Year: 2010

New York Legislators Seek to Make Vandalism Outside House of Worship a Felony

New York state legislators plan to make vandalism outside of a house of worship a felony punishable by at least one year in jail.  The New York State bill is being led by State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein and Assemblyman George Latimer (S.1909/A.180).   The bill had passed the New York State Senate, and State Senator Jeffrey Klein is encouraging the New York State Assembly and the Governor to pass and support this legislation.  Senator Klein is the grandson of Holocaust survivors, and during his press conference stated why the need to protect houses of worship is so vital to American religious freedom.

Senator Jeffrey Klein stated that “unfortunately there are still those who interfere with our ability to practice our religion and worship God.  So my legislation, I think, is going to a long way towards making sure that we can do that.”  He stated “What makes me angry is there are still some who chalk this up as children playing pranks. Well that’s absolute nonsense, and I think we have to punish those who interfere with our right to practice our religion.”  He indicated that today in the New York state law there is a loophole, where someone can commit vandalism outside a house of worship and it is a misdemeanor, while committing vandalism inside the house of worship is a felony. Senator Jeffrey Klein concluded “we have to put an end to this type of violence, we have to put an end to these types of crimes of hate.”

New York State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein Calls for Bill to Make Vandalism Outside a House of Worship a Felony in New York
New York State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein Calls for Bill to Make Vandalism Outside a House of Worship a Felony in New York

State Senator Jeffrey Klein has long championed such issues and had previously promoted a bill to protect  houses of worship in 2006.

Such sentiments were echoed by New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Rabbi Joe Potasnik of the New York Board of Rabbis.

Regarding attacks on houses of worship, Archbishop Dolan stated: “A house of worship represents safety, security, peace, love, acceptance, the most noble aspirations that we as human beings have.  When we vandalize that, when we wreck that, when we deface that, as the senator said, we strike right at the heart of what makes us great as Americans and people of faith.”

Rabbi Joe Potasnik stated: “Someone who wants to hurt one of us, hurts all of us… It is said if you are compassionate to the cruel, you end up being cruel to the compassionate. If we don’t have legislation in place that punishes the perpetrators, we cannot fulfill our moral mandate.”

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Rabbi Joe Potasnik of the New York Board of Rabbis Call for Tougher Laws Against House of Worship Vandalism
New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Rabbi Joe Potasnik of the New York Board of Rabbis Call for Tougher Laws Against House of Worship Vandalism

Other Media Reports:

— The Journal News: Klein bill makes anti-religious vandalism a felony

— WPIX: Church And Synagogue Vandals Targeted For Tougher Sentencing

— NY1 News: Lawmakers Seek To Toughen Penalty For Vandalizing Houses Of Worship

— WPIX Video

Other Reports:

— June 5, 2010: Love Gospel Church Vandalism in Bronx

— February 10, 2006: Senator Klein Press Release: Senator Klein Introduces Legislation To Protect Houses Of Worship

Pakistan Dawn Article Says Pakistan Clerics Claim Terrorism Against Ahmadis a “Conspiracy”

Another disgraceful attempt to justify denying religious freedom…

Pakistan: ‘Attack on Ahmedis conspiracy to repeal laws against them’
— Pakistan clerics and religious leaders view that terrorist attacks against Muslim minority Ahmadis are nothing more than “a conspiracy was in place to debate the laws against Ahmedis”

Florida: Malabar church victim of vandalism

There have been reports of repeated vandalism attacks on a Florida church, including bullet holes in the church’s sign.  The vandals are determined to disrupt the church’s religious services, and broken crosses and sought to disrupt the electricity to the building.

In May 2006, reports of vandalism against the church led it build a new facility.

Florida: Reverend Pauline Borland Speaks on Continuing Vandalism Against Malabar Church (Photo: Still Clip from Florida Today Video)
Florida: Reverend Pauline Borland Speaks on Continuing Vandalism Against Malabar Church (Photo: Still Clip from Florida Today Video)

— Florida Today reports: “It was the second attack at the God’s Healing Holiness Christian Church at 1690 Marie St. in a little over a week, and the fifth in the past two years”
— “Vandals hit a Malabar church Sunday night, cutting power to the building and smashing a water pipe.”
— “Church leaders previously have found the water lines broken and the power disrupted. They’ve also found bullet holes in the church’s sign, crosses broken in the rear of the building, bulbs unscrewed in parking lot lights and the lawn torn up by off-road vehicles.”

— Florida Today Video Report

Maryland: Racially-Charged Vandalism of Baptist Church

The Cokesbury First Baptist Church, Perryville, in Cecil County, Maryland has been vandalized with racially charged graffiti.  The church is predominantly attended by black Americans.   The vandals used a racial slur on the outside of the church and also spray painted other graffiti regarding praising Satan.

The Cokesbury First Baptist Church is led by Pastor Steven L. White.

Anyone with information about this vandalism is urged to call the Maryland State Police at 800-525-5555.

