Recently in Love Thy Neighbour Category

• China: Man's penis stolen in his sleep—Digital Spy, 25th July 2012
• England: Manchester uni puts faith in praying booth—The Guardian, 26th July 2012. May I suggest that studying is a far more effective technique?
• India: Couple, accused of witchcraft, forced to consume human waste—The Hindu, 21st July 2012
• India: Woman suspected of witchcraft hacked to death in Vizianagram—Times of India, 21st July 2012
• India: Row over witchcraft may have killed 12-year-old: Police—Times of India, 22nd July 2012
• Kenya: Elderly couple rescued from Bamburi mob—The Star, 25th July 2012. An elderly couple in Bamburi was on Sunday evening rescued by police from a lynch mob who accused them of practising witchcraft.
• Malawi: Malawi court fines 3 men for planting ‘magic landmine’: Witchcraft—Nyasa Times, 22nd July 2012. Their crime seems to have been wasting their own time on pointless woo.
• Nepal: Nepal to crack down on witchcraft accusations—Khabar South Asia, 25th July 2012
• Scotland: Glasgow’s archbishop-elect links MP’s death to gay lifestyle—The Scotsman, 25th July 2012. The new Archbishop is a homophobic cunt for whom a penis-shaped hat is appropriate.
• United States: Court rejects abuse case based on repressed memory—WSOC TV, 25th July 2012. Interestingly, this is a clergy abuse case against a cleric who was defrocked for child abuse some time ago. There is no dispute over that, just over whether "repressed memories" are acceptable as evidence.
• United States: NJ's Virgin Mary Tree Draws Believers AND Accusations Of Witchcraft, Devilry—Gothamist, 23rd July 2012. Looks like a vagina to me.
• Zimbabwe: Man killed over witchcraft—NewsDay, 25th July 2012. A man ... was last week reportedly killed by his relatives accusing him of causing his father’s death through witchcraft.
• Zimbabwe: Police arrest self-confessed satanist—Newsday, 25th July 2012. Sounds like someone in need of treatment in a secure mental health facility - An 18-year-old self-confessed satanist who allegedly admitted to having killed his employer’s 12-year-old daughter by slitting her throat and sucking blood from the wound to quench his thirst for human blood has been arrested in Mutare.

Wales: A stone circle built by neopagan students as a temple has been destroyed in what police believe to be a religiously-motivated hate crime. The circle has regularly been vandalised, but this time it is not the work of casual hooligans.

The steps giving access to the site, in the grounds of the town's Trinity Saint David University campus, were also torn apart.

Police believe that weapons, such as crow bars and pick axes, may have been used to deliberately cause as much damage to the area as possible.

Lampeter Pc Richard Marshall told town councillors at a meeting last week that the site had been maliciously taken apart and is now unsafe to use.

He also noted that the attack would have received considerably more coverage had it been a church.

While the Telegraph noted the presence of a strong Theology department at Lampeter, the town is only about 25 miles/40km from Christian extremist Steve "Birdshit" Green's stamping ground of Carmarthen. The estimated fuel costs for the journey say it all, really.

Pagan stone circle may have been destroyed in religious hate attack—The Daily Telegraph, 5th December 2011.

Africa: There are a few recent stories related to African witchcraft beliefs.

• Swaziland: Narrow escape for family suspected of practising witchcraft—The Swazi Observer, 3rd December 2011
• Ghana: The Pope And the dangers of Africa’s Witchcraft Menace—GhanaWeb, 3rd December 2011
• Ghana: Jezebel's Reincarnate: Pastor's Wife Declares In Public—Modern Ghana, 29th November 2011

United Kingdom: Religious control freaks were responsible for at least 2,823 "honour" attacks last year. And that's just the ones reported to those police forces which record such incidents. The figures came to light as the result of a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation.

Its director Diana Nammi said families often tried to deny the existence of honour attacks and those who carried them out were very much respected.

She told the BBC: The perpetrators will be even considered as a hero within the community because he is the one defending the family and community's honour and reputation.

She added that there was not enough support for victims, and many needed continuing help and protection.

'Honour' attack numbers revealed by UK police forces—BBC News, 3rd December 2011.

Ireland & the USA:

The Superioress and Sisters of The Magdalen Asylum ... very earnestly beg the support of the liberal and kind-hearted to help them with the upkeep of the Institution for 130 Poor Penitents, who receive a home within its walls.

This scandal has been running for many years now, and still nothing has been done. However, it now seems to have finally attracted international attention.

The brutal treatment of girls over many years is enough to make almost anyone weep. And brought to you as a public service(!), by your present author.

Much work has been done in this field by a survivor Mary Therese O'Loughlin who went through the Goldenbridge Bead-Factory - a similar slave-labour camp. Also a hat-tip to the magnificent work done over, and over the years, at the Butterflies and Wheels web-site.

Read more: Will Ireland Apologize to the Women of the Magdalene Laundries?—TIME World, 4th July 2011.

• Northern Ireland: Protestant pastor vows to fight against gay sauna in Londonderry—PinkNews, 8th June 2011.
• Malawi: Malawi 'witches' face old law—Manilla Bulletin, 8th June 2011.
• Zimbabwe: Lupane woman jailed for witchcraft—NewsDay, 7th June 2011.
• Zambia: Woman murdered on witchcraft suspicion—Lusaka Times, 7th June 2011.
• Lebanon: Lebanon Ban Lady Gaga’s New Album—Pattaya Daily News, 8th June 2011. Because it is offensive to Christianity, and no doubt the most downloaded item there right now!

