Making porn a hate crime

Based on an article from Sunday Mail

A women's nutter group have petitioned MSPs to make porn a hate crime in Scotland, like the race and sectarian laws.

The parliament will hold a porn summit with [no doubt a biased selection of] Scotland's leading experts.

Scottish Women Against Pornography (SWAP), who believe there is a direct link between top shelf magazines and violence and abuse, have called for the repression.

The group's Catherine Harper said: The message of all pornography is that women secretly wish to be raped and abused and enjoy the treatment they receive. We view pornography as sexual hatred in the same way racist material is regarded as incitement to racial hatred. There needs to be a change in legislation and an awareness campaign informing and educating people that it is not about taking their fun away. It is about providing a more equal society and a safer place for women and children."

The petition was heard by the equal opportunities committee, who will hold the summit on February 6. They will hear from academics and sex abuse speakers such as Ray Wyre.

Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, said: We need to hear from academics who work in this field about whether they think pornography is harmful and how serious a problem it might be. We don't expect any of them to say it is a good thing so the next question will be what we can do about it. There are those who say it should be banned completely.

MSPs and selected experts will also look at restricting the sale of porn in newsagents and corner shops.

Catherine Harper, of Scottish Women Against Pornography, said: The law does not allow racial hatred and it should not allow sexual hatred against women either. I am encouraged by the political support our campaign is receiving and hopeful this might lead to change. Legislation will take time but parliament needs to hear the wealth of evidence of the links between pornography and violence. I have very high hopes that this problem is going to be tackled.

Avedon Carol, of Feminists Against Censorship, said: Aside from the explicit civil liberties dangers, a ban won't achieve anything. It is actually going to create more crime and violence - what is the purpose of making people criminals? Researchers have tried to prove there is a link between pornography and sexual violence but none of them have really achieved that. All of the studies are flawed in some way - there really isn't any scientific evidence to justify a ban.

   
Little support for anti-porn nutters

From SeeNoEvil

A few interesting facts on this

The SWAP petition consists of 750 signatures www.rcne.com/downloads/RepsPubs/Prcdngs.pdf. The online version only has one name according to its website!

Related to the BBC coverage of the original discussion of an inquiry, the BBC ran its own petition: Should adult pornography be banned in Scotland?

18% were for, 81% against. 9811 voted.

   
The beheading Mohammed show will go on

From Brooks Bulletin

Security will be high at Monday's Deutsche Oper production of Mozart's Idomeneo. The security measures for the performance, which include electronic screening of opera goers.

It's a case of art meeting religious sensibility, and a decision that the show must go on, despite concerns that the production, featuring the severed head of the Prophet Muhammad, could prompt violence.

Security fears initially led the opera house to cancel plans to revive the production, but a city proud of its openness, tolerance and artistic verve was aghast.

While some Muslim leaders praised the decision, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned against "self-censorship out of fear," and Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, in charge of police, described it as "crazy."

So the show is back and the police say they are ready for any eventuality.

Kolat, the head of Germany's Turkish community, has said he plans to attend, as has Schaeuble, the interior minister. Ali Kizilkaya, head of Germany's Islamic Council, whose presence would have done much to defuse potential tensions, will not be there.

Instead of an opera where Muhammad and Christ are beheaded, I ... would hope for a debate in society about whether everything should be allowed for the sake of art, he said, in indirect criticism of the decision to stage the production.

Tickets were still available just a few days before the performance. This is one of Mozart's less-known operas, said an opera spokesman about the relative lack of interest.

   
The beheading Mohammed show opened

From WKRN

Under heavy security, a controversial production of Mozart's opera Idomeneo returned to the stage Monday without incident.

A powerful male voice called out "stop it!" and "boo!" as the heads of Islam's founder, along with those of Jesus, Buddha and Poseidon, the Greek god of the seas, came tumbling out of a sack hefted by Idomeneo.

But several voices from the other side of the hall yelled, "continue, continue," their cheers clashing with the voice of the critic, and the cast.

The reactions were somewhat anticlimactic. Plainsclothes security personnel lined the hall throughout the performance and audience members had to pass through metal detectors out of fears that the severed-heads scene could arouse unrest. Officials said 100 police officers were on duty.

The scene that started all the trouble is the creation not of Mozart but of director Hans Neuenfels, who called it his personal protest against all organized religion.

   
Nutters object to spoof Christmas carol

From Agape

Pro Family nutters are laying into CBS Television over a sexually-charged rendition of a popular Christmas carol.

The Monday (December 11) episode of the network's popular sitcom Two and a Half Men featured actor Charlie Sheen singing a song about extramarital sex to the tune of "Joy to the World," a well-known hymn about the birth of Christ. In the parody song, Sheen boasts in anticipation about having sex on Christmas Eve on his second date with a woman.