— WBAL Video Report (YouTube)

Maryland: Vandalism of Cokesbury First Baptist Church includes Satanic and Racial Slur Graffiti (Blurred) (Photo: Still from WBAL Report on YouTube)
Maryland: Vandalism of Cokesbury First Baptist Church includes Satanic and Racial Slur Graffiti (Blurred) (Photo: Still from WBAL Report on YouTube)

Iraq: The killing of a Christian businessman in Kirkuk rekindles fear among Christians

Iraq: The killing of a Christian businessman in Kirkuk rekindles fear among Christians
— Asia News reports that: “Hani Salim Wadi owned a mobile phone store in downtown. He was 34, married with a daughter. Local eyewitnesses say that he was shot to death in a ‘targeted killing’. The local Christian community now fears a new wave of violence.”

Communist China Defends Internet Censorship

Communist China’s Information Office of the State Council continues to defend censorship of the Internet, justifying it as “protection,” where the “Chinese government plays the leading role in Internet administration.”

In the latest report by that government, it states that the Communist Chinese laws prohibit dissemination of “contents subverting state power, undermining national unity, infringing upon national honor and interests, inciting ethnic hatred and secession”

It also indicates that government control of the Internet is also an “indispensable requirement for protecting state security and the public interest,” and indicates that its policies for “secure information flow” require that “no organization or individual” is allowed to spread information “subverting state power and jeopardizing national unification; damaging state honor and interests…”

The Communist Chinese government also requires Internet providers to ensure “Internet security management systems and utilize technical measures to prevent the transmission of all types of illegal information.”

As to international concern over the Communist Chinese government’s Internet censorship, it states that “Concerns about Internet security of different countries should be fully respected. We should seek common ground and reserve differences, promote development through exchanges, and jointly protect international Internet security.”

Image Illustrating Internet Censorship (Photo: Voice of America)
Image Illustrating Internet Censorship (Photo: Voice of America)

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights of equality and liberty for all people, including our rights to freedom of expression.  We urge those who seek to deny such universal human rights to understand that when they deny such rights for some people, they attack such unqualified universal human rights for all people.

— R.E.A.L. reports on China

— R.E.A.L. reports on Totalitarianism

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Related Media Reports:

AP: China says will keep blocking online content

Voice of America: China Defends Internet Censorship Practices

Reuters: China vows no let-up to state control of Internet

BBC: China defends internet censorship

AFP: China defends Internet ‘Great Firewall’

Bloomberg: China Spells Out Internet Restrictions After Google’s Exit

V3.co.uk: China defends internet censorship

Sudan: 600 Die in May

Media reports indicate that 600 died in Darfur, Sudan in May 2010, and also reported that humanitarian operations were being hampered by “bandits and kidnapping.”

— Voice of America reports: “Peacekeepers: Darfur Clashes Killed Nearly 600 in May”
— “International peacekeepers say fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region killed nearly 600 people during May, the largest monthly death toll in more than two years.”
— “Officials with the U.N.-African Union mission in Darfur say the death toll was the highest recorded since peacekeepers were deployed in January 2008.”
— … “The United Nations says the fighting and related violence has killed up to 300,000 people and displaced about 2.7 million others.  Sudan puts the death toll at 10,000.”

— Montreal Gazette reports: “Darfur aid work hit – May death count soars, humanitarians stranded”
— “The May figures were about five times the average monthly death counts recorded in 2009 said Sudan expert Alex de Waal who highlighted the increase on his blog Making Sense of Sudan ( http://blogs.ssrc.org/sudan/).”
— “Aid workers who set up the world’s largest humanitarian operation in Darfur said their work was being hampered by the insecurity and an increase in bandit attacks and kidnappings.”

— BBC: “Darfur death toll rises to two-year high in Sudan”

Pakistan: Hindu trader shot dead in Quetta

The Pakistan Daily Times reports on the murder of a Hindu businessman in Pakistan, stating:

“A renowned rice trader was gunned down on Tuesday, as he resisted the kidnapping of his son in Quetta on Tuesday. Victim Hamesh Kumar, along with his son Rajesh, was going home after closing his shop in Satellite Town when they were intercepted by unidentified armed men, wearing uniforms of the Balochistan Levies Force. They tried to kidnap Rajesh, which Hamesh resisted on which the assailants shot the rice trader and fled. He was taken to a nearby hospital but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead by the doctors. Afterwards, a large number of Hindus along with local businessmen and shopkeepers organised a protest to condemn Hamesh’s killing and demanded the government arrest his killers as early as possible.”

June 8 Media Reports Associated with Gaza Ships

June 8 Media Reports Associated with Gaza Ships

Hamas prevents flotilla aid from entering Gaza

‘Iranian ships won’t reach Gaza’

Israel Gov’t disturbed by Reuters’ cropping of raid photos

Reuters claims removal of knife from hands in cropped photos was “inadvertantly cropped”
— Reuters handbook on journalism: “No additions or deletions to the subject matter of the original image. (thus changing the original content and journalistic integrity of an image)”

Israeli Navy officers call on Netanyahu, Barak to establish probe into raid

Jerusalem Post issues petition

UN aid chief calls for end to Gaza blockade