www.independent.co.uk

Jens Müller #fundie independent.co.uk

Residents of a small German town have been left outraged after its mayor suggested young girls “provoke” sexual harassment.

Jens Müller, Mayor of Bad Schlema, Saxony, made the comments at a council meeting last week, after a grandfather raised concerns young girls were being subject to harassment as they walked home from school, German newspaper FreiePresse reports.

The man, who has not been identified, claimed his granddaughter, who he said was under 10 years old, had been a victim of such behaviour.

He said: “The girls have been harassed by the refugee children" as they walked to their physical education classes at school.

He raised further fears the harassment may increase when the girls wear less clothing in the summer months.

In response to the comments Mr Müller said: “That’s easy, just don’t provoke them and don’t walk in these areas.”

“It’s technically not necessary for the girls to walk there,” he added. “There are alternative routes for going to school.”

South Bank University Student Union #fundie independent.co.uk

It was meant as a humorous poster to promote a secular society during a university start of term event, but the image of Michelangelo’s famous ‘Creation of Adam’ fresco featuring the satirical deity the Flying Spaghetti Monster has sparked an unlikely freedom of speech row.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster came about as a humorous response to the teaching of intelligent design in American schools in 2005. It has since caught on as an anti-religion statement and become popular with secular societies on British university campuses.

The offending poster was put up at London South Bank University last week by non-religious students from the South Bank Atheist Society, only for it to be reportedly removed by student union officials for being “religiously offensive”.

Initially the secular student society reported it was told that “Adam’s genitals” were the issue before union officials allegedly told them the posters caused “religious offences” and their stall was banned from the start-of-term student event.

Agnes Maria #fundie independent.co.uk

We need to completely de-sexualise same-sex hand-holding in the first place. It's ridiculous that I can't walk arm-in-arm with a female friend without fearing that everyone will think that we are gay. Also, unhand the rainbow - it is a natural phenomenon, not a "symbol of homosexuality". There is nothing sacred in hedonism and selfishness, either. There is nothing beautiful in public displays of same-sex affection, and the aversion to it stems from a natural aversion to all that goes against the natural order and plunges into the depths of over-indulgence and materialism. Have you ever met a gay person who isn't consumed by materialism and obsessed with physical pleasure? If so, were they an emotionally healthy and stable person? Keep it to yourselves, in privacy. It's really not about the right to expression, but about the right of everyone else not to have to see you put yourselves on display, in our faces. That does not mean that homophobia is appropriate, or that people attacking another should not be punished to the full extent of the law. That is where civil rights end, however. Assault is assault ... but same-sex PDA's are assault, like spitting in nature's face. Besides, I have as much right to not like it or agree with it as you have a right to want it to be part of the norm.

Ali Saqr al-Qasem and unnamed Islamic State Raqqa executives #fundie independent.co.uk

In a shocking low even by the standards of the so-called Islamic State, a militant has publicly executed his own mother after accusing her of apostasy.

The activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RIBSS) said 20-year-old jihadi Ali Saqr al-Qasem shot his mother Lena, 45, in the head with an assault rifle in front of a large crowd.

Lena al-Qasem is understood to have been accused of apostasy – a crime that usually means leaving one’s religion but in practise is used by Isis as a justification for murdering anybody who doesn’t support or speaks out against the terror group.

The exact charge against Ms al-Qasem was “inciting her son to leave the Islamic State and escaping together to the outside of Raqqa”, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.

The UK-based conflict monitor said Ali Saqr al-Qasem had reported his mother to his Isis superiors, who then sentenced her to death and ordered him be the one to kill her.

The Observatory said hundreds of people turned out to watch Ms al-Qasem's execution.

Stephen Poulter #fundie independent.co.uk

A former Ukip candidate has linked the devastation wreaked by Storm Desmond with the arrival of Syrian refugees in Britain.

Stephen Poulter, who claims to be one of the Eurosceptic party’s first members and unsuccessfully stood in this year’s local elections in Basingstoke, Hampshire, has a photo with Nigel Farage as his Facebook profile picture.

He had called for support for affected families on the social networking site before musing on the possible cause of flooding in northern England and Scotland.

“Now, I am not religious in any way. But it seems funny that the so called refugees have been sent up north from the Syrian Camps,” Mr Poulter wrote on Facebook.

“Is’nt it funny that as soon as they do. The floods start up that way. I wonder????? (sic)”

Camden SCB #fundie independent.co.uk

[Bolding mine]

Child protection officials been criticised after warning parents that young people who take issue with government policy or question what they are told in the media may have been radicalised by extremists.

A leaflet drawn up by an inner-city child safeguarding board warns that “appearing angry about government policies, especially foreign policies” is a sign “specific to radicalisation”.

[...]

The relevant section of the anti-extremism leaflet reads in full: “The following could describe general teenage behaviour but together with other signs may mean the young person is being radicalised: Out of character changes in dress, behaviour and changes in their friendship group; Losing interest in previous activities and friendships; Secretive behaviour and switching screens when you come near.”

It continues: “The following signs are more specific to radicalisation: Owning mobile phones or devices you haven’t given them, Showing sympathy for extremist causes, Advocating extremist messages, Glorifying violence Accessing extremist literature and imagery, Showing a mistrust of mainstream media reports and belief in conspiracy theories, Appearing angry about government policies, especially foreign policy.”

The document urges parents who are worried about their children to contact the police or the local area's anti-extremism coordinator.

Rachel Roberts #fundie independent.co.uk

First, a homosexual is a person who has feelings of sexual attraction for someone of the same gender but does not act upon them. Such people do exist. In some cases they are ashamed of their homosexual impulses, wish they were not present, and would eagerly leave them behind if they knew how to do so.

Unnamed Jehovah's Witnesses elders #fundie independent.co.uk

A schoolgirl who left the Jehovah’s Witnesses after learning of its alleged failure to protect vulnerable women has blasted the organisation in a powerful speech to her classmates.

[...]

The most shocking allegations relate to women the girl spoke to, who were members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and wished to remain anonymous.

One, she called Jane, was allegedly interrogated by the church elders after she was raped, while at work as insurance salesperson.

The elders apparently said she tempted men by the way she dressed and that men were “only human”.