Joy to the world, I’m getting laid; I’m getting laid tonight. We’ll light the yule log, deck the halls, and then we’ll play some jingle balls. It’s been a real long wait, this is our second date! It’s Christmas Eve and I’m getting laid. Glo-oh-oh-oh-oh-ria, tonight I’m boinking Gloria!

Bob Knight is director of the Media Research Center's Culture and Media Institute. He says the airing of Sheen's irreverent song suggests that CBS has gone into "Hollywood mode" in an effort to shock and to get more press: You know, it's bad enough that Two and a Half Men is a non-stop sex joke with a kid right in the middle of the set. But when they take on a Christmas carol that's beloved by millions and pervert it into an anthem of alley cat culture -- which is what the show's all about; it's not about men, it's about alley cats -- then they've gone over the line.

Pro-family nutter activist Don Wildmon, founder and chairman of the American Family Association (AFA), is encouraging fellow Christians to contact CBS and voice their displeasure over the episode

Wildmon says CBS and Sheen have used the Christmas season to ridicule and mock Christ, Christmas and Christians, and the network apparently approved the actor's vulgar adaptation of a favorite Christian Christmas carol, knowing full well that the parody would offend believers.

Spinal Tap winds up the nutters

From The Sun

BBC bosses are ditching a Christmas TV trailer after church leaders complained its music was pro-Satanic

Christmas with the Devil The elves are dressed in leather And the angels are in chains (Christmas with the Devil) The sugar plums are rancid And the stockings are in flames (Christmas with the Devil) There's a demon in my belly And a gremlin in my brain There's someone up the chimney hole And Satan is his name The rats ate all the presents And the reindeer ran away (Christmas with the Devil) There'll be no Father Christmas 'Cause it's Evils holiday (Christmas with the Devil) No bells in Hell No snow below- Silent Night, Violent Night So come all ye unfaithful Don't be left out in the cold You don't need no invitation, no... Your ticket is your soul

The BBC is using Christmas With The Devil a spoof track by mock rockers Spinal Tap, in a 30-second clip focusing on villains and baddies in its festive dramas.

But Canon Peter Howell-Jones, of Birmingham Cathedral, said: It’s in very bad taste. I’ve enough to do without having to defend God from things like this.

Retired Rev Betty Stephenson added: It’s disgusting, diabolical. She said the Devil always works quietly in the background and mentioning him demeaned the true meaning of Christmas.

The BBC said it chose the song in honour of baddies including the Sheriff of Nottingham and the Evil Santas in Doctor Who. A spokesman said: It’s meant to be fun.

Apoplectic hype for apocalyptic game

Based on an article from the The Times

A video game that depicts a crusade of violence by Christians could be heading for the bestseller charts this Christmas, even though it has been condemned by Muslims and secularists.

The game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, is set in post-apocalyptic New York and features God’s army battling the Antichrist. Based on Left Behind, the bestselling Christian fantasy book series created by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, it puts players in command of brainwashed legions fighting for Christianity.

Players are ordered to convert or kill to advance to the next level and remodel America as a Christian-controlled state, and establish its world vision of Christ’s dominion. They pit battles between the paramilitary Christian Tribulation Force and the grey, faceless, Global Community Peacekeepers of the Antichrist, said to be modelled on the United Nations. The fantasy is based on what might happen if the events of the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, happened today.

The game was sold originally in the US. British outlets are releasing the game for the Christmas market. The Left Behind books have sold more than 63 million copies.

Muslim groups have denounced the game as portraying Islam as evil and accuse its creators of insulting their faith. The Muslim Association of Britain called for the game to be banned, describing it as evil: This game is irresponsible and highly racist. It demonises every other religion which isn’t Christianity. People must boycott this violent game.

Terry Sanderson, the president of the National Secular Society, said: Fundamentalists on both the Christian and the Muslim side are creating this kind of nasty, extreme propaganda and aiming it at young people. I’m not into banning things or censoring them, but I think most Muslims and most Christians would recognise that this is crude and despicable hate-mongering and give it a wide berth.
 

Dan suggests a more realistic Christian game

How about a Christian video game where you go around discriminating against gays and harassing women going for abortions or intimidating the producers of shows you don't like? Or even trying to get viewers of porn locked up for three years.

Well, might as well make it totally true to life.
 

Hyped violence not so violent as it is rated only 13

The controversial Left Behind game has received a 'T' rating, which means the game is for children 13 and older because of violence.

The game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces depicts a crusade of violence by Christians, set in post-apocalyptic New York and featuring God's army battling the Antichrist.

Critics, including a Florida clergyman, have demanded the game be banned, and one leading retailer has already pulled it from its shelves, sources reported.

Ann Widdecombe wound up by lap dancing toy

Based on an article from the Daily Mail

A toy pole dancer has been scrapped by Marks & Spencer just a week after it went on sale, following protests from nutters.

Store bosses had hoped the 8in-tall blonde, sporting a red bikini and matching red lipstick, would be a big Christmas hit. But they were forced into a hasty about-turn and cleared the £19.50 toy off their shelves after they were inundated with complaints that it was offensive.

