From: Cgastbook@aol.com
To: aanews@listserv.atheists.org
Subject: [Atheist] re: AANEWS for November 14, 1998
Date: Saturday, November 14, 1998 3:10 PM
from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS
subject: AANEWS for November 14, 1998
A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S
~~ A A N E W S ~~
#504~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~11/14/98
http://www.atheists.org
ftp.atheists.org/pub/
http://www.americanatheist.org
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A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS
"For Reason and the First Amendment"
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In This Issue...
* Bishops to toughen campaign against abortion, euthanasia?
* Solstice goodies from American Atheists
* Update: Nasrin fleeing "house to house" from cops, Islamists
Rushdie facing "Grapes of Wrath," Iranian style
* Resources from American Atheists
* About this list...
BISHOPS' CONCLAVE MAY MARK STRATEGY SHIFT IN
ROMAN CATHOLIC POLITICAL STRATEGY
The gloves may be coming off.
That's the word as the National Conference of Catholic Bishops prepares to
meet next week in Washington, DC to discuss future church strategy and related
issues. One of the flashpoints of the meeting is expected to be a 30-page
proposal drafted by Detroit Cardinal Adam Maida, which calls upon the church
to make abortion and assisted suicide the two top ecclesiastical political
priorities in the future.
Cardinal Maida was instrumental in mobilizing church members to soundly
defeat Proposition B, a measure placed on the Michigan ballot and soundly
defeated by voters in the November 3 election by a 2-1 margin. Catholic
diocese in the state donated over $2.5 million to help defeat the proposition;
and Maida emerged as a shrewd political operative, successfully enlisting
Protestant, Jewish and Muslim groups to oppose the measure. It one of the few
bright spots for religious activists in the November elections, and for the
Vatican it helped to compensate for a string of defeats in Oregon where, since
1994, voters have approved liberalizing laws permitting physician-assisted
suicides.
Quoted in today's Detroit Free Press, Rev. Thomas Reece, a Jesuit scholar
who writes about developments within the church, observed "Cardinal Maida has
shown that he's got a successful strategy for dealing with assisted suicide,
so a lot of people are going to be paying attention to him." And Maida makes
no bones about his determination to have the government ban any form of
euthanasia. "In Washington, I'll be giving briefings on what happened here in
Michigan and how it happened. It's a great concern to the bishops and to our
church."
The paper noted that Maida's proposal would "significantly change the
church's approach to political issues." If given the thumbs-up by the bishops
and cardinals, it would "represent a step away from the church's stance over
the past two decades..." Here's how. Church leaders have aggressively spoken
out on behalf pet political issues, but these often reflected a mix of social
conservatism and economic liberalism. On one side were calls for more
spending of public monies on housing, health care, food stamps and education.
The church also spoke out against capital punishment, genetic engineering and
in vitro medical research. That was included along with a strict opposition to
homosexuality, abortion, pornography and euthanasia. Both liberals and
conservatives had something in the Roman Catholic agenda to identify with, and
the church referred to this approach as "the seamless garment" or a consistent
ethic focused on "life" issues. While secular ethicists can debate how
"seamless" all of this really was, it nevertheless provided the church with a
unified agenda of its own.
Maida's proposal, believed titled "Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to
American Catholics," would prioritize these issues, however, and move abortion
and euthanasia (particularly physician assisted suicide) to the top of the
list. "We believe certain evils are more evil than others," declared Cardinal
Maida. "We will continue to work on the other social issues ... but unless
you're allowed to be born in the first place -- or to live out your life to
the end -- then you're not even here to address these other issues."
Holes, Tears in the "Seamless" Garment
Balancing these diverse issues has never been an easy task for the church
leaders. American Catholics especially are considered an independent, even
rebellious lot by some hard-liners in the Vatican, as shown in the approval
rank-and-file church members give to birth control and even abortion. Many
Catholics may not feel comfortable being ordered to vote a certain way on
political issues, something which even New York's Cardinal John O'Connor has
had to reluctantly acknowledge.
And the Bishops may be flirting with a political strategy that is illegal,
and could even backfire. Days before the November 3 election, word of
Cardinal Maida's position paper was "leaked" to the news media, and included
the fact that the Catholic voters and elected officials might go to hell if
they vote in support of a woman's right to choose.
Rev. Carlton Veazey, Baptist head of the Religious Coalition for
Reproductive Choice, described Maida's strategy as an "escalation" in the
Vatican's effort to stop abortion. "I would hope that with the violence that's
going on, we could have a time of tolerance and understanding," said Veazey.
If Maida's proposal does meet with the NCCB's approval, however, it could mean
that the battle over abortion and euthanasia could become even more heated and
divisive.
**
SOLSTICE IS COMING -- ARE YOU READY ?
If you're worried about what to give for the upcoming "Christmas" season,
we've got some suggestions. Log on to either American Atheists web site, and
visit our special on line Winter Solstice Gift Catalogue. You can give a
friend (or anyone else!) a one year gift subscription to American Atheist
Magazine for only $16. We'll even include an attractive seasonal card to the
recipient acknowledging your thoughtful gift. We also have a selection of
books, videos and other materials, including our famous Winter Solstice
Greeting Cards with a range of messages. So, what are you waiting for? Visit
us at www.americanatheist.org, click on the Winter Solstice Catalogue icon and
start shopping! You can use our secure on line ordering form, too.
