Atheist Republic News - Feb 17th, 2018

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An atheist activist in Missouri was forcibly removed from a city hall meeting after criticizing an “In God We Trust” sign in the city hall. The mayor dismissed her criticism and after she sat down, had her thrown out, seemingly for no reason.

In India, many women were violently attacked for being “immoral” by hanging out with men in public on Valentine’s Day by right-wing Hindu nationalists. The holiday, according to them, stems from the West, and they believe this to be corrupting their culture.

Islamabad police were on the lookout for anything related to Valentine’s day this year, calling restaurants asking for couples who may have exchanged gifts, and flower shops lost business, as people were terrified to buy presents that day. The day of “love” stemming from Western cultures is seen as anti-Islamic, and is banned.

17 people died in a school shooting in Florida this week. Bryan Fisher, a Christian radio host, tweeted that kids should be praying in school before shootings happen, suggesting this may prevent school shootings in the future.

Priya Prakash Varrier wrote a song, “Manikya Malaraya Poovi” which mentioned the Prophet Mohammad and his wife. An Islamic seminary has now issued a fatwa demanding the removal of this song from the movie Ora Adaar Love before it is released to the public. The song has been accused of hurting religious sentiments.

A 72 year old priest is going to court over allegedly having hundreds of images of child porn, along with illegal drugs in his home. There has never been a claim of child abuse against the priest, and he has been known to advocate for victims of sexual child abuse in the church. .

A popular Malaysian newspaper published a list for spotting homosexuals. Being homosexual in Malaysia is illegal, and several men and women have been killed over speculation of being gay.

A naturalized US citizen born in Afghanistan, was sentenced to 15 years in jail and ordered to pay $562,803 to his victims. 30 people were hurt in explosions set off in two different areas and the defendant was not remorseful.

The Taliban has reached out the United States in form of an open letter, asking “peace-loving congressmen” to get the Donald Trump administration to negotiate with them. The letter has invoked strong feelings from people around the world, concerned about the motive behind the letter.

The Chinese “Year of the Dog” is proving that secularism is dying in Malaysia. The Malaysian Islamic Department suggested that dogs are insulting and the use of the word may be confusing to Muslims.