In order to be forgiven and not be excommunicated, or “disfellowshipped,” Jane was forced to dress more conservatively, quit her job and worst of all drop the charges against her attacker.

Another, called Donna, was allegedly molested by a man in her congregation when she was a young girl, but did not tell anyone because she knew nothing would be done.

It is claimed Donna was then abused physically and emotionally throughout 14 years of marriage and when she went to the church elders for support she was told it was her fault and should be a better wife.

Eventually Donna secured a divorce from her husband, but her torment did not end there. She was “disfellowshipped” from the organisation, which meant she was unable to speak to her friends or family members in the church.

“To make matters worse her children were taught not to speak to her because she was evil, they were isolated by her ex-husband and know nothing other than this religion. They are also terrified of disappointing their father and their god,” the girl said.

Themishmisheh #fundie independent.co.uk

"Here's why Amnesty backed the decriminalisation of sex work":

Amnesty international is a feminist institution that believes that sex predators deserve pity, sympathy and most important of all protection and encouragement so long as they are women and their victims are men and young boys.

I'm not sure many people are going to read this comment of mine but I would like to encourage people to stand up to and challenge the authority that is institutionalised feminism.

Prostitution is a profession mostly dominated by women. These women sexually exploit men and young boys for financial gains. They pray on weak vulnerable people who need help desperately. They help spread disease, perversions and often not only abuse their clients but their own children who witness their deviant sexual acts.

I would like the reader of this article, written by a woman, no doubt a feminazi, to notice the difference in the way she deals with the men and the women involved in prostitution. According to her interpretation of prostitution, the prostitutes are victims and most all prostitutes are women whilst the clients, the pimps who are all mostly men are according to her evil victimisers. This is because she looks at life through a feminist keyhole. She is a sexist. In her mind women cannot do wrong and men cannot do right. Women are born victims and men are born victimisers. We have to change our culture to fit this feminist theory.

Say no to prostitution, say no to amnesty international and say no sexism, say to sexual exploitation and say no to feminism.

Rob Johnson and Marie Johnson #fundie independent.co.uk

[Bolding mine]

A Florida couple have been arrested for allegedly turning a 13-year-old girl into their sex slave and sealing her off from the outside world for more than five years.

Rob Johnson, 44, and his wife, Marie Johnson, 43, from Port St. Lucie, took in the then 13-year-old girl to live with them after her mother died.

Soon after her arrival the teenager was told that she could only be part of the family if she had sex with the couple, according to the Port St. Lucie Police Department.

The pair were arrested on Tuesday and charged with felony sexual assault charges.

The girl told investigators that she was forced to call Rob “master,” and that Marie Johnson had pushed her against a wall and held her by her throat until she agreed to the meet the sexual demands.

She also said that she was beaten when she failed to follow the couple’s directions or complete her chores.

The girl, who has not been identified, said that the abuse happened repeatedly for five years until she was 18 years old.

According to police, throughout this time Rob Johnson held Sunday school classes for his family at their home, invoking Old Testament Bible Passages to justify the couple's actions.

Police said that the girl, now aged 21, was home schooled, not allowed to use the phone and forced to rehearse what to say to doctors if she was ever asked about her sexual activity.

Jean-Baptiste Michelon #fundie independent.co.uk

A Muslim-owned grocery shop in France caused outrage after putting into place male and female-only shopping days for customers.

A sign outside the De L'Orient à L'Occidental (From East to West) store, in the south-western French wine capital of Bordeaux, specified that women were only welcome into the shop on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday and Fridays.

Men, however, were kindly asked to take their custom elsewhere on the weekends.

The shop’s owner, Jean-Baptiste Michelon – who is a recent convert to Islam –staunchly defended his decision by saying it was a way to respect Muslim demands that unrelated men and women not cross paths.

Speaking with the French news channel, BFM-TV, Mr Michelon said he put the rules into place “for practicing Muslims” and added: “A man doesn’t want to find himself alone with a woman. A woman who comes to buy books here doesn’t want to find herself alone with a man – especially, out of respect, if she is married.

“I don’t think her husband would accept such things.”

Mr Michelon may have, however, come to regret making the move after he incurred the fury of Bordeaux’s mayor, Alain Juppé, who called for authorities to intervene to “put a stop to such discriminatory practices” that could lead to “criminal charges”, five years in prison and fines of up to €75,000 (£54,000).

[...]

As the controversy escalated over the weekend, and early this week, the shop-owner decided to take the sign down and told local news: “I thought it was more practical. But I didn’t expect all of this.

“People have told me it’s discriminatory and I don’t want to be an outlaw.”

Islamic State #fundie independent.co.uk

Hundreds of Yazidi boys abducted by Isis are being forced to practice beheading techniques on dolls as part of their “re-education”.

The radicalisation programme is part of Isis’ plan to create the next generation of extremists in the vast swathes of territory it controls in northern Iraq and Syria.

According to interviews conducted by the Associated Press with Yazidi teenagers who fled Isis training camps, when the group overran Yazidi towns and villages last year, young boys were forced to convert to Islam and were brainwashed into becoming jihadi fighters.

More than 120 boys were believed to have been shown videos of beheadings and told they would perform such tasks one day. In the meantime they were ordered to practice technique and were each given a doll and a sword to behead it with.

"Then they taught me how to hold the sword, and they told me how to hit. They told me it was the head of the infidels," the boy, renamed Yahya by his Isis captors said.

Yahya and his family were abducted when Isis seized the Iraqi town of Sulagh last August and were taken to Raqqa in Syria, to be put in the Farouq training camp for young boys.

He said he was given a new Muslim Arabic name to replace his Kurdish one and was told that Yazidis were “dirty” and should be killed.

Yahya spent five months at the camp, training for eight to 10 hours a day and studying the Koran. He said they showed him how to shoot someone at close range and that boys were forced to hit each other in some exercises.

The group has reportedly “given up” on turning adults into jihadis and have instead focused on turning out a new generation of “Ashbal”, or “lion cubs” in Arabic.

Fighters go out into the streets and befriend children with sweets and toys. They hold outdoor events for children where they give them soft drinks and propaganda.

In an Isis video released last week, a boy was shown beheading a Syrian soldier under adult supervision.

Last month another video showed 25 child soldiers shooting 25 captured Syrian soldiers in the head.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 1,100 Syrian children under 17 have joined the terrorist group in the past year. Around 52 are believed to have been killed in the fighting.