The "USB pole dancer" is designed to be plugged into any personal computer and comes complete with her own silver pole to dance around, as well as multi-coloured lights and disco music to "recreate an authentic nightclub atmosphere".

Once she is switched on she goes through a gyrating routine with the help of a pre-installed backing track.

Tory MP Ann Widdecombe attacked it as "cheap and tawdry". She added: I would think this type of product would be entirely counter-productive to the image of M&S. It won't suit most of the customers who go to M&S anyway, so why do it? It's not respectful towards women.

An M&S spokeswoman said last night: The crux of the complaints was really that some people were offended by the product. It was marketed at adults and was clearly marked 'Not suitable for children'. It was originally intended as a fun Christmas gift and it was never our intention to cause offence but obviously we take every complaint seriously.

Nutters and Christmas pedants

From AVN

X-rated Christmas ornaments, which can be purchased for $9 in Spencer's stores have caused 'controversy' and nutters predictably want them taken off store shelves.

Store workers said that there were no restrictions on who can purchase the pornaments.

It is just sad they have to stoop to this kind of thing to defame Christmas, Baptist Church Rev. Jim Patterson said: It says we are nothing more than sexual acts or psychical being and we are much more than that. We are spiritual beings and this is a spiritual holiday. And, why bring it to that level. It makes no sense to me.

A group of young activists and one lawyer were working to get the decorations off store shelves. Pastor Clint Wilder joined a protest at a mall: We're here to protest what's happening in Spencer's gifts in the mall, I think it's gone far enough and these kids are making a stand here. A 5-year-old can buy it for his brother or sister and it's just absolutely ridiculous.

I sent a letter to Spencer's gifts telling them what statute in Florida they are violating, attorney Jack Thompson said: it's against the law to keep pornographic material out in the open in a store where children shop.

Pornaments are still on store shelves in Florida

John "Concentration Camp" Beyer

Petitions for 3 years in jail for all porn viewers

Thanks to Alan

John Beyer has also got in on the act and started a petition:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to steadfastly proceed with plans announced in the Queen's Speech to make possession of extreme pornography illegal and to include a much wider range of pornographic imagery, such as R18 material, within the scope of the Criminal Justice Bill.

Further Details:

In 1972 the late Lord Denning, former Master of the Rolls, said that the law against pornography had misfired: He said: Much that is obscene has escaped the reach of the law. The pornography industry has exploited to the full a law that is inherently flawed and has failed to fulfil the intention of Parliament in the 1959 Act to strengthen the criminal law. It has had the opposite effect.

Submitted by John C Beyer of mediawatch-uk

Comment: from Dan

I hope the arch nutter knows he has a fight on his hands from anti-censorship campaigners who won't want to see the law imprison people for watching sex based on the views of a moral impositionist like himself.

I hope the government rejects calls from campaigners like John Beyer to criminalise all pornography which is not based on any evidence that viewing it is harmful but based on his view that people shouldn't be watching sex.

Beyer Recommends

  The Virgin School on Channel 4

Spotted by Dan who comments that John Beyer and Mediawatch-UK are doing fine work plugging Channel 4 programmes.

Based on an article from the Daily Mail

Channel 4 sparked nutter outrage after it was revealed it is making a new show which will feature a male virgin being taught how to have sex.

The man, who is aged in his late 20s and has never slept with a woman, will visit a sex school in Amsterdam, where he will spend three months learning "the art of intimacy".

The new show will see the man lose his virginity to a sex therapist and producers of the show are claiming they could even show some footage of the man having sex.

The Virgin School, as it has been titled, is part of a series of programmes about virginity lined up for next year, which will also look at the different ways in which people lose their virginity.

John Beyer, director of Mediawatch UK said: It beggars belief. It's yet another example of them trying to attract viewers with a programme about sex. It is really time that Channel 4 grew up. They are so caught up in their own importance that they really can't see beyond their own quest for sensationalism and controversy.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: Virgin School is a sensitive documentary that follows one young man's effort to overcome a major obstacle in his life. The programme focuses on his emotional journey and his growing confidence with women, not the final result. It will be scheduled appropriately in a late night slot.

Sitcom set in a Pattaya brothel

Spotted by Phamtom

I had commented that the feminist group Eaves, criticising a channel 5 sitcom set in a brothel, were a women's nutter group. This was spotted by feminist Laurelin in the following blog entry:

Back to the MoronFarmers. One of their latest attempts as journalism has them scoffing at Eaves, the organisation that provides shelter and hope to women on a low income, to victims of rape trafficking and has done extensive research on sexual violence, for protesting Channel Five’s newest ’sitcom’ which is set in a brothel. Eaves objects to the portrayal of prostitution as ‘glamorous’ and ‘risk-free’. For this, the Morons label Eaves as a ‘women’s nutter group’.

