Written by Esteban Cortés, News Team | 17 April 2012

The AECH, Skeptics Association of Chile, started as a group of people who got to know each other through debates on online forums.  They were familiar with the work of Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens, among others, and were also catalyzed by the appearance of a very well known charlatan on television.

AECH’s work involves publishing articles online, running two radio shows, and also going after possible charlatans or quacks, explaining people why some benefits-for-little-money might be a scam.  They spread science through the internet and their radio shows, which a lot of people still don’t have access to in our country, where statistics about reading skills and reading comprehension are frantically depressing.

AECH’s objectives are to undertake an educational role in the mass media, create debate wherever and whenever it’s needed and raise awareness of all the quackery still going on.

I contacted Luis León Cárdenas Graide, better known as ‘Luchostein’, who is a member of this association.

But before Luis’ interview, what is the apostasy campaign and how does it work?

The apostasy campaign is a (hopefully) massive gathering of people to formally renounce their religion. People participate by attending a meeting in their communities where they are given apostasy letters to fill in.  The letters are handed in by groups to their respective archdiocese, which then has two days time (by law) to go through the papers and delete the apostates from its records permanently.

For more information on the apostasy campaign in Chile see: http://www.aech.cl/2012/03/convocatoria-participar-en-apostasia.html.

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Written by Tanya Smith | 15 April 2012

(I got to meet Sam Harris backstage!)

Wow!  The 2012 Global Atheist Convention A Celebration of Reason, held in Melbourne 13 – 15 April, was simply amazing.  Kudos to the Atheist Foundation of Australia and the organizing committee for putting together the largest atheist convention the world has ever seen in such a professional manner.  The program was first class, culminating in a moving tribute to Christopher Hitchens – a video of classic Hitch moments – followed by speeches from Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss (self-described as Hitchens’ personal physicist), then the Closing Panel comprised the three remaining ‘Horsemen’ - Dawkins, Dennett, Harris – and Ayaan Hirsi Ali (who would have been part of the original ‘Four Horsemen’ discussion a few years ago but for a last-minute change of plans).  The four received a standing ovation when they walked on stage.  I listened to their discussion – including Ayaan’s point that it’s racism that underpins the failure to prosecute for the crime of female genital mutilation in Islamic communities in the UK (wonder what would happen if it were little white girls that were being mutilated?) – marveling at being in a room of around 4,000 atheists listening to some of our best.  There were many other excellent talks during the convention – I didn’t get to see all of them but particularly enjoyed ones I did see from Annie Laurie Gaylor, AC Grayling, Leslie Cannold and Geoffrey Robertson, as well as Stella Young's comedy on the opening night.  A special mention for Jason Ball - he talked about the Freethought Student Alliance, which supports explicitly non-religious groups in high schools and universities in Australia.  I wish it had been around when I was at university!  The buzz in the plenary and in the foyer during the breaks – the feel of thousands of atheists having a great time – was awesome.  It was a unique, exhilarating experience.

More personally, I was very pleased that my talk (I’ll add a video if I can!) was well-received on the Sunday morning and that the AAI table was subsequently overwhelmed with people wanting to support us!  We sold out of all our merchandise and it was wonderful that people came up and gave me compliments on my talk, joined up as members and/or donated to AAI.  Thank you everyone!

Written by Ebou Sohna, News Team | 12 April 2012

In Gambia lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons are not accorded their basic right to simply be who they are. 

Monday 10 April 2012 marked a historic day of the unrealistic denial of the diversity of sexual orientation.  Seventeen young Gambian men - Alieu Sarr, Kebba Ceesay, Abdoulie Bojang, Amadou Jallow, Amidou Nyang, Ousman Gomez, Sainey Fatty, Lamin Konateh, Lamin Sarr, Buba Banda, Ebrima Jallow, Lamin Saho, Abdoulie Cham, Lamin Jaiteh, Ousman Dibba, Adboulie Saidy, and Muhammed Manneh - were remanded at the Mile 2 Central Prison on grounds of being under police investigation for having engaged in  homosexual activities. An  eighteenth accused man, Nigerian immigrant Ogika Amenechi, was also charged. 

The seventeen Gambia nationals and Nigerian were charged with having been engaged in "indecent practice among themselves in public places" on 5 April 2012 at Serre Kunda and other places in The Gambia.

The seventeen accused, who pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, were denied bail on Monday on the grounds that they were being investigated. Even though the Magistrate who presided over the case told the court that the men were charged with a bailable offence and noted that they had been in detention since 5 April, the Police prosecutor persisted with his application for bail refusal. 

The case was adjourned to 19 April 2012 for hearing.  The accused were not represented during the first hearing.

02 April 2012

This article was originally published in the Jakarta Post.

A civil servant who incited controversy by declaring that he was atheist was on Monday indicted on three charges, including one for violating the Information Transaction Law (ITE).

The first charge brought against Alexander at the Muaro Sijungung District Court was for violating Article 28, Clause 2 of the ITE. Next was for Article 156a(a) of the Criminal Code (KUHP), and the last for violating Article 156a(b) of the KUHP.

Alexander was indicted for creating a Facebook group called Minang Atheists. Alexander wrote about Prophet Muhammad on the Facebook wall. The trial was attended by five witnesses, Hendri, Mulyadi, Doni Saptri, Yon Riadi, and Hendri Martariko, who had seen the pictures and posts on Alexander's Facebook group.

Prosecutor Ibrahim Khalil, in the indictment, said the Facebook posts and pictures insulted Islam. The posts also caused a public disturbance and outcry.

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Written by Tanya Smith | 02 April 2012

In the lead up to atheist conventions in April and May I spoke with Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Co-Presidents of the Freedom From Religion Foundation on Freethought Radio.  (I'm on from about 21:20.)  See you in Melbourne (13-15 April), Manila (21 April) or Cologne (25-27 May)!  (And while I won't be there personally, AAI will be represented by Stuart Bechman, Treasurer and Director, at Imagine No Religion 2 (18 - 20 May) in BC, Canada.)

Written by Ebou Sohna, News Team | 02 April 2012

An albino boy was abducted from a church in Kenya in March 2012.  He was taken while the people in the congregation had their eyes closed as prayers were being recited.

The congregation’s suspicions fell on the pastor who was interrogated and apparently confessed to facilitating the boy’s passage to Tanzania, a country known for ritual killings of albinos.  The pastor is said to have been ordered to bring back the boy – he left, but returned a few days later without the young albino boy.  Subsequently a mob descended on the church.

Lawrence Nyagah, a humanist activist and an albino himself, said”images of an enraged mob burning and tearing the church into pieces was aired on one of Kenya’s TV stations [which] spoke more than words could have said about the anger of the crowd, but it further said more: that by perpetuating superstitions the church as an institution was complicit in such incidences of human rights abuse.”  The matter is (allegedly) being pursued by the Kenyan police.

Lawrence said he is “attracted to humanism because of the work humanists are doing to end belief in superstition.  Lawrence said he converted from Catholicism to humanism about two years ago after reading about Leo Igwe and the IHEU, and expressed Africa’s need of more courageous people committed to the fight against belief in and practice of superstitions.