At least eight were suicide bombers.

Islamic State #fundie independent.co.uk

Two children have reportedly been “crucified” by Isis for not fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

The boys, believed to be under the age of 18, were killed in Syria and their bodies displayed with placards hung around their necks announcing their “crime”.

Their deaths in the town of Mayadin, Deir Ezzor province, were reported by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Monday.

Founder Rami Abdel Rahman said residents reported the boys’ bodies were “suspended from a crossbar” near the so-called Islamic State’s religious police headquarters.

“Apparently, they were caught eating,” he told the AFP news agency, adding that the signs hung around their necks claimed they broke the Ramadan fast “with no religious justification”.

Pastor Rick Scarborough #fundie independent.co.uk

Move over, couple who promised to get a divorce if gay marriage was legalised, because one Texas pastor has taken his opposition to marriage equality one step further.

Rick Scarborough, a Baptist pastor and Christian political activist, has said he would be willing to be burned to death in his fight against gay rights.

He made the bizarre pledge while speaking to EW Jackson, a right-wing minister and politician, on the National Emergency Coalition show, a podcast linked to Jackson's group, Staying True to America's National Destiny (STAND).

Speaking about his commitment to traditional values in the face of public condemnation, Scarborough said: "We are not going to bow, we are not going to bend, and if necessary we will burn."

Scarborough did not specify whether he was talking about self-immolation, or being burned for his views by other people.

On the same show, the preacher made another pledge to sacrifice himself for his views, this time talking about the 'persecution' of lay Christians who oppose gay rights - such as the Oregon bakers who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding.

He said: "The preachers need to get out front, the leaders need to get out front, out front of these ordinary citizens and say: 'Shoot me first.'"

When not making boldly suicidal claims on internet radio shows, Scarborough can be found running Vision America, an organisation that aims to "inform, encourage and mobilise pastors and their congregations to be proactive in restoring Judeo-Christian values" to America.

He has previously called AIDS "God's judgement", and is the author of the 2006 book, Liberalism Kills Kids.

Bahar Mustafa #racist independent.co.uk

The diversity officer for Goldsmiths University in London is caught up in a racism row that now has students signing a petition for her to be removed from her job.

Bahar Mustafa, the student union’s welfare and diversity officer, received a backlash after she posted a Facebook message about an event which requested that men and white people did not attend a BME Women and non-binary event.

After defending her position in a video, students began the petition asking for her to be removed from the position, while a public change.org petition calling for the same action has received around 1,500 votes.

"There have been charges made against me that I am racist and sexist to white men—" Mustafa said in the video.

"I, an ethnic minority woman, cannot be racist or sexist towards white men because racism and sexism describe structures of privilege based on race and gender and therefore women of colour and minority genders cannot be racist or sexist, since we do not stand to benefit from such a system."

"We will not be silenced; we are militant. The world is not ready for minorities to challenge the status quo, but resistance to our resistance is futile,” she added.

The union petition reads: "The current welfare and diversity officer has used hate speech based on race and gender," the union petition.

"For example, the consistent use of hashtags such as #killallwhitemen and #misandry, and publicly calling someone 'white trash' under the official GSU Welfare and Diversity Officer Twitter account."

President Yahya Jammeh #fundie #homophobia independent.co.uk

When he isn't claiming to have cured AIDS, Gambian president Yahya Jammeh has a history of making unbelievable homophobic comments. Here are some of his worst.

1) In a speech on Saturday Mr Jammeh said gay people would doom the world and that the “empire of homosexuals” would “go down the dirty drain”.

“All empires before collapsed not at the time they were weakest, but at the peak of their might and when they equated themselves with the Almighty Allah. So this evil empire of homosexuals will also go down the dirty drain and garbage of hell,” he said.

2) In May 2014 Mr Jammeh said he would “kill” anyone who cited the persecution of LGBTQ people as a reason for seeking asylum abroad.

“Some people go to the West and claim they are gays and that their lives are at risk in the Gambia, in order for them to be granted a stay in Europe. If I catch them I will kill them,” he in a speech in the city of Basse, according to African news service APA.

3) In February 2014 he described gay people as “vermin” who should be treated worse than mosquitoes.

“We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively,” he said in a speech made to mark the country’s 49th anniversary of independence from Britain.

4) In September 2013 he said that homosexuality was “more deadly than all natural disasters put together”.

In an address to the UN general assembly he put homosexuality alongside “greed” and “obsession with world domination” as the three “biggest threats to human existence” that “are more deadly than all natural disasters put together”.

5) In February 2012 Mr Jammeh said gay rights were a “great mistake” and that they “destroy culture”.

“We know what human rights are. Human beings of the same sex cannot marry or date,” he said. “If you think it is human rights to destroy our culture, you are making a great mistake because if you are in the Gambia, you are in the wrong place then.”

6) In February 2014 he said that LGBT stood for "Leprosy, Gonorrhoea, Bacteria and Tuberculosis".

“As far as I am concerned, LGBT can only stand for Leprosy, Gonorrhoea, Bacteria and Tuberculosis; all of which are detrimental to human existence,” he said.

7) In May 2008 he said he would decapitate any homosexuals he found in his country.

Mr Jammeh promised laws against LGBTQ people "stricter laws than Iran" and said he would "cut off the head" of any gay person found in Gambia. "The Gambia is a country of believers... sinful and immoral practices [such] as homosexuality will not be tolerated in this country," the president told a crowd at a political rally.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh #fundie independent.co.uk

A man has been accused of encouraging hundreds of followers to be castrated in a promise for them to become closer to God.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, an Indian pop-star and telepreacher with a reported wealth of more than $50 million, is being investigated after he allegedly manipulated around 400 men to get their testicles removed – according to India Today.

One of his former followers who underwent castration seven years ago – named Hans Raj Chauhan – is one of the few to break the silence to speak out against him and the group.

“[The victims] were told that only those who get castrated will be able to meet God,” said Chauhan’s lawyer, Navkiran Singh, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Anonymous Father #fundie independent.co.uk


A frightened student is at a “confidential address” after her father threatened to kill her because of her “Westernised behaviour”, a family court judge has been told.