Firstly, who would know more about the damage a sitcom about prostitution could do, Eaves or MelonFarmers? I think the answer is pretty clear, and MelonFarmers do not even attempt to argue against Eaves’ views. And secondly, what sort of a website that is interested in preventing censorship would refer to a group that has done amazing work for the most powerless and silenced women as a ‘women’s nutter group’, simply because that group took a stance that website disagreed with?

Surely I recognise the good work in setting up a refuge. However the wish to imprison people just for viewing softcore porn is more than ample justification for considering Eaves to be a nutter organisation.

One of the responses to the Government consultation on extreme pornography was: Response from Women's National Commission [offsite Word file]. This was endorsed by Eaves and includes the following:

Lilith believe that the list of restricted pornographic material [with a penalty of 3 years in prison for simple possession] should be expanded from the proposed list to also include:

• Any material which has scenes of sexual violence, not just those which are deemed to be showing ‘serious’ sexual violence
• Any material which shows women’s bodies being abused in any way
• Any material which is hostile to women by showing them in passive roles in sexual activity or being dominated
• Any material which features naked women for the sole purpose of sexual gratification (and therefore not, for example, for educational or anatomical purposes

From the BBC

One year on from the publication of 12 cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, Danes are still trying to understand how the images led to the country's biggest international crisis since World War II.

Many Danes point the finger at a small group of extremist imams who travelled to Egypt and Lebanon to tell Muslims about the provocative pictures.

It was the trip that ignited a campaign against all things Danish. Others blame Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen for refusing to meet Muslim ambassadors in Copenhagen early on in the row.

The Danish government has consistently argued the cartoon row was about freedom of expression. One year on, the prime minister is confident he handled the crisis correctly.

My conclusion is that freedom of speech is the most valuable right of liberty. We must defend it to the very last, Rasmussen said: Across the world, there is respect that we didn't give in to the pressure of fanatical Muslim groups. In many places, the story has put Denmark on the map and, except for a few countries, we have seen almost exclusively positive reactions.

As the row turned international, traders and supermarkets across the Arab world began boycotting Danish goods. The latest figures from Danish Industry suggest that export of Danish foods to Muslim countries has fallen 35% while other European countries have seen a 10% rise in exports to the same region.

However, the diplomatic crisis seems to have passed. Last week, the Saudi Arabian ambassador returned to the Danish capital and all Danish embassies have re-opened.

For most Danes, the row is in the past. However, 10 of the 12 cartoonists have still not appeared in public - for them the crisis is not over yet.
 

From MediawatchWatch

Norwegian TV channel TV2 will tonight air a documentary about the Mohammed cartoon crisis. Entitled Threatened To Silence, the documentary wouldn’t make much sense if it didn’t actually show the 12 cartoons about which a large number of Muslims were encouraged to throw a collective hissy fit - so it will.

The journalist behind the doc, Per Christian Magnus, says: I believe this is a very important act in the fight for freedom of speech. I can personally vouch for the finished product, and I guarantee that only journalistic considerations has been taken into account when considering what’s going to be shown and what’s not.
 

From the China Post

A Danish court ruled on Thursday that a newspaper did not libel Muslims by printing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that unleashed a storm of protests in the Islamic world.

Seven Danish Muslim organizations brought the case, saying the paper had libelled them with the images by implying Muslims were terrorists. One cartoon depicted Mohammad with a bomb in his turban.

Jyllands-Posten, which published the 12 drawings in September last year, hailed the ruling, saying any other outcome would have been a catastrophe for a free press.

Of course it cannot be excluded that the drawings offended some Muslims, the Aarhus court said in its ruling: But there is no sufficient reason to assume that the cartoons are or were intended to be insulting ... or put forward ideas that could hurt the standing of Muslims in society.

The ruling said some of the cartoons did not depict Mohammad or have a religious subject, while others fell outside the scope of defamation laws. But the court did find that three of the cartoons fell within what the law could deem as insulting.

The court ordered the seven organizations to pay the paper's court expenses. A Muslim imam said the plaintiffs would continue to fight in higher courts.

In March, Danish prosecutors declined to press charges against the newspaper under Danish blasphemy and anti-racism laws
 

From the BBC

A court in Yemen has sentenced a newspaper editor to a year in jail for reprinting Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

The court also ordered the independent weekly newspaper which carried the cartoons to be closed for six months.

The editor, Kamal al-Aalafi, said he had reprinted the cartoons to raise awareness, not to insult Muslims. Mr al-Aalafi has been released on bail and will appeal the sentence.

The editors of two other Yemeni publications face similar charges.
 

More cartoon victims

From the BBC

A Yemeni court has ordered the editor of an English weekly newspaper to pay a fine for reprinting the Danish cartoons depicting Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

The verdict is the second in its kind in less than two weeks but is more lenient than the previous one.

