other over rights to the church roof.

Honestly, I don't understand what they are fighting for. One sect wants a monk placed inside a room, the other does not. Or a door is left open... What's the big deal? Well, go figure... In matters of religion, trying to understand is not the thing to do.

Leave science alone

Here is a 21st century phenomenon: religious morons (ab)using science to prove that god exists, and, more specifically, the particular version of the god they believe in. I shall come back to this important new technique of religious bigots, but, for now, here is an example. The book of some R. D. Duncan discusses "[t]he periodic table of elements presented as never before! The tiniest elements that make up the world are more than just scientific odds and ends. Each and every one is an opportunity to celebrate the power, wisdom, order, and ingenuity of our Creator!". I searched to find out about the qualifications of this Duncan, but I had no luck. Surely, knowledge of Chemistry if not important for such books. But a dose of idiocy and blind faith certainly is. What a bunch of balloney!

But, hang on a minute. If you think this is to hard to digest, then how about the easier version, God’s Design for Chemistry, designed for grades 3–7, or the even easier one, God’s Design for Life, for grades 1-6 (both published by Answers in Genesis–US)?

If this is not mind-fucking, then what is?

Fine, one could argue, let those religious bigots, like Duncan, publish their books and circulate it amongst their circles. These authors have no scientific credentials, so they won't be taken seriously. But a more major problem is posed by those who do have scientific credentials and do try to promote (their version of) god and (their version of) religion by (ab)using their scientific titles in order to deceive laymen? An example of people in this category is Dr John Lennox of Oxford, who, by claiming his authority as a mathematician (an algebraist in fact working on finite groups), produces naive and childish arguments and books to prove that science implies that (his version of) god exists and that (his version of) religion is true. More on this soon...

"Living in Texas feels like being in a big prison"

This is what I used to say when I lived in Austin, Texas. And here is a proof:


Do you see the blue spec in the middle called Austin? It's sunk in a sea of reactionary red. (Just as a few other places.) You venture outside it and you're in the land of intolerance, the land of people whose law is based on guns and the Bible, the land of those who voted for McCain (and Dubya and his father in the past). Try to speak and you fear for your life. Despite appearances, this land is one of the most fundamentalist places in the world. There is no freedom of speech, no freedom of expression. Waco and Huntsville (were people get executed all the time) are typical of Texas. If you are different you can't stay. You may be killed. So you end up spending all the time in Austin, feeling, exactly, like being in a huge prison. This is why I used to use this phrase.

Good riddance Dubya

The all-time loser in presidential history will be remembered as the worst president of the US. This is what Simon Schama wrote yesterday in the Guardian, adding that not even McCain wanted to be seen as having anything to do with this idiot when he declared "I am not George Bush" in his final debate. Clearly, McCain didn't manage to dissociate himself too much from Dubya, and this resulted in his declaration, along the hockey mom, of defeat today. We are all worried, says the Guardian today, what kind of job will Dubya be capable of doing in 77 days from today. Because he's a man of action, he won't want to retire. The Guardian proposes the following jobs for W:

The new Doctor Who,
Leader, North Korea
Presenter, Friday Night with Dubya
Tour guide, presidential library
Manager, Watford FC
Star, W: the Musical
Interior minister, Iran
Paris Hilton's new best friend
Presenter, Top Gear
Sarah Palin's running mate, 2012
Biographer, George Bush Sr.

But no matter what job he does, he will be remembered, in our hearts, as the prime example of the a good-old malakas.