The woman’s father had told her she needed to “die in a religious state” and “I am going to kill you”, Mr Justice Hayden heard. She called police and left the family home with the help of officers when her parents were out, her lawyer said. Details of the case emerged yesterday at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

Barrister Katy Chokowry said the woman’s parents did not like her wearing leggings because they were “Western clothing”. She said the woman, in her twenties, who worked part-time at a McDonald’s to help her finance her studies, was “in fear for her safety”.

The threats were triggered when her parents discovered she had a boyfriend in Pakistan. Mr Justice Hayden was told that there were fears the woman would be made to marry “the son of a family friend”, and he made a forced marriage protection order.

Geoffrey Caton #fundie independent.co.uk

A Ukip candidate has denied he is homophobic or racist despite using the phrase ““arse bandit” to refer to gay people and describing a Pakistani club as his “worst nightmare”.

Geoffrey Caton, who is standing for Nigel Farage’s party in the Merseyside seat of Wallasey, also shared an image suggesting same-sex marriage was a sin.

image

Criticising a Gay Pride march in Liverpool two years ago, Mr Caton said on Facebook that “being an arse bandit [is] nothing to be proud of].

He attempted to defend himself by saying the comments were taken out of context and said he accepts “times change,” despite making the remarks just two years ago.

He said his Christian faith led him to believe that “a man’s purpose is to marry a woman for children to propagate the family” and said that while he was not opposed to gay marriage now, he said it was wrong that heterosexual couples were not allowed to form civil partnerships.

Mr Caton is standing against Angela Eagle, the first openly lesbian MP.

Explaining his comments to the Liverpool Echo, he said:

“We are living in modern times now, times change I realise that. We have to move on with the times, I have now, and since then whatever I said obviously wasn’t right then and it’s not right now and I fully believe in being fully inclusive.”

He also denied he was not being racist when he posted this comment on Facebook:

image

He insisted he was referring to the “conditions” that made his experience the “worst nightmare” and not the fact it was a Pakistani venue.

His Facebook page was no longer available this morning.

Gulzabeen Afsar #racist independent.co.uk

The Conservatives have suspended one of their council candidates after she said she could never support “the Jew” Ed Miliband.

Gulzabeen Afsar, the Tory candidate for the ward of Littleover on Derby City Council, posted on Facebook:

“Just can’t take Mr Ed Miliband seriously!! [David Cameron] has what it takes to be the future PM."

After someone questioned her suggestion she replied: “Nah bro! never ever will I drop that low and support the al yahud lol.”

“Al Yahud” is the Arabic word for “Jew”.

A Conservative party spokesman described the remark as "offensive and wrong". The spokesman said: "There is no place in our party for these comments or attitudes and Ms Afsal has had her party membership suspended pending a full disciplinary hearing."

A screenshot of the exchange was leaked to news website Jewish News.

Mr Miliband’s father, Ralph Miliband, and mother Marion Kozak, both fled the holocaust during the Second World War.

Katie Hopkins #racist independent.co.uk

“Rescue boats? I’d use gunships to stop migrants”. That was The Sun's headline, written apparently without concern.

She then refers to migrants in Calais who try to board trucks heading to Britain as “a plague of feral humans”.

She proposes an Australian approach to migrants on boats. “They threaten them with violence until they bugger off, throwing cans of Castlemaine in an Aussie version of sharia stoning”.

She says we don’t need Save the Children “encouraging” migrants to make the journey. “What we need are gunships sending these boats back to their own country”.

She adds: “Some of our towns are festering sores, plagued by swarms of migrants and asylum seekers, shelling out benefits like Monopoly money”.

Jean-Marie Le Pen #conspiracy independent.co.uk

The Charlie Hebdo massacre may have been the work of an “intelligence agency”, working with the connivance of French authorities, according to Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the far right Front National.

In an interview with a virulently anti-Western Russian newspaper, Mr Le Pen, 86, gave credence to conspiracy theories circulating on the internet suggesting that the attack was the work of American or Israeli agents seeking to foment a civil war between Islam and the West.

His comments – only partially retracted in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde today – provoked outrage amongst French politicians. They will also infuriate Marine Le Pen, his daughter, and successor as leader of the FN, who has been trying to distance the party from her father’s extreme and provocative remarks.

Mr Le Pen stood down as FN leader three years ago but remains President-for-life. He made the comments in an interview with Komsomolskaïa Pravda, a newspaper which had already blamed the United States for the terrorist mayhem in France.

“The shooting at Charlie Hebdo resembles a secret service operation but we have no proof of that,” the newspaper quoted Mr Le Pen as saying. “I don’t think it was organised by the French authorities but they permitted this crime to be committed. That, for the moment, is just a supposition.”

To justify his comments, Mr Le Pen pointed to the fact that one of the Kouachi brothers, who carried out the Charlie Hebdo massacre, left his identity card in a crashed getaway car. He compared this to the “miraculous fact” – beloved by conspiracy theorists – that one of the passports of the 9/11 hijackers was found on the ground in New York after two planes collided with the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in 2001.

Mr Le Pen made two other provocative remarks in the interview. He said that the 1,500,000 who marched “against hatred” in Paris last Sunday were not “Charlies” but “Charlie Chaplins” (ie clowns). He also said that there were 15,000,00 to 20,000,000 Muslims in France – three or four times the generally accepted figures of 5,000,000 people who are practising Muslims or have Muslim backgrounds.

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John Rees-Evans & Dr Julia Gasper #homophobia independent.co.uk

A Ukip parliamentary candidate standing in Wales has claimed a “homosexual donkey” tried to rape his horse.

John Rees-Evans, who is running for Cardiff South and Penarth in May’s general election, told the bizarre story to protesters outside a new campaign office in Merthyr Tydfil.

An anti-Ukip demonstrator had asked him to respond to a string of controversial quotes by fellow party members, including on[e] from Dr Julia Gasper in Oxford, who allegedly claimed that “some homosexuals prefer sex with animals”.

“Actually, I’ve witnessed that,” Mr Rees-Evans responded. “I’ve got a horse and it was there in the field. And a donkey came up—which was male, and I’m afraid tried to rape my horse.”

The stallion bit the “homosexual donkey” in defence, the former soldier continued, saying he leapt to the animal’s defence and hit the horse to protect it.

“I don’t think that’s what she meant but it’s a coincidence,” he added.