The court said Mohammed al-Asaadi, the editor of the Yemen Observer, should be held in custody until he pays the fine of $2,500.

Al-Asaadi's chief lawyer, Mohammed Naji Allaw, told reporters he would appeal and that that the verdict was illogical, illegal and against the Islamic Sharia.

Based on an article from LA Times

An Italian comedian has given a whole new meaning to the term irreverence with slapstick television skits in which he portrays an unmistakable Pope Benedict XVI, complete with thick white hair and heavy German accent. This pope, however, also goose steps and possesses a giddy obsession with fashion.

The Vatican is not amused.

Avvenire, the official newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference, blasted the parodies by comedian Maurizio Crozza as "failed satire" that bordered on the cowardly. These are vulgar television programs ... that attempt to ridicule figures dear to the Catholic world, Avvenire said.

The pope's personal secretary, Msgr. Georg Ganswein, also spoke out. Such satires, he said, should be yanked from the airwaves. Of course he has never watched them, Ganswein hastened to add, and never will.

Satire is fine, Ganswein said: ...BUT...these things have no intellectual level and offend men of the church. They are not acceptable.

Stephen Green of Christian Voice: To even think that there are Christians contemplating violence...it is just not what we do. 

Er Excuse me...remember practically every chapter of world history right up to Northern Ireland

Based on an article from This Is London

The BBC are facing ludicrous accusations of anti-Christian bias after a BBC drama portrayed evangelical extremists murdering Muslims.

One Christian group said the corporation had a "sinister" and "malicious" agenda against their faith, while another claimed the BBC1 Spooks programme could be an "incitement to hatred" against them.

The row comes in the wake of recent revelations that senior BBC executives had admitted that the corporation was guilty of bias against Christianity at a special "impartiality" summit.

Christians were suitably 'outraged' by the episode of the drama, which showed a group of evangelical terrorists who carry out a number of attacks on the Muslim community and attempt to spark a religious war in the UK.

Christian Voice National Director Stephen Green said: This could even be incitement to hatred against Christians. It is completely ludicrous and brings the BBC into more disrepute. Most people watching it will just spot another bit of BBC bias and inaccuracy - nevertheless it shows a worrying mind-set in the people that are producing the programme to even think that there are Christians contemplating violence against any Muslims whatsoever - it is just not what we do.

Religious group Evangelical Alliance has also hit out at the BBC accusing them of trying to smear evangelical Christians as being likely to commit acts of terrorism.

It's head of public affairs Don Horrocks said: This is yet another outrageous example of the BBC's anti-Christian bias. This beggars belief. I do think that there is a sinister and malicious agenda at work here and that they are trying to plant the seed of the idea through fiction that evangelical Christians are just as likely to carry out terrorism as some members of the Islamic faith.

The BBC received 16 complaints about the programme's portrayal of Christianity and media regulator Ofcom got a further two complaints about the issue.

In the programme the Christian terrorist group was seen carrying out a hand-grenade attack on Muslims and planing to blow up a Mosque in Manchester. It featured a video broadcast by the fictional group saying: Britain is a nation under Christ - we will no longer tolerate the Muslims in our ranks - this is a declaration of war against Islam.

A spokeswoman for the show said: Spooks is an award-winning drama series which is based entirely on fiction and we are confident our viewers understand that episodes do not portray real events.

Based on an article from the BBC
Picture from www.mediawatch.org.uk

The TV network behind the cartoon South Park has defended the latest episode which makes fun of the death of TV naturalist Steve Irwin.

The episode shows a bloody Irwin with the stingray that killed him in September hanging from his chest. In the episode, shown on Comedy Central in the US this week, Irwin is at a Halloween party hosted by the devil. Other guests include Hitler and Diana, Princess of Wales, but Irwin is thrown out because he is not in fancy dress.

Comedy Central said: The South Park guys do inappropriate things all the time...Their goal is to make people laugh, not to offend people.

John Beyer of the nutters Medaiwatch-Uk said of the Irwin sketch: Mr Irwin's family are obviously still grieving about their tragic loss and it seems inappropriate to me that South Park should be trying to make some capital out of it. To lampoon somebody's death like that is unacceptable, and so soon after the event is grossly insensitive and shows a great deal of disrespect for his family.

But Irwin was surely shown respect when mourned by thousands of people in Australia, who considered him as a national hero because of his conservation work. Tributes and donations to his charity Wildlife Warriors also flooded in from around the world and more than 5,000 people attended a memorial service at Irwin's Crocoseum stadium in Queensland.

...Wearing a White Ribbon

Based on an article from X Biz

Phil Burress, the leader of the nutters, Citizens for Community Values group, will launch the White Ribbon Against Pornography campaign next week in a bid to raise awareness about what he calls the social ills of adult entertainment. The campaign seeks to raise awareness about America’s pornography problem by asking supporters to wear white ribbons.

Burress said he hopes that by wearing the white ribbon, supporters will be able to spark conversations about the issue, which will help raise awareness.

