A British Broadcasting Corporation article informs us that Italian police
arrested six Moroccan men, because they are thought to have tried to
promote hatred of the pope. The article states the Moroccan men felt
the pope should be punished for converting a Muslim journalist to
Catholicism.
*
* *
Same-sex
marriage developments continue to make headlines. An article on the
PinkNews
system informs us that the Governor of Illinois signed a civil-union
bill into law. According to an article on the Advocate
website, a Colorado senator plans to introduce a civil-union bill.
*
* *
Discrimination
and prejudice appear to be reduced when people know individuals of
different races, ethnicities, socio-economic background, or sexual
orientation. Recently, a few well-known people came out of the
closet. Jonathan
Knight, star of New Kids, and Scottish cycling champion Graeme
Obree have come out as gay.
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* *
Westboro
Baptist Church became household name associated with hatred after the
church picketed the funerals of gay men, the funeral of Matthew
Shepard and the funerals of servicemen. Fred Phelps and Westboro
Baptist Church use the internet to help spread their unique version
of hate. The Pink
News website carries a story that Westboro Baptist Church
websites, including, among other websites, the website
GodHatesFags.Com, was taken down by Anonymous, the internet
activists.
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* *
Tensions
exist between freedom of speech and hate crimes. A recent case in
Kansas pits the freedom of speech of high school students against the
health needs of gay youth to receive an education in a hate-free
environment. We gather an article in a Kansas high school newspaper
stated that same-sex relationships are not normal and quoted the
Biblical punishment for homosexual relationships. Details are
provided in a Pink
News article.
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* *
On
a radio program, Glen Beck is reported to have compared Reform
Judaism to radical Islam and to have referred to Reform Judaism as
“offensive and outrageous.” After the Anti-Defamation
League issued a statement about Beck's comments, Glen Beck
apologized for his comments. Those wanting to read more about Glen
Beck's comments may wish to read articles about Glen Beck on the
Anti-Defamation
League website.
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* *
Alan
Turing was a gay mathematician and computer scientist. We gather from
Wikipedia and
from a Pink
News article, he developed computer software that helped crack
Nazi German military code. After being charged with crimes for
homosexuality, this war hero and brilliant computer scientist
accepted a form of hormone treatment that some people describe as
chemical castration. Next year, Manchester, his home city, will
celebrate Turing's 100th
birthday.
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* *
Members
of minority groups are often blamed for problems that impact on all
of society. This scapegoating is intended to create fear and hatred
of minority groups. Gay people have been blamed for everything from
hurricanes to snow storms, high taxes to divorce. Jewish people have
been blamed for many things too. An article on the Anti-Defamation
League mentions a shark attack that was blamed on Israelis,
claims that Jewish people working in the World Trade Center did not
show up for work the day the Trade Center were the target of
terrorist attacks. The basis of hatred and fear is often
mis-information.
*
* *
Some
forms of hatred and prejudice are socially acceptable. Socially
accepted forms of prejudice and discrimination vary some from culture
to culture. In some cultures anti-Semitism is accepted. Other
cultures tend to tolerate homophobia or Islamphobia. The comment has
often been made that homophobia is the last socially acceptable form
of bigotry. In many western countries, Islamophobia is a problem.
Residual fear and anger from 911 and other terrorist attacks allows
Islamophobia to be socially accepted. An article on the Stop
Racism and Hate Collective website, “Islamophobia is the Moral
Blind Spot of Britain,” discusses Islamophobia in the United
Kingdom.