Islamic State #fundie independent.co.uk

The Isis militant group has released what appears to be an “abhorrent” pamphlet providing its followers with guidelines on how to capture, keep and sexually abuse female slaves.

[...]

Though it could not be independently verified, the list is believed to have been printed on 3 December by Isis’s in-house publishers on behalf of the group’s “Research and Fatwa Department”.

[...]

The following is a selection of some of the questions and answers Isis has provided its followers:

Question 1: What is al-sabi?

"Al-Sabi is a woman from among ahl al-harb [the people of war] who has been captured by Muslims."

Question 2: What makes al-sabi permissible?

"What makes al-sabi permissible [i.e., what makes it permissible to take such a woman captive] is [her] unbelief. Unbelieving [women] who were captured and brought into the abode of Islam are permissible to us, after the imam distributes them [among us]."

Question 4: Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female captive?

"It is permissible to have sexual intercourse with the female captive. Allah the almighty said: '[Successful are the believers] who guard their chastity, except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, for then they are free from blame [Koran 23:5-6]'..."

Question 5: Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female captive immediately after taking possession [of her]?

"If she is a virgin, he [her master] can have intercourse with her immediately after taking possession of her. However, is she isn't, her uterus must be purified [first]—"

Question 6: Is it permissible to sell a female captive?

"It is permissible to buy, sell, or give as a gift female captives and slaves, for they are merely property, which can be disposed of [as long as that doesn't cause [the Muslim ummah] any harm or damage."

[...]

Question 13: Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female slave who has not reached puberty?

"It is permissible to have intercourse with the female slave who hasn't reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse; however if she is not fit for intercourse, then it is enough to enjoy her without intercourse."

[...]

Question 19: Is it permissible to beat a female slave?

"It is permissible to beat the female slave as a [form of] darb ta'deeb [disciplinary beating], [but] it is forbidden to [use] darb al-takseer [literally, breaking beating], [darb] al-tashaffi [beating for the purpose of achieving gratification], or [darb] al-ta'dheeb [torture beating]. Further, it is forbidden to hit the face."

[...]

Question 21: What is the earthly punishment of a female slave who runs away from her master?

"She [i.e. the female slave who runs away from her master] has no punishment according to the shari'a of Allah; however, she is [to be] reprimanded [in such a way that] deters others like her from escaping."

Pakistani anti-terrorism court #fundie independent.co.uk

Veena Malik has expressed her anger and disbelief after she was handed a 26-year jail term by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court for ‘malicious acts’ of blasphemy.

Her crime? Appearing in a pretend wedding scene, staged on a daytime show broadcast by Geo TV and based on the marriage of the Prophet Mohamed’s daughter.

The programme sparked a wave of controversy in the Islamic country when it aired in May, despite the fact similar scenes had been aired in the past to little or no such public outrage. Some even apparently suspected that Pakistan’s military were behind the mock wedding, and that it was put on in a bid to wage a blasphemy war against the broadcaster.

Malik’s husband, Asad Bashir Khan, and Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, the chief executive of the biggest media group in the Asian country, were further sentenced to 26 years behind bars for the apparent religious offence. The host of the show Shaista Wahidi was also punished.

“26 years! Come on. 26 years is a lifetime... But I have faith in higher courts in Pakistan,” Malik said in a recent interview quoted by Gulf News.

“When the final verdict comes, it will do justice to me. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

Helen Ukpabio #fundie independent.co.uk

A notorious "witch finder" who has been prevented by the Home Office from entering Britain is attempting to silence her critics with the threat of a £500 million lawsuit, it has emerged.

Helen Ukpabio, a born-again Christian preacher from Nigeria who heads up the controversial Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, is known for "deliverance sessions" to free children and adults from being possessed.
Among her advice to parents is the warning that children under two years old who cry in the night with a fever may be “possessed with black, red and vampire witchcraft spirits”. The preacher, who calls herself "Lady Apostle", is threatening to sue a number of organisations, including the British Humanist Association (BHA) and the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network (WHRIN), for half a billion pounds in total.

She is accusing them of defamation, in part due to a difference in wording. Campaigners have accused Mrs Ukpabio, in her bookUnveiling the Mysteries of Witchcraft, of writing “a child under two years of age that cries at night and deteriorates in health is an agent of Satan”. But according to her solicitors, her actual words describe how such children can be possessed by “vampire witchcraft spirits” with signs of these being a child who “screams at night, cries, is always feverish, suddenly deteriorates in health, puts up an attitude of fear, and may not feed very well”.
Andrew Copson, BHA chief executive, commented: “The fact that she is threatening to launch a legal claim for half a billion pounds over an alleged distinction between being accused of exorcising "Satan" or "Vampires" tells you all you need to know about Ms Ukpabio.” He added: “Given her baseless identification of features of "possessed children" and her dangerous and irresponsible teachings we feel a strong moral duty to point this out and will not be deflected by libel suits from wealthy "witch-finders".

In a letter sent to the BHA’s lawyers last Thursday, solicitors acting for the controversial preacher accused the charity of causing “members of the public to regard our client as an evil woman” with the damage to her reputation resulting in a “huge loss of incomes to her churches”. The letter, from London-based Graceland Solicitors, claims Mrs Ukpadio is “a Christian leader of international repute known and respected in many countries of the world”.
Yet the Home Office recently revoked her visa after calls from campaigners earlier this year that she be banned from Britain on child protection grounds. It came after she held a number of services during a visit to London in April. Mrs Ukpabio subsequently complained to The Independent over its reporting.

Media lawyer Mark Stephens CBE of HowardKennedyFSI, who is acting for BHA and WHRIN, said: “We must remain ever vigilant of the danger of persecution of innocent children – babies, even – being branded as witches by latter-day self-styled witch-finders with perverse and pernicious views.” He added: “Freedom of speech is at its most precious when it permits voices to be raised against such evil. British libel laws must never be abused to censor matters of such public importance.”

And the concerns of British campaigners are shared by Nobel prize-winning Nigerian author, Professor Wole Soyinka.