England

Lorraine Mbulawa, 19, escaped jail after judge Mr Justice Keith accepted the girl had such strong beliefs in witchcraft and evil that she was acting upon what she was told to do by spirits.

The court heard how all her family, including her mother, believe in the occult and did not blame her for what she had done.
AND
In delivering his verdict Mr Justice Keith told Leeds Crown Court: She believed spirits can enter the body and make you do things that otherwise you would not have done. Her beliefs could have made her think she was possessed by evil spirits at the time.

If this ruling is allowed to set a precedent, then no-one is safe, even sleeping in their beds. It is clear that not only is the verdict perverse, but that the relevant judge is clearly unfit to preside over any sane court.

Mercy for witchcraft girl 'told to stab mother'—Daily Telegraph, 26th May 2011.

• United States: Man believed his Pasadena landlord was warlock, killed him—Baltimore Sun, 27th April 2011
• Nepal: Woman battered on witchcraft charge cries for justice—República, 28th April 2011
• Kenya: Woman Hacked to Death Over Witchcraft Suspicion—Nairobi Star (via allAfrica.com), 27th April 2011
• United Kingdom: UFO hovered over Will-Kate wedding venue, shows video—Mangalorean, 28th April 2011

• Greece: Arsonists attack Corfu synagogue at start of Passover—The Guardian, 19th April 2011
• England: Presenters prepare for Flora Day—BBC News, 19th April 2011
• A timely reminder that Hot Cross Buns are nothing to do with Christianity. Consider the hot cross bun—The Guardian, 19th April 2011
• Nor are Easter eggs. What about Easter, the Bunny and the Egg?—The Bahamas Weekly, 17th April 2011
• And especially not the Easter Bunny! Who is the ‘Osterhase?’—, 14th April 2011
• United Kingdom: Some people are getting married soon. BEWARE: Prediction spells doom for Royals—Vexnews, 19th April 2011
• India: Techie couple wakes up to witchcraft outside home—Bangalore Mirror, 19th April 2011
• United States: Psychic Could Not Foresee Her Own Arrest—LAist, 19th April 2011
• United States: John F. Kennedy requested UFO files 10 days before his assassination—abc15, 19th April 2011

• India: Fourth murder in as many days by superstitious fuckwits. Another woman killed for suspected witchcraft—Assam Tribune, 18th April 2011
• England: A vicar and a druid involved in an event to celebrate Malvern's holy wells. Procession will celebrate town's water heritage—Malvern Gazette, 18th April 2011
• United States: An academic study of an Hispanic healing tradition. Anthropology professor explores curanderismo—The Ranger, 18th April 2011
• Israel: French solution proposed to Israel's modesty dicksizing Jewish women. France’s Ban, Israel’s Problem—Forward, 18th April 2011

England

The covert audio probe captured the gang condemning Mr Smith for 'teaching other religions to our sisters', the court heard

Four Muslim men are awaiting sentencing after being convicted of slashing a teacher’s face with a knife because they did not approve of a British school’s lessons on world religions being given to Muslim girls. Gary Smith, a religious studies teacher, was attacked by the gang in Bow, east London.

He suffered a fractured skull, and needed three operations to repair his face after being attacked with a knife, an iron bar and a lump of concrete.

H. Beam Piper once claimed that there were people who only believed in ONE god, then they would believe that all the other gods were false, and then that the one "god" could only be worshipped in one way, and all others were vile unbelievers and heretics.....
Well, here it is!

Taliban’s violent methods of female repression arrive in east London —National Secular Society Newsline , 25th February 2011.

England

At about 3 o’clock in the morning Lesley sat up and it was as if she had a premonition. She said: 'This is going to be over soon, I’m going to go to heaven’,” he told the court.

And I heard a voice, if I could put it like that, and I said 'I can help you’, and I suddenly had this revelation of the plan finally being acted out.

Wonderful!
Devout religious nut-job hears convenient "voices" telling him to kill his wife.
Oh yeah.

Devout Baptist killed wife and lover's husband after hearing voice—Daily Telegraph, 15th February 2011.

• Italy: Catholic church gives blessing to iPhone app—BBC News, 7th February 2011.
• Uganda: Woman stripped in market for witchcraft—Uganda People News, 8th February 2011.
• Swaziland: Drama as prophet probes resident for witchcraft—Times of Swaziland, 8th February 2011.
• India: Sorcerers target Soudha again—Times of India, 8th February 2011.
• Romania: Fortune tellers whose predictions do not come true could face prison like all other fraudsters. Hard-hit by recession, Romania considering getting even tougher on witches—The Canadian Press, 8th February 2011.
• India: Rationalists strike back, all set to nail the facade of ‘religious magic’—Daily News and Analysis, 8th February 2011.
• Indonesia: Muslim mob burns, ransacks churches in Indonesia—AFP, 8th February 2011.
• Wales: North Wales UFO ‘crash’ is back in the spotlight—The Leader, 8th February 2011.
• United States: 'UFO Phil' Wants to Put a Pyramid on Pikes Peak—AOL News, 8th February 2011.