**
UPDATE: NASRIN MOVING "FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE" -- ANOTHER REWARD FOR THE
MURDER OF SALMAN RUSHDIE
Embattled Bangladesh writer Taslima Nasrin is desperately moving "from house
to house" in an effort to avoid arrest and prosecution in her native country,
according to recent information. Meanwhile, atheist writer Salman Rushdie has
yet another bounty on his head, this one offered by an Iranian grape grower
who has offered to turn over his vineyard to anyone who succeeds in carrying
out the 1989 "fatwa" or death sentence handed down by the late Ayatollah
Khomeini.
The news about Ms. Nasrin comes from Warren Allen Smith, a New York-based
writer and activist who has been tracking her case. Smith relates that
according to a Los Angeles Times reporter, Nasrin is "running from one
friend's to another's house in order to escape being caught in Bangladesh."
Nasrin fled the country in 1994 following a lawsuit and threats by Islamic
fundamentalists; if convicted of "insulting" Moslems, she faces up to three
years in prison and a fine. She returned home to her native Bangladesh last
September, however, in order to take care of her terminally ill mother.
There has been little consistent coverage of Taslima Nasrin's case in the
western media; even less information is coming out of Bangladesh, except for
sporadic reports of Muslim rallies where leaders demand her arrest and
execution for "blasphemy." The nation's leading Islamic group is also using
her case to demand implementation of a new and tougher blasphemy statute.
A Bangladesh court two weeks ago ordered Nasrin to surrender by January 5
and face charges; it also turned down a request by her attorney to have the
writer freed on bail while awaiting trial. There seems to be little hope at
this point that the government there will take necessary steps to protect her
from the militant religious mobs that are demanding her execution. Smith
adds, "Meanwhile, the nation's REAL problems (disease because of the flood's
aftermath, arsenic in the water supply of many villages, etc.) cannot be
treated by this physician..."
Despite living under such incredible pressure, Nasrin has announced
formation of a $10,000 trust fund for the education of girls in Bangladesh.
"Ten select school girls who are too poor to afford the schooling have been
awarded stipends of $105 each per year," reports Mr. Smith. "The payments
will continue till the girls finish their tenth standard." Rights for women
has been a theme in Ms. Nasrin's writings, and an obvious thorn in the side of
patriarchal Islamic fundamentalists. Keep up to date on Ms. Nasrin's fate by
checking out Smith's web site at http://idt.net/~wasm/nasrin.htm.
Meanwhile, the precarious case of Mr. Salman Rushdie, author of the
controversial novel "The Satanic Verses," has taken on a new twist, one truly
worthy of being called "Grapes of Wrath." Recall that last month while on a
visit to New York to address the UN General Assembly, Iranian President
Mohammed Khatami cryptically declared that his government was interested in
normalizing relations with the West, and had "forgotten" the death sentence
imposed on the dissident atheist writer by the late Ayatollah Khomeini. We
have remained skeptical of Khatami's claim, however, which even if sincere may
be totally unenforceable. There are plenty of elements within the Iranian
government, including the cleric-led Revolutionary Guards and VEVAK, the
Iranian intelligence service, either of whom are quite capable of attempting
to carry out the late mullah's instructions. Rushdie is in special danger
now, since his personal security has reportedly been relaxed. Add to this the
"private" Islamic groups who approve of the "fatwa," such as the shadowy 15th
or Khordad Foundation and a revolution student group based at Tehran
University which is offering money for Rushdie's murder.
Now comes word that Iranian grape grower Ebrahim Qassemi has declared his
"ardent desire that a proud and noble Moslem would one day end Salman
Rushdie's life." These blood thirsty remarks appeared in the hard-line daily
newspaper Kayhan. The grower says that he will gladly turn over his grape
fields to the individual or group which carries out the "fatwa" ordered by
Khomeini. Should any individual or group succeed, they will certainly be
rewarded with both riches and food; a group of Iranian villages offered last
month to turn over farmland, a house, carpets and fruit gardens to anyone who
murdered Mr. Rushdie.
The assurances of the Iranian government that all has been "forgotten" may
be window-dressing for western consumption, and hasty optimism for others
interested in seeing normalized relations with that theocratic government.
European and American corporations have been eager to get back to doing
business with Tehran, of course, and what passes for a reformist wing within
the Iranian government is likewise interested. Both sides, however, may be
unwilling or unable to do much in stopping militant fundamentalists from
carrying out the "fatwa," and at this point may even consider Mr. Rushdie's
life to simply be a price to be paid in exchange for future profits. Despite
the shaky assurances and sanguine statements from Khatami, a delegation of
British energy heads arrived in Tehran n Friday to begin several days of
talks. "This is part of a return to normality," said a spokesperson for the
group. Indeed, foreign energy companies are jockeying to cash in a huge
investment in Iranian gas and oil leases worth up to $8 billion. While this
trade would certainly be a positive development, we can only speculate whether
Mr. Rushdie is to be "sacrificed" by the Khatami government in order to
appease his country's clerical extremists.
**
RESOURCES FROM AMERICAN ATHEISTS
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discussion group, aachat. We have over 100 participants who discuss topics
such as Atheism, religion, First Amendment issues and lots more! Contact
Margie Wait, the moderator through mdwait@atheists.org.
**
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