“The activities of self-styled exorcists who stigmatize children as witches, vampires or whatever, and subject them to sadistic rites of demonic expulsion, are criminal, and constitute a deep embarrassment to the nation. That their activities are carried out under a religious banner expose them as heartless cynics, playing on the irrational fears of the gullible,” he said

MP. Austin Mitchell #sexist independent.co.uk

The “feminisation” of the Labour Party has meant older men are being replaced by “more amenable and leadable” women who are unable to focus on international issues, an MP has said.

Veteran MP Austin Mitchell, who has represented Great Grimsby since 1977, claimed his party was being weakened by all-women shortlists and growing numbers of women in an article for the Daily Mail.

He wrote that more female MPs would make the Commons "less exciting" and preoccupied with "family issues" and "small problems rather than big ideas".

“Whatever the state of Labour’s policies for the next election, there is little doubt that it will be fought by a younger, more attractive body of candidates,” he wrote.

“The parliamentary party is undergoing the biggest process of feminisation and rejuvenation embarked on since fabulous pink Camay soap promised to make us look a little lovelier each day.”

[...]

Complaining that Labour’s “pool of experience is being drained”, he claimed the rise of women would “feminise” party policies.

“Our new preoccupations will be social, educational and family issues, all brought to the fore by the feminisation of Labour through the obsession with All-Women’s Shortlists,” he wrote, calling the lists a “suspension of party democracy”.

Mr Mitchell added: “It cannot be denied that feminisation and youthification will make Parliament brighter, smarter and nicer.

“Yet the Commons will also be more preoccupied with the local rather than the international (not necessarily a bad thing) and small problems rather than big ideas and issues (a very bad thing as it will be less exciting and lead to sixth-form essays read out word for cut-and-pasted word, replacing oratory).

“The Left will be even smaller but the party more manageable and reasonable, for apart from obsessive feminism, women MPs are more amenable and leadable and less objectionable.

“But it might not make us tougher.”

[...]

In response to criticism on social media, Mr Mitchell tweeted on Sunday: “Who's anti women? All my aunties were women!”

Mohamad Sabu #fundie independent.co.uk

The Scottie dogs used to lead out athletes in the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow were “disrespectful” to Muslims, according to Malaysian politicians.

Terriers in tartan coasts embroidered with team names walked ahead of competitors from each country around the arena last week.

Mohamad Sabu, deputy president of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party said all Islamic countries deserved and apology from organisers, the Telegraph reported.

“This is just so disrespectful to Malaysia and Muslims – especially as it happened during Ramadan,” he added.

“Muslims are not allowed to touch dogs, so the organiser should have been more aware and sensitive on this issue.

Ayelet Shaked #fundie independent.co.uk

“Behind every terrorist stand dozens of men and women, without whom he could not engage in terrorism. They are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads. Now this also includes the mothers of the martyrs, who send them to hell with flowers and kisses. They should follow their sons, nothing would be more just. They should go, as should the physical homes in which they raised the snakes. Otherwise, more little snakes will be raised there.”
------
“This is not a war against terror, and not a war against extremists, and not even a war against the Palestinian Authority. The reality is that this is a war between two people. Who is the enemy? The Palestinian people. Why? Ask them, they started it.”

MikeHydro #fundie independent.co.uk

Aids does not discriminate amongst celebrity nor ordinary twerps so they make their own bed of death by suffering but they are not allowed to biologically warfare attack and pollute real people in particular not children, Christians are protected by God and the press propaganda is guilty of promoting perversion of children by supporting the crimes

unnamed ISIS Terrorist #fundie independent.co.uk

The extremist, carrying an assault rifle, shows the camera the badges on the uniforms of his prisoners. He then grabs them one after the other by the hair and makes them repeat the Isis slogan ‘Baqiya’, which is thought to mean "(Isis) will remain in existence" or "Islamic state will stay".

One of the men, a corporal, appears to be more reluctant than the others to repeat the slogan, and has to be ordered several times to say the word before he obeys.

Off camera, the corporal’s tormentor forces him to lie on the ground and shoots him.

The video then shows the militant gloating over what he has done, and holding the dead man's identity card up to the camera.

He asks a captured soldier sitting beside the dead body: “This dog I killed, where is he from?

Told that the man he killed was a Shia from Sinjar, in northern Iraq, he says: “He is a Shia, praise to Allah, the lord of the universe!

“Praise to Allah, whether he is a believer or not, I killed him. I killed a Shia! I killed a Shia!”

Bold emphasis mine

Darek Isaacs #fundie independent.co.uk

Creationist author Darek Isaacs has come up with a baffling counter-argument to the theory of evolution, claiming that if it is true it must mean that rape is OK.

A believer in the Bible's version of events, Isaacs appeared on Monday's edition of online show 'Creation Today', where he made the ridiculous claims to its stunned hosts.

Discussing his new book, Isaacs asks: "If evolution were true, then how now shall we live?", explaining how his research led him to study "purveyors of evolutionary thought" like Charles Darwin, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens and reach a "very, very dark place" that forced him to ask a lot of "hard questions".

“You have to start asking questions: Well, if evolution is true, and it’s just all about the male propagating their DNA, we had to ask hard questions, like, well, is rape wrong?” he says to an "oh my" from one of the hosts.

He continues: "Evolution is about the man propagating their DNA, and applying evolutionary thought to humanity then it’s basically the strongest male takes whoever he can to propagate the DNA, and it is a scary outcome."

Somehow managing to conflate the 'survival of the fittest' logic of evolution with rape, Isaacs goes on to claim that marriage is "anathema" to the theory because it limits sex to being between one man and one woman.

"According to the evolutionary worldview, [if] that male is strong enough and he had wonderful genes, he should propagate his DNA as much as possible so that the species can progress," Isaacs adds. "So it redefines everything about our society."

Isaacs is also the author of 'Dragons or Dinosaurs', a book in which he makes another drastic leap, claiming that the reptiles "could they be one and the same" - "a powerful truth that confirms biblical authority and demolishes the theory of evolution".

Farzana Iqbal’s family #fundie independent.co.uk

The husband of a pregnant woman who was stoned to death by her family outside of Lahore’s High Court has said she was killed because the couple had married for love.

Police official Naseem Butt said 20 members of Farzana Iqbal’s family attacked her and her husband with sticks and bricks in broad daylight on Tuesday before a crowd of onlookers.

As the couple walked up to the main gate, the relatives fired shots in the air and tried to snatch her from Ms Iqbal, her lawyer said. When she resisted, her father, brothers and other relatives started beating her, eventually pelting her with bricks from a nearby construction site.

