News: Muslim nations about the UN

WorldPublicOpinion.org surveyed 11,538 people in Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Iran, Indonesia, the Palestinian Territories, Azerbaijan and Nigeria.

On one hand there is widespread support for a more active UN with much broader powers than it has today.
On the other hand, there is a perception that the UN is dominated by the U.S. and there is dissatisfaction with UN performance on several fronts, particularly in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Full)

Check the full survey results.

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News: Vatican states Darwin’s theory compatible with Bible. No apology, though.

Today, the Vatican said the theory of evolution is compatible with the Bible but planned no posthumous apology to Charles Darwin for the cold reception they gave him 150 years ago.

Christian churches were long hostile to Darwin because his theory conflicted with the literal biblical account of creation. Earlier this week a leading Anglican churchman said the Church of England owed Darwin an apology for the way his ideas were received by Anglicans in Britain. The Vatican has no intention of apologising for earlier negative views, though.

"Maybe we should abandon the idea of issuing apologies as if history was a court eternally in session," the Vatican's culture minister said. (Full)

[Ed: Maybe history should be a court eternally in session. Maybe then we could indite some of the past popes for crimes against humanity, no?...]

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News: Dunkin' Donuts, a scarf and extremism.

Only in America... On May 7, Dunkin’ Donuts began running an ad, featuring local celebrity chef Rachael Ray wearing a black-and-white fringed scarf.

The ad has now been revoked due to protest that Ms. Ray’s scarf resembled "to the type typically worn by Muslim extremists". (Full)

Apart from thinking "Only in America!", the whole story truly saddens me. Even if the scarf was a keffiyeh, the traditional scarf of Arab men, then why does this have to be automatically associated with extremism, or seen as a symbol of support to terrorism? Is this a sign of the depth of the world's polarization into Arab and non-Arab, Muslim and non-Muslim?

I have lived in Dubai for five years. I don't think I ever lived in a more tolerant society with respect for other cultures, religions and opinions. Far more tolerant than back home in Belgium, and certainly far more than the US. Sometimes I am ashamed on behalf of us, Westerners.

Picture courtesy boston.com

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News: Vatican releases "Sins - version 2.0"

In the Vatican's latest update on how God's law is being violated in today's world, Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti, the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, in an interview with the Vatican newspaper "L'Osservatore Romano", cited the new sins. (Full)

For your reference, "Sins Version 1.0" featured as deadly: Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed and Sloth.

"Sins - Version 2.0" now also has (drum roll): "Bioethical" violations such as birth control, "Morally dubious" experiments such as stem cell research, Drug abuse, Polluting the environment, Contributing to the widening divide between rich and poor, Excessive wealth and Creating poverty.

Can I suggest that in the next release, "Sins - Version 3.0", they include the upgrade of their opinion on the use of condoms to limit the spreading of Aids?

Source: The Road Daily, Picture courtesy BBC

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