The White Ribbon campaign begins Oct. 29 and runs through Nov. 5.

Based on an article from Lifestyle Extra, Thanks to Dan
Picture from www.mediawatch.org.uk

Mediawatch-UK have formally complained about footage of George Michael smoking cannabis. Coverage of the singer lighting up and telling how the drug keeps him "sane and happy" was filmed for the South Bank Show, and coverage on news channels has sparked a complaint to Ofcom. The interview is set to be screened in full, as part of a documentary, at the end of the month.

John Beyer, director of mediawatch-uk said he was concerned about the footage, because it glamorised drug abuse. He said: Anything that normalises that sort of drug abuse is wrong. I have sent in a complaint to Ofcom because George Michael was shown on Sky News today. By showing it, drug abuse was being glamorised. It was in breach of Section 1.10, which states the use of illegal drugs must not be condoned, encouraged or glamorised in programmes broadcast before the watershed. It was also in breach of Section 2.4 which states programmes must not glamorise anti-social behaviour.

Britain's leading drug information charity DurgScope added its voice to the debate. Chief Executive Martin Barnes said: Although cannabis use has fallen to its lowest level in nearly ten years many people continue to underestimate the harms associated with the drug. Given the known risks associated with cannabis, anyone with or who has had mental health problems such as depression really shouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

From All Headline News

The editor of an English-language newspaper in Bangladesh was attacked and beaten by a Muslim mob earlier this month over his advocating ties with the Jewish state.

Weekly Blitz Editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, himself a Muslim, was attacked by a gang of at least 40 people on October 5 while working in his office in the capital city of Dhaka.

He was briefly hospitalized with a fractured ankle.

A statement released by the Weekly Blitz said that senior officials associated with the ruling Bangladeshi National Party took part in the lynching. One of them reportedly called Choudhury an "agent of the Jews" while mercilessly beating him.

Police made no arrests following the assault, and refused to allow Choudhury to press charges against his assailants.

Instead, Choudhury is the one going on trial, on charges of blasphemy, sedition, treason and espionage. Choudhury could be sentenced to death if found guilty.

Choudhury has won the hatred of many of his countrymen for publicly criticizing Muslim extremists and urging his government to recognize Israel and establish diplomatic relations with it.

From The Independent

A staff revolt at the Daily Star prevented publication of a spoof Islamic version of the paper called the "Daily Fatwa".

Muslim commentators said yesterday that the newspaper's attempt on Monday evening to mock Sharia law could have sparked international protests similar to those that followed publication by a Danish newspaper of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad.

The mock-up "Daily Fatwa", which promised a "Page 3 Burkha Babes Special" and competitions to "Burn a Flag and Win a Corsa" and "Win hooks just like Hamza's", was prepared to run as page 6 in Wednesday's edition of the Daily Star.

But shortly before the Star was due to go to press on Tuesday evening, concerned members of the National of Journalists (NUJ) called an emergency meeting. After 25 minutes, the NUJ chapel passed a motion saying that the article was "deliberately offensive" to Muslims.

The motion read: The chapel fears that this editorial content poses a very serious risk of violent and dangerous reprisals from religious fanatics who may take offence at these articles. This may place the staff in great jeopardy. This chapel urges the management to remove the content immediately.

To the surprise of some of the journalists, the newspaper's management promptly complied.

Yesterday Ahmed Versi, editor of Muslim News, said that publication of the "Daily Fatwa" would have had major repercussions for the Star: This would have been like the cartoons issue. It would have created a huge, huge backlash and outcry. I'm quite sure there would have been huge demonstrations outside the paper by the weekend and internationally outside the British embassies because the paper would be seen as a British institution.

From Blogger News

Due to the protests of a Christian group, the Indian distributor of Slayer’s new album, Christ Illusion, has recalled all copies of the CD. The company does not plan to re-release it in any form.

This is, officially, a private decision between the distributor and a non-governmental activist organization, the Catholic Secular Forum. However, a strong cloud of censorship hangs over the issue, as India has a “Censor Board” that forced distributors of The Da Vinci Code to include a warning with the text. CSF has, in the past, lobbied for the government to ban controversial works.

A more insightful update from MediawatchWatch

Indian Christians have forced EMI to withdraw American thrash metal band Slayer’s new album because the cover art offended them.

Joseph Dias of the Catholic Secular Forum denounced Slayer’s Christ Illusion album as “offensive and in very bad taste”.

EMI have released a censored version of the album, with the offending image obscured by the band’s name. [See above, it seems that most online shops etc seem to prefer the censored version]

From The Telegraph

The Vatican accused Madonna of "blasphemy and profanity" yesterday - and even suggested that she should be excommunicated over a scene in her current Confessions Tour.

Madonna brings her show to Rome on Sunday, and Roman Catholic leaders are furious at part of her performance in which she wears a crown of thorns and is apparently crucified.