Ms Iqbal, who was understood to be three months pregnant, died from severe head injuries. Her husband escaped, The Times of India has reported.

Mr Butt said the 25-year-old had married Mohammad Iqbal while she was engaged to her cousin. She had been waiting for the High Court in the eastern city of Lahore to open when the attack took place.

"We were in love," Mr Iqbal told the Associated Press. He said he had formed a relationship with her after the death of his first wife.

Her lawyer, Mustafa Kharal, said her father had filed an abduction case against her husband, which the couple was contesting.

"I simply took her to court and registered a marriage," infuriating the family, Mr Iqbal explained.

Her father surrendered after the incident and called the murder an "honour killing", Mr Butt said.

"I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it," the father was quoted as saying by police.

The incident has shocked Pakistan, with Zia Awan, a prominent lawyer and human rights activist, describing it as “shameful”.

"I have not heard of any such case in which a woman was stoned to death, and the most shameful and worrying thing is that this woman was killed outside a courthouse.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a private group, said in a report last month that some 869 women were murdered in honor killings in 2013. The real number may be far higher, as in many cases the family will not step forward and protect the victim.

HongKongHatesChina #racist independent.co.uk

I have been advocating this all the time but the hypocritical Muslims, much like PRC Chin-ese, have expressed their preference with their feet rather than what they said. I want all savages to go back to where they belong. Look, I am not advocating genocide like Hitler. I simply want to kick them back to where they belong and stop bothering those in the civilised world.

Helen Ukpabio #fundie independent.co.uk

The Home Secretary Theresa May is being urged to step in to prevent a Nigerian “witch hunter” returning to the UK after she flew in to preach to congregations in London.

“Lady Apostle” Helen Ukpabio, founder of the controversial Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, is believed to still be in the capital after addressing three gatherings last week.

The born-again Christian Pentecostal preacher claims to have been betrothed to Satan as a teenager before being rescued from a cult at the age of 17. She now specialises in liberating captives in “deliverance sessions” that critics claim are little more than crude exorcisms.

Among her advice to parents is the suggestion: “If a child under the age of two screams in the night, cries and is always feverish with deteriorating health, he or she is a servant of Satan.”

Campaigners say such beliefs, prevalent in some parts of the developing world, can put children’s safety at risk. They have written to Ms May to urge that the pastor be banned from the UK after the current tour.

Disgruntled_Englishman #fundie independent.co.uk

[In comments on an article that explains how a UKIP Councillor has blamed gay marriage for winter flooding in the UK... yes, thanks America, these fucktards are doing it here now.]

Irreverent mockery (rather like homosexuality) tends to be a young man's game.

Life is short - and the more one progresses along its pathway, the more one's thoughts turn to eternity, and what happens beyond the grave.

Have you ever seen an old person who is terrified to go to sleep at night, lest they die? - fears crowding their minds, old sins returning to haunt them, past deeds full of bitter regret and a future filled with dread?

When I read the inane chirruping of many here - populist views, full of empty vanity and self deceit - I thank God for Jesus, and for His sacrifice on Calvary by which our sins might be forgiven.

I thank Him for the peace that faith bestows, for the calm assurance that, notwithstanding the howling foolishness of the addled mob, He will keep all those who trust Him in perfect peace.

For them, the night has no terrors.

I suspect that the good councillor sleeps peacefully - as do all who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chris Sevier #fundie independent.co.uk

Chris Sevier, a 36-year-old attorney from Nashville, Tennessee, is suing Apple on the grounds that their products allowed him to access pornography, leading to an addiction and a separation from his wife.

In a 50-page complain Sevier claims that his addiction begun “accidently”, when he was attempted to access Facebook, but accidently replaced the letters “a-c-e” with “u-c-k”. Sevier said that this ‘F***book’ site “appealed to his biological sensibilities as a male”. He also alleged that porn actresses online were “unfair competition” to his wife.

The lengthy description of Sevier’s downfall includes accusations that Apple peddle "explicit sexual content which has led to the proliferation of arousal addiction, sex trafficking, prostitution, and countless numbers of destroyed lives."

Sevier requested that Apple sell its products with an automatic filter to block pornography. Buyers over the age of 18 who wish to unlock the internet would be free to write to Apple and sign a form showing that they recognise the dangers of pornography. After that they would then receive a code to unlock the filter.

Describing his plight in the third person, Sevier describes his situation: “His wife abducted his son and disappeared, which was a subsequent consequence of Apple’s decision to sell its computers not on ‘safe mode. The Plaintiff became depressed and despondent, unable to work as a result of observing porn on his MacBook and the impact it caused.”

The Judge involved in the case has failed to acknowledge Sevier’s complaint, at least in part due to the submitted document’s spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and rambling tone. In the excerpt below it seems Sevier has mistaken the word ‘hormones’ for ‘harmonies’:

“As human beings themselves, Apple employees know that a man is born full of harmonies and attacked to by women engaging in sexual acts with the intent to cause vicarious arousal.”

The rest of the document, which can be read in full here, covers topics ranging from cocaine use to 9/11, as well as taking in the utopian state of life in the 1950s and the effect of gays serving in the military. As Sevier declares: “The human heart is what is at stake.”

Erik Rush #fundie independent.co.uk

While public officials were urging caution in the immediate aftermath of the bomb attack on the Boston Marathon, some were quick to apportion blame.

One of those was a Fox News contributor Erik Rush, who provoked a furious reaction after seemingly advocating the killing of Muslims in response to the attack.

With no information about the attackers yet made public, Mr Rush appeared to imply in a tweet that the culprit was from Saudi Arabia.

“@erikrush Everybody do the National Security Ankle Grab! Let's bring more Saudis in without screening them! C'mon! #bostonmarathon.”

Then when he was asked by another Twitter user whether he was blaming Muslims for the attack, Mr Rush responded: “Yes, they’re evil. Let’s kill them all.”

Mr Rush later claimed he was being sarcastic went he sent the response.

[...]

Mr Rush responded to one Twitter user who complained about his comments by saying: “Sarcasm, idiot.”

But in subsequent comments on the social networking site he hit out at “Islamist apologists.”

