New Zeland is not free from the culture wars that plague the United States. A Black Lives Matter t-shirt sparked a fistfight on the steps of a small-town New Zealand church. John Whyte and his wife Jess wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts to church that Sunday in December 2019. “Why are you wearing such an Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Intolerance’
Teens’ coffee chat over religious beliefs too much for nearby customer
Thursday, September 5th, 2019Two teenagers having a religious discussion in a Picton cafe were shocked after they were scolded by a member of the public. The woman, who was also dining in the cafe, told them their discussion wasn’t appropriate and they should consider other people’s “comfort zones”. Anna Amos, 17, who is homeschooled in Waikawa, said she Read more
Religious leaders should speak up against hate speech
Thursday, November 2nd, 2017
New Zealand’s Race Relations Commissioner says religious leaders should be using their considerable powerful platforms to promote tolerance and peace across our communities. “Whether it’s a mosque giving Holocaust deniers a platform or whether it’s an evangelical church spewing hatred about gay New Zealanders: this is not how we roll here. This is not who we Read more
Anti ISIS should not be confused with anti Muslim
Tuesday, September 30th, 2014
There is a growing world-while backlash against Muslims following the atrocities carried out by the ISIS insurgents. But local Muslims are making it plain that they have no sympathy with what is happening in the Middle East. “In Islamic prophecy, a woman tied up a cat and did not feed it until it died and Read more
Christian parents object to Buddhist “mindfulness”
Friday, August 29th, 2014A bitter dispute is raging in the northern Southland town of Riversdale due to the school wanting to introduce a calming technique for its pupils in the wake of bullying. It is understood some Christian parents at Riversdale are furious the school wants to introduce the “mindfulness” technique, claiming it has Buddhism origins. Read more
Fiji Schools: What’s in a name?
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013
The Attorney General of Fiji Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum had drawn a distinction between schools with ethnic names and schools with religious names. He says schools with ethnic names are not fully inclusive of other races but schools with religious names are OK. Speaking at Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School prize-giving ceremony in Voloca, Dreketi, he said, “Take Read more
Scotland ‘hostile’ to Catholics, says Church spokesman
Friday, June 7th, 2013Scotland is a hostile place for Catholics, according to the spokesman for the Catholic Church there, Peter Kearney. “Priests have bricks thrown through their bedroom windows,” he said. “The number of crimes motivated by anti-Catholic intolerance has gone up every year since the 2003 Criminal Justice Act was created. Things are not getting better.” Continue Read more
Discrimination against Christians rises across Europe
Friday, May 31st, 2013
Intolerance and discrimination against Christians is increasing across the European continent, a conference of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe has been told. “In Europe, we have identified 14 laws that are likely to negatively affect the religious liberty of Christians in 15 countries,” said Massimo Introvigne, of the Italian foreign affairs ministry. Read more
US report: Religious intolerance on the rise worldwide
Friday, September 21st, 2012
A report released on Thursday by the US thinktank Pew Research Centre’s Forum on Religion and Public Life notes a sharp rise in religious restrictions worldwide. The report titled “The Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion” shows a six percent increase in restrictions in the four years until 2010. The report cites evidence that paints Read more
Man withdraws help after discovering veiled Muslim woman not a nun
Friday, July 29th, 2011
A veiled Muslim woman has related how an “executive looking man” queued at a Hamilton store said he was planning to help carry her basket because he thought she was a Catholic nun, but said he would not help a Muslim. Women’s Organisation of the Waikato Muslim Association (WOWMA) founder, Aliya Danzeisen, told the Waikato Times Read more