Cardinal Ersilio Tonino, speaking with the Pope's approval, said: This is a blasphemous challenge to the faith and a profanation of the Cross. She should be excommunicated. To crucify herself … in the city of popes and martyrs is an act of open hostility. It is nothing short of a scandal and an attempt to generate publicity.

Another Vatican official, Bishop Velasio De Paolis, said: How this woman can take the name of the mother of Christ, I don't know. Her show represents the rotten fruit of secularism and the absurdity of evil.
 

From cbc.ca

The crucifixion scene, which drew fire from religious leaders in Rome earlier this month, features Madonna wearing a crown of fake thorns and performing on a mirrored cross.

Johannes Mocken, a spokesman for prosecutors in Duesseldorf, said that authorities would be watching her concert on Sunday to see if legal action is warranted.

The crucifixion scene could be construed as insulting religious beliefs, he said, but he admitted it might also be permitted under laws protecting artistic freedom.

In Rome, Muslim, Jewish and Roman Catholic leaders were united in condemning her performance, which drew 70,000 fans. Being raised on a cross with a crown of thorns like a modern Christ is absurd, Rev. Manfredo Leone said after last Sunday's performance. Doing it in the cradle of Christianity comes close to blasphemy.
 

From the BBC

Madonna has gone ahead with a concert in Dusseldorf despite warnings that German prosecutors were considering legal action over the show's content.

Prosecutors said they were to monitor the performance after receiving a complaint that the US pop star's act breached German laws against blasphemy.

But the German prosecutors admitted they would rely on media reports of the concert rather than send their own observers to decide whether further action should be taken.

A German Lutheran bishop has called for concert-goers to boycott all dates on the German leg of Madonna's tour.  Protestant Bishop Margot Kaesmann told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag that concert-goers should boycott the show. I advise people to ignore Madonna. Stars come and go, but the Christian faith endures, Bishop Kaesmann added.
 

From INS News

The Russian Orthodox Church wants Moscow City Hall to ban a concert by superstar Madonna next month, and is asking fans to boycott it.

The idea of holding such a cultural gathering (Sept. 11) is regrettable, Russian Jewish Congress spokesman Michael Savin said: A show which insults religious feelings of believers should not be allowed.

Savin said Madonna displays Judaic symbols carelessly: From this provocative point of view, the Madonna show will hardly contribute to strengthening tolerance in our country.

Many young Orthodox nutters have begun to distribute leaflets against the concert. This show insults religious sentiment, says a press release from the organizers of the campaign. The most disgusting moment, in which the singer is spread across a crucifix wearing a crown of thorns to parody the Saviour, will certainly hurt Christians, it tramples upon holy symbols.

We humbly ask Your Holiness to consider anathematizing the organizers of, and participants in, the blasphemy and warning them about the terrible nature of the crime that is being planned, an organization called For the Spiritual Revival of the Fatherland said in a letter to Patriarch Alexy II. A mere warning of a possible anathema will make many of the participants in the blasphemy stop and think and will be a manifestation of mercy for those who are vacillating or have a poor understanding of the boundary between Christianity and anti- Christianity.

All tickets for Madonna's Moscow concert have been sold out. The cheapest tickets cost 1,500 rubles (about $60), the most expensive 25,000 rubles (almost $1,000). No more than six tickets have been sold to one person.

From The Age

The Dutch justice minister has rejected a call by a Christian party to stop Madonna staging a mock-crucifixion in concerts in Amsterdam.

Minister Piet Hein Donner said he understood the concerns of the SGP party which asked the minister to prevent Madonna performing the scene in concerts on Sunday and Monday, but said only a court could take action against the show.

It is understandable that Christians feel offended by the crucifixion act that Madonna performs, he said in remarks posted on the SGP website. It is a reprehensible way to attract attention at the cost of the deepest feelings of many people. That does not mean that this act can be classified as blasphemy. Judgement over whether the event in question constitutes blasphemy is not up to the justice minister, but up to prosecutors and ultimately a judge.

The youth wing of the Christian party, the SGP, said they were deeply disappointed by Donner's response and said they would launch a suit against Madonna for blasphemy after her concerts in Amsterdam, part of her worldwide "Confessions Tour".
 

From CBC.ca

Prosecutors in the Netherlands say a priest has confessed to phoning in a fake bomb threat to a Madonna concert in Amsterdam to try to prevent the singer from performing her crucifixion act.

Meulenbroek said the priest was arrested almost immediately after making the threats on Sunday. From his home, he phoned the emergency services number where the call was traced right away.

The priest appeared before a judge Friday and has been released pending judgment.

We take bomb threats seriously, but in this case, it was clear very quickly it was not real, said Meulenbroek, who said prosecutors would likely ask for a punishment of community service because it was the priest's first offence.
 

From Turkish Press

The youth chapter of the protestant Dutch party SGP filed a legal complaint against the singer Madonna for blasphemy and insulting a religious group.