He wrote: “It's nice to see all the Islamist apologists standing up for those who would waste them in a heartbeat.”

[...]

He has also written articles critical of Islam. Last year, Mr Rush wrote a comment piece titled ‘Yes, Islam is an enemy’. In it he argued that Islam was incompatible with American society.

“Islam has never played well with others, and this is because it is a worldview with a creed, dogma and religious aspects, rather than a religion per se. All of these militate against its tolerance of divergent societies and cultures,” he wrote.

He went on: “This is truth: Both the political left and Islamists in America have been exploiting the First Amendment and Americans’ generous nature in order to conquer us.”

VulpesRex #fundie independent.co.uk

[A comic has a possibly gay character]

Give the APA (or the BPS in the UK) 10 years, and heterosexuality along with religiousity will be listed as disorders in the relevent diagnostic literature. Pedophilia, Bestiality, and Polyamory will be considered normal.

Evil has an agenda, and it always percolates through the culture starting in the arts. My prediction for the next big taboo to be broken in the comics? Superman and Titano the Super-Ape settle down as a happily married couple in Massachusetts to raise a couple of adopted children from the inner-city. Their storybook marriage is disrupted when they are attacked by the League of Intolerance, led by villains MMORPJerk, Popeman, Ahmadenijawesome, and the Leader of the group, Fred Phelps!

Vitaly Klitschko #fundie independent.co.uk

Why is Christianity important? Simple. Ceremonial magic won't work without it. If you want to get real results in your magical work and, in particular keep your sanity, you need to reconnect with the Christianity of your youth. Prayer is absolutely essential - as is attendance at mass. Anyone who doesn't wish to believe this or, worse, is fool enough to believe that the 'black arts' don't directly influence both the material world as well as one's soul, or that demons don't exist, would be well advised to watch the film Angel Heart. The Medieval Grimoires are very interesting in that they suggest that there is a precise cosmic ground-plan, since the instructions must be followed to the letter...

charlesby #fundie independent.co.uk

[Discussing the banning of 'post-gay' ads that were planned to be run on London public transport]

Christians are used to being in competition with antichrist-communities that hate them.

Christians competed with and conquered the Roman Empire, that was run, amongst others, by the bi-sexual antichrists Nero, Commodus and Elagabalus.

Peter Popham #fundie independent.co.uk

What is staggering about the secularists is their arrogance and the shortness of their memories. The materialist utopianism of the Communists and Nazis is to blame for all the worst atrocities of the past century. Dawkins may appear to make sense, but it is incredible that we should be ready to pay serious attention to a prophet whose message is the same as those whose schemes led straight to the hells of the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Mao's Cultural Revolution and the Khmer Rouge.

giuseppesapone #fundie independent.co.uk

English Catholics have withstood the massacres of Henry V111, Elizabeth 1 and Cromwell’s Jewish sponsored genocide. Like the Palestinians we were here first and we are not going away.
So all you Jews and your Protestant lackeys can hit the bricks.

By the way, the evil crimes of some Catholic priests is nothing compared to the huge number of paedophile rabbis, organ trafficking rabbis, money laundering rabbis etc etc. but we’ll never read this truth in the Jewish controlled British media.
Now watch this comment disappear.

Sheik Taj Aldin al-Hilali #sexist independent.co.uk

Sheik Hilali, Australia's Mufti since 1989, was quoted as saying: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the back yard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat? The uncovered meat is the problem."

He added: "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab [Islamic headscarf], no problem would have occurred."

The Egyptian-born Sheik also appeared to refer to a series of notorious gang rapes in Sydney by a group of Lebanese Muslim men who received long prison sentences. He said there were women who "sway suggestively", and wore make-up and immodest dress, "and then you get a judge without mercy [who] gives you 65 years... but the problem all began with who?"

James Neilson #fundie independent.co.uk

It may be a good idea to have extra public holidays but to call one of them a Darwin Day is preposterous (letters, 23 January). Do all scientists believe (I use the word advisably) Darwin's theory of evolution? Why have some adapted his theory to become Neo-Darwinism? Others have noted that the fossils do not show the evidence Darwin postulated, and once more adapted the theory with another aspect called punctuated equilibrium.

Darwin's theory of evolution is just that, viz, a theory. There are laws in science which most, if not all, scientists accept. Entropy is evident all around us and we see things do run down. Consequently, Darwin's molecule-to-man theory is a contradiction of accepted scientific laws.

Finally, are we to accept every detail of Darwin's theory, or be selective? Social Darwinism, as it has been called, I believe, consigns women to an inferior status to men. This is surely unacceptable. Also natural selection or the survival of the fittest is what we see in our day on the streets.

Why do young people get involved in gangs, carry knives etc if it is not to survive? Many examples which are causing us serious social problems could be given and these relate to Darwin's theory of evolution. So, contrary to reinvigorating the scientific studies, it has created ills in society.

Kevin #fundie #wingnut independent.co.uk

[Energy wasting TV's being banned in Britain.]

As Britain gets more Godless, it gets more daft. Will they go through residences counting the number of televisions too, four or five tvs is worse than one flat screen.

If the God you fear, appease, worship and sacrifice to is the envirnoment the state becomes the church of the environment and the "enviroNazis" your high priests and Pharisees and eventually the sole religion, imposed on us all. Statism can go stuff itself. If I want to pay more for electricity I should. This is a drop in the bucket and an infringement on civil liberties by the Julie Andrews state.

Lillian Ladele and Mike Judge #fundie independent.co.uk

A Christian registrar who refused to perform same-sex civil partnership unions because she believes that gay marriage is "sinful" has won her claim for discrimination, testing the boundaries of the fledgling religious discrimination law.

"I am delighted at this decision," Ms Ladele said. "It is a victory for religious liberty, not just for myself but for others in a similar position. Gay rights should not be used as an excuse to bully and harass people over their religious beliefs."

The case was financed by the Christian Institute, a charity that has also filed a lawsuit against the internet seach engine Google for blocking an anti-abortion online advertisement.

Mike Judge, the institute's head of communications, said: "This important ruling confirms that gay rights should not be treated as trumping religious rights. The law clearly recognises this. If we really believe in equality before the law, that means respecting people who have sincerely held religious beliefs on sexual ethics. The witch-hunt against those who disagree with homosexual practice has to stop."

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