The Teddy Bear Teacher Free

Gillian Gibbons, the British woman who was found guilty by naming a teddy bear Mohammad. Mohammad is the same name as the Prophet Mohammed. Gibbons was granted a presidential pardon was released. the Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir granted Gibbons pardon. Gibbons refused to reveal her whereabouts after her release from prison. A source said that Gibbons is in British embassy custody. Two of British lawmakers by the name of Lord Nizar Ahmed and Baroness Warsi had met with the Beshir ans he signed the pardon when they ask for a petition for Gibbon's release. Gibbons was found guilty of insulting religion so the Sudan courts sentenced her to fifteen days in jail.

Now that she is free; she issued a statement that showed her respect to the Islamic people and she apologized for any trouble that she may have caused during that incident. To this date, Gibbons have spent eight days in jail, about seven days short of her remainder of her sentence. According to news sources, blasphemous of religion is strict forbidden, especially on Mohammed in Islam. These were a crowd of people in front of the British embassy during Gibbons convictions. They were trying to free Gibbons. She arrest have outraged the citizen of Britian. The Committee of Muslim Scholars in Sudan said that Gibbons served a very light sentence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kegGMRo03K0

Clinton on AIDS Issue

Hilary Rodham Clinton, one of the 2008 Presidential Candidates talked about disease around the world such as AIDS. She made a speech that depicted Biblical references and talked about her own faith concerning about HIV/AIDS and other diseases around the world. She want to spend billions of dollars to battle this crisis. Clinton said that AIDS is a problem within our "common humanity" to solve. She made an appearance at Saddleback Church in Orange County. Rick Warren, a pastor used to go to this college each year to discuss HIV/AIDS. Clinton made a proposal regarding the spread of HIV/AIDS. She made a speech to about one thousand and seven hundred partispants.

She made a proposal that if she is president, she double the research budget on HIV/AIDS to five point two billion dollars annually. The current research on combating HIV/AIDS is at the National Institutes of Health. Also, during the speech, she said she would spent about one billion dollars a year to address the malaria infection in Africa. She want to eradicate that infection. the speech got Clinton to appear on stage with Warren. They give a hug to each other. Warren is also fighting AIDS in Africa. He is trying to reach out to evangelicals to support their causes and he have done so in recent years. Hopefully, their cause will help a lot of people out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQK4YNFfezA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dSMfLkp7_s

The Case with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Dutch author Ayaan Hirsi Ali said that Muslims should protest terrorism. Hirsi Ali was the target of death threats after she published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. She is angry when people committ terrorism all in the name of a religion. Ali said that Muslims should not use their religion as an excuse to justify terrorism. It is wrong. Also, she said that Muslims shouldn't be so concern about drawings of Prophet Muhammad, they should be concern about people who are giving beheaded and blown up. Hirsi Ali is under the protection of a bodyguard for she fear that she would one day get killed just like the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Van Gogh produced a film, titled Submission, which Hirsi Ali wrote the script for. The film was about Muslim women was are oppressed by the men.

He was shot and stabbed to death by a Muslim radical. There was a letter attached to the knife telling Hirsi Ali that she is next on the list. The Muslim radical is now serving a life sentence for the death of Van Gogh. The place when Hirsi Ali made the speech was kept secret. Besides the speech, Hirsi Ali had a debate with Ed Husain, a former Islami extremist about the West and the future of Islam. They have disagreements on whether Islam have restrictive laws or what not. Hirsi Ali argued that Muslims who called themselves "moderates" doesn't follow every rules in the Koran seriously. She might have said that people can choose how they view religion or practice religion. Here are some information about Hirsi Ali's background on religion. Hirsi Ali grew up as a devout Muslim. Now she identify herself as atheist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg8AYs56RAY

Homeland Asylum

A new policy with the Homeland Security Department could make people are are seeking asylum in the United States be detained and jailed a longer time than the normal rate. This policy is from the post-September eleventh instruction on whether if people such as immigrants could to the United States with bad paperwork. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Homeland Security Department, said this is a good idea because it will make things better, to be exact, more consistent and clear. Other people such as the refugee advocates said it will be tougher on people trying to get into America. The standards may be judged unfairly.

The new policy will give the detention and removal officers the power to decide if a person should get asylum in the United States. Here are the reasons: "if the person is seriously ill, a juvenile, pregnant, a witness in judicial, administrative or legislative proceedings or whether detention of the person is not in the public interest." This action might limit the amount of people getting into the United States even more. In these times, when people are afraid of terrorism, they will create new rules and regulations to kept themselves safer from harm's way. Under this new policy order, things may be better, better for the citizens of America.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/politics/story/209040.html

Anti-Gay Letters

There was an dispute within the Alberta Conservative Party concerning an anti-gay letter. The outcome was that the party dropped one of their candidates out. Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said indeed this was difficult decision and this issue must be confidential. The Alberta Conservative Party is consists of forty executive committee members. Stelmach is the head of the pack. They voted on a decision whether to endorse a candidate who founded an anti-gay letter linking to a group of people. They decided to vote him out. The candidate was named Craig Chandler. Stelmach said that Chandler's nomination in Calgary-Egmont was not good for the party so he will not be endorsed.

Chandler was not happy about this decision. He said he's quitting the party and might run against the party in the next election. "I'm not going to belong to a party that doesn't want me,'' is what he said after finding out about the decision by the party. The Alberta Human Rights Commission said that the anti-gay letter broke provincial law with its constitution. Chandler have to face the U.S. court concerning the letter. He have to attend anti-communist hearings debating if he should be held liable for these allegations. Chandler was getting himself into more trouble because he speaking about this issue and how he is being treated unfairly.