The group objected to a mock crucifixion scene featured in Madonna's European tour after the US pop star gave two sell-out concerts in Amsterdam this month.

Chairman Jan Kloosterman said the complaint was supported by 50 different organisations.

From The Age

The NBC television network in the US is still making up its mind about whether it will allow pop star Madonna to stage a mock crucifixion on its airwaves as part of her upcoming prime-time concert special.

Madonna has made the crucifixion stunt, in which she performs while suspended on a giant cross wearing a crown of thorns, a centrepiece of her global "Confessions" tour.

Executives at NBC will wait for makers of her concert special to submit the production for review before deciding whether to allow the mock crucifixion to air.

In July, when the network first unveiled plans for the Madonna concert special, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly gave mixed signals about how much artistic freedom Madonna would be given. The mock crucifixion was known then to be a central part of her stage act.
 

Based on an article from Florida Baptist Witness

NBC is planning to show the Madonna concert in its entirety while winding up nutters by requiring biblical messages to be edited out of the popular VeggieTales children's show, Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council, said in a letter to an NBC executive Sept. 20.

A centerpiece of Madonna's global "Confessions" tour has been where she performs a song called Live to Tell while suspended on a giant cross wearing a crown of thorns, and NBC plans to air the concert in November.

Bozell said Madonna's mock crucifixion is the entertainer doing her utmost to deliberately insult the Christian faith. What he is saying, loudly and unequivocally, is that NBC's official position is that it is appropriate to insult Christians. This attitude toward Christianity is inexcusable. It's also a shocking double standard.

Meanwhile, NBC has started airing episodes of VeggieTales in its Saturday morning cartoon lineup but has asked that all references to biblical or evangelical messages be edited out.

The show's creator Phil Vischer said there was some initial miscommunication about what would have to be edited before the heavily Bible-centered cartoons could be broadcast on NBC, according to AgapePress: We can tell Bible stories, what we can't do is really turn to the audience and preach at them.
 

Based on an article from The Bosh

The NBC network is planning to censor Madonna. The portion of the 'Live to Tell' song in which Madonna sings suspended from a giant cross and wearing a crown of thorns will not be shown in the broadcast. Instead, cameras will cut to other shots or images while Madonna is on the cross.

She steps away from the cross to finish the song.

A spokeswoman says the network doesn't discuss how its editorial decisions are made.

NBC did the right thing, but the fact that it did not say why the offensive part of Madonna's concert was cut shows cowardice, said Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League

From The Independent

Images drawn by members of the youth wing of the Danish People's Party, and shown on television and the internet, were condemned by Islamic leaders in Egypt and Indonesia, threatening to reawaken the furore over cartoons published last year in Denmark.

The film was made by a group called Defending Denmark which said it infiltrated the youth wing of the far-right party for 18 months "to document [its] extreme right-wing associations". It showed the junior members of the party, who appeared to have been drinking, holding a drawing contest during their summer camp.

One woman presented a cartoon showing a camel with the head of Mohamed and beer cans for humps. A second drawing showed a bearded man wearing a turban next to a plus sign and a bomb, equalling a nuclear mushroom cloud.

Yesterday the video was removed from the internet but not before it had provoked a diplomatic incident.

The Danish Foreign Ministry in Copenhagen cautioned its citizens against travel to Gaza, the West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey.

In the past two days, several Arabic media have published critical reports about the airing of the video from the Mohamed competition, it said.

While the DPP is not part of the coalition of Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the government has relied on its votes to get measures through the Danish parliament. On Sunday, Rasmussen condemned the DPP youth wing, saying their tasteless behaviour in no way represents the way the Danish people or young Danish people view Muslims or Islam.

Based on an article from the Sunday Express

Charlotte Church is not going away. Nowhere soon, at least. When the child singing star turned TV presenter started her new Channel 4 entertainment show five weeks ago, she was the 'voice of an angel'; now nutters are calling her the 'mouth of a sewer'.

Despite a tide of criticism from the usual nutters and predictable complaints to the broadcaster and Ofcom, Charlotte Church has a second series in her sights, as does Channel 4.

Here's the message from the Head of Entertainment at Channel 4, Andrew Newman: If people don't like her swearing they can piss off! It's not a joke. I certainly don't worry about swearing. She's 20. Anyone who watches Channel 4 on Friday night will know we're pretty relaxed about that.

John Beyer, from mediawatch-uk, says the comments from Newman show a: real arrogance. His comments do not surprise me. It's a scandal that a channel which is a public service broadcaster, that seek to rake off money from the licence fee and enjoys the support of the Secretary of State, can say such a thing. The channel is arrogant in the extreme. I call upon advertisers to boycott this show (and Channel 4 as a whole) and look to their consciences. If we ever want to get rid of yob culture, we have to do something about these programmes. The reason that young people swear so much is because it has been normalised on television.'