The labels we embrace often do not truly tell anybody anything at all.

I’ve come across a posting that Aaminah Khan put up last year in which she explains that she is gay, a feminist, and also a Muslim. Yes really … There are three aspects of my identity that really can’t be untangled from each other: I am a queer woman. I am a feminist. And I believe that … Read more

But that is what they all say

(With a hat tip to Shay) a conversation can often play out like this … If there was only one religion then that would make it a lot more credible, but having so many makes them all obviously man made. All man made apart from one. That’s what followers of every religion say. Other religions are … Read more

Islamic Terrorism – The Statistics and how we can tackle it

If you dig into the statistics concerning Islamic terrorism then what you find are some surprising facts. First, let’s start with the hopefully obvious observation. Almost every single day news reaches us of yet another barbaric atrocity that has been inspired and motivated by Islam. What should of course be immediately clear is that such … Read more

Making good choices – why do so many of us not do this?

Harriet Hall, the skeptic-doc, writes over on Science Based Medicine a fabulous article all about why people ignore the facts and instead buy into absurd ideas when it comes to making decisions that can potentially be the wrong side of the line between life and death. (Side note: she is a fascinating person, not only is she … Read more

The long reach of reason – Steven Pinker and Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

Now this is interesting, it’s a TED talk, but in a format I’ve never seen before – they have animated it, and also it is a duo, not a single individual. The TED site describes it as follows … In a time when irrationality seems to rule both politics and culture, has reasoned thinking finally … Read more

Is Islam Violent … or is that thought “Islamophobia”?

This week alone we have seen much that is truly abhorrent … Haron Monis, an islamic cleric walks into the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney with his shotgun on Monday wearing a headband bearing the war cry: “We are ready to sacrifice for you, O Muhammad.” … what then follows is tragic and horrific. A band of … Read more