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/12/120207alberta.htm

Religious Lawsuit

A federal magistrate judge recommended a lawsuit dealing with an inmate's religion to go ahead with its proceedings. The lawsuit was against the state Corrections Departments concerning on the issue that the inmate couldn't observe Jewish holidays. Gordon Bock is the inmate's name. The judge stated that Bock have produce enough evidence for the courts to take a look at the case. Here is a little background of Gordon Bock. Bock was arrested, trialed and found guilty of "domestic assault, violation of an abuse-prevention order, attempted unlawful trespass and violation of conditions of release convictions." He was from Northfield. Now he is in his early fifties.

The case with Bock was that he argued the prison staff and the Correction officials refuse his request to practice his religion in these forms such as having a menorah for Hanukkah and having kosher foods for Passover. He said they violated the policies and denied his request which Bock discribed it as "minor requested accommodations." Actually, if the prison staff and the Correction officials had let him have the food, it would be free because a religious group would provide it. The food is part of a strict Jewish dietary restrictions that is suppose to partake during Passover. Now, Bock is seeking for justice. The prison department denied any of these allegations took place.

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/NEWS02/712020404

Teddy Bear Case Takes New Turn?

Two British lawmakers are going to have a discussion with Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir to see if the British teacher could possible get a pardon. A British teacher by the name of Gillian Gibbons was convicted for insulting religion after she named a bear Mohammad. She was found guilty by the Sudan courts and sentenced to fifteen days in jail. One of the British lawmakers have been revealed as Nazir Ahmed who is trying to help Gibbons get out of jail. She is currently serving the remainder of her sentence. The other British lawmakers name was Sayeeda Warsi. They are both Muslim members of the House of Lords. They want the Sudanese government to release Gibbons because it would create what they called ain international goodwill toward their country.

Their timing might be judged as too late since Gibbons is serving the last week of her sentence. Pretty soon, she will be release from jail, but might face issues such as deportation. Some of the people in the Sudan's government are willing to hand over Gibbons to the British Embassy, but after some heavy pressuring from the minorities that want Gibbons to suffer the consquences, they didn't want to hand her over anyone. According to a public source, Gibbon made an apology statement to one of the faculty member which was offended by the situation with the teddy bear. On a smaller note, Gibbons was cleared of charges like inciting hatred. This case have angered people from both side, in Sudan and in Britian. Hopefully, this incident will calm down, and Gibbons will let go and everything will be alright.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiiOXr4nxdc

Romney and Religion

Mitt Romney, the 2008 Presidential Candidates said he is ready to talk about religion. This is a quote he said when he was referring to John F. Kennedy. He too have to talk about religion and he did. "I believe in an America where religious intolerance will someday end,'' JFK delcared -- in 1960. "I am not the Catholic Church's candidate for president... I am the Democratic Party's candidate.'' Romney plan to talk about his religion Mormonism which have troubled voters when they are debating whether to vote for him or not. His campaign said that Romney's speech is addressed as "Faith in America." Will Christians vote for him?

There was a poll, a while ago showing that twenty-five percent of all evangelical Christians are having trouble voting for Romney. This upcoming speech might tell how Romney is on the issue of religion and how he deals with his own religion. Romney will make the speech at George H.W. Bush Presidential Llibrary in College Station, Texas. Also, George Bush, father Bush Senior will introduce Romney to the floor to address his issue. Romney hope to confront the religious prejudice that he was facing in the speech. We will have to see if Romney have what it takes to tackle the issue of his own religion.

http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2007/12/romney_ready_to_address_religi.html

Supreme Court Dispute

Alberta Hutterities refused to take a picture for his driver licence. He is saying that it is against his religion for taking a picture. The Supreme Court, the country's highest court in Canada took charge of this incident. The Supreme Court is making necessary judgements to see if Albert Hutterities can legally refuse to take a picture. The Supreme Court agreed to about looking into an appeal by the Alberta government considering this matter. The Alberta government passed a legislation in 2003 that requires all drivers to have photo identifications. Before the law passed, Hutterite Brethren have been exempted from having a photo identification for their driver license. The Alberta government want photo identification from everyone because of a strategy that they came up with to combat terrorism and theft.

Albert Hutterities are from the Hutterian Brethan of Wilson Colony. They said the government should not enfringed their views on their religion and that this is their rights. The Hutterities took this case to court in the first place, after one of their members was pulled over and fined for not having a valid driver licence. The problem was that there was no picture on the driver licence, hence the law that said they need it. The Alberta government issued driver licences to those who have religious objections of having their picture taken. Early this year, the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench said that the Alberta law that required everyone to have photo identification violated the freedom of religion under the Charter of Rights rule. There were split decisions in the provincial court of appeal, so the Supreme Court took hold of this issue.

http://www.hutterites.org/

Religion in Candidates we Trust

Religion have been in the news of lately, especially with the 2008 Presidential Candidates. The Republicans candidates are trying to get their religious views out to the public while the Democratic Candidates try to deal with more political issues. Hillary Clinton, one of the candidates said "I talked about my faith years ago and was pilloried for it," which he tried to refer to other things. If people like Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards talked about how God guides them throughout life to the public more than usual, then things for them would be different. They would still be votes, but it would be harder for them to appeal to the religious voters and they need votes from them too.

Religion is important to them. They told about religion, hoping it would improve their scores. Hilary Clinton talked about how her religious faith helped her to repair her marriage. Barack Osama use to define himself as having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Currently, Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ where he worships the Lord of Jesus Christ. John Edwards, a Methodist too, talked about how his faith have helped him throughout life.