Free Republic

Britain’s left-wing government has blocked a law seeking to outlaw first-cousin marriages. As pressure grows on Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his government’s refusal to fully investigate the grooming gangs scandal in which mainly Pakistani men were allowed to groom young white girls, the Labour Party is seeking to shore up ties with their Islamic voting base. Conservative MP Richard Holden, who proposed the legislation, wrote on the X platform that Labour has blocked any further advancement of his 1st Cousin Marriages Bill, which would outlaw marriages between first cousins that are common within Muslim communities. ... breeding between cousins...

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered, at the High-Level Special Event marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, in New York, today:I thank Pakistan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for focusing attention — and calling for action — to stamp out the poison of Islamophobia. The world’s nearly 2 billion Muslims reflect humanity in all its magnificent diversity. They hail from all corners of the world. They are Arabs, Africans, Europeans, Americans and Asians. But they often face bigotry and prejudice for no other reason than their faith. This anti-Muslim hatred takes many forms. There is...

A little known, though highly controversial, Islamic teaching is back in the news. According to a Feb. 21, 2023 report, Diyanet, Turkey’s highest religious (and therefore Islamic) institution: ...opened a special section on its fatwa website about earthquakes and answered the question of “Can children of earthquake victims be adopted?” The fatwa stated that it is not right for foster families to treat adopted children like their own children and that “there is no barrier to marriage between the adopter and the adopted child.” The fatwa mounted criticism on social media and many public figures reacted against the Diyanet’s response....

Indonesia has toughened its punishments for child rapists to include the death penalty and chemical castration. It follows outrage over several recent violent crimes, including the gang-rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl. President Joko Widodo said the regulation was "intended to overcome the crisis caused by sexual violence against children". Previously, the maximum sentence for rape, of either an adult or a child, was 14 years in jail. People jailed for sexual offences against children may also now be made to wear electronic monitoring devices after their release.