National University Of Ireland Bans A Religious Group From Giving Out Cards Against Engaging In Homosexual Behavior

card that they call "hate speech"

An Irish university has been accused of heavy-handed censorship after it suspended one of the most influential lay Catholic groups in Ireland from its campus for distributing alleged "homophobic" material.
The National University of Ireland, in Galway (NUI Galway), suspended the Legion of Mary as a college society last week after the distribution of posters with the headline, "I'm a child of God. Don't call me gay."
Up to 70 complaints were made against The Courage Community, a Legion of Mary linked group responsible for the posters pasted up in the university's library.

The A4 posters offered those of "same sex attractions" to "develop an interior life of chastity … to move beyond the confines of the homosexual label to a more complete identity in Christ".

In response to the complaints, the NUI Galway said it was committed to protecting the liberty and equality of all students.

The university said it had reviewed the actions of the society in the context of the college's code of conduct and policies governing harassment notice what they call harassment, this paper does not insult "gays" only says they should not engage in homosexual behavior. It said this led to the immediate suspension of the Legion of Mary, which is understood to have only a few members in its college society.

The societies chairperson at the university, Patrick O'Flaherty, said he had been contacted by a number of students who were upset or felt threatened by the content of the poster.

In a statement, the university said it would not condone the production and dissemination of any material by students that "discriminated" notice what they call discrimination against other students. The Legion of Mary has since apologised for any hurt caused.

But one of the main organisations opposing censorship around the world criticised the university's decision to suspend the Catholic lay group's presence on the campus.

Index on Censorship's spokesman and senior writer at the group, Padraig Reidy, said: "While the view expressed in the flyer may seem archaic on a modern Irish university campus, it doesn't constitute intimidation nor threats. NUI Galway claims it is 'committed to protecting the liberty and equality of all students', but I don't think they've given any serious thought to the religious liberty or free speech of the Legion of Mary students."

The legion was once one of the most powerful Catholic lay movements in the Irish Republic. It was founded in Dublin on 7 September 1921 and now has a presence in 170 countries.

In its mission statement, the legion says it "sees as its priority the spiritual and social welfare of each individual". Its statement says: "The members participate in the life of the parish through visitation of families, the sick, both in their homes and in hospitals and through collaboration in every apostolic and missionary undertaking sponsored by the parish."

(Guardian) highlights ours

Following a meeting of the University Societies' Co-ordination Group, the decision was taken to immediately suspend the society pending a full inquiry.

A statement from the university said NUIG has a "pluralist ethos" and would not condone the production and dissemination of any material by students that discriminates against other students.
(Irish Independent)

To Understand what Liberals "Think" about freedom of religion read this Editorial by The Pro Homosexual (Based out of SF) Salon


In a promising blow against blazing ignorance this week, the National University of Ireland in Galway has suspended the school’s Legion of Mary after the group distributed leaflets encouraging students to “move beyond the confines of the homosexual label.”

The literature, which sparked “70 official complaints to the Students’ Union and college services,” directs “persons with same-sex attractions and their loved ones” to the Courage Community group — an organization that promotes “an interior life of chastity.” The 33-year-old Courage Community, endorsed by the Holy See and boasting 100 chapters around the world, aims to discourage gay men and women from “accepting the secular society’s perspective and opting to act on their same-sex desires” and “constantly trying to get their needs met in ways that ultimately do not satisfy the desires of the heart,” and instead embrace the “freedom” of chastity. Yes, that sounds so much more mature and liberating than having, say, loving adult relationships. The Galway Legion of Mary pamphlets included the directive, “I’m a child of God. Don’t call me gay.”

Fortunately, even in a predominantly Catholic country, this kind of insulting twaddle is becoming increasingly less acceptable.
 ..................................................................................................................

But while the now withdrawn handout doesn’t constitute official hate speech – nor does the official message of Courage Community itself – its message does contribute to a hostile environment, and perpetuates the ugly idea that homosexuality, even if it can’t exactly be “cured,” needs to be contained.

In the U.S. this year, the California federal appeals court upheld a ban of gay “conversion” therapies, signaling a deeper understanding that the concept of free speech should not extend to dangerous and destructive practices. The Catholic Church is still a long way from fully grasping that Jesus had exactly zero to say about gay people, that a bunch of celibate men in long black dresses yapping about what constitutes “freedom” for anybody else is ludicrous and that love is a blessing, full stop. Welcome to the 21st century, everybody, where being gay isn’t a shameful disorder that needs to be suppressed for the comfort of heterosexuals. You’ll like it here. Of course, freedom of speech means extending that freedom to ideas we disagree with and even dislike intensely. But it is not censorship for a place of learning to take the responsible step of saying that it’s not cool to distribute “Don’t call me gay” literature. It’s enlightened. It’s what real courage looks like.

"Askan" Who Pushed To Ban VIN Has No Problem With YWN (Even Though YWN is more Pro Toevah and motzie shem ra)

2 years ago many rabbis banned Vosizneias for many official reasons ranging from malay tuma, to rechilus to bizyon talmidi chachamiem.  While it clear that those issuriem do exist on VIN; It also clear that those issues exist even more on Yeshiva World News, especially in Dov Gordon's pieces (David Greenfield). 


However Shimon Weiser Williamsburg ("askan" and member of the Williamsburg community board) the architect of the ban on VIN on a recently revealed interview said he had no problem with YWN. 

• Shimon Gifter: Yeshiva World, are you happy with Yeshiva World?
• Shimon Weiser: Yeshiva World is 100% they don't touch this kind of stuff. their a "clean site", a "kosher site", a "erliche site", and if there is any concern there is somebody to talk to you can email.

Just for the record Yeshiva World News was notified about the clarification letter that the rabanniem in question wrote, and the audio testimony from Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky and Rav Yisroel Neuman that they signed the issur against voting for Lew Fidler when they supported David Storobin.





There were reports at the time of the ban that VIN was banned (the askaniem's reason not the rabbaniem's) because it reported on former Assemblyman and Brooklyn Democratic Chairman Vito Lopez's sexual harassment case . The UJO (United Jewish Organazations Of Williamsburg) (run by the Satmar Zalmoniem) strongly support Vito Lopez and all his candidate no matter how bad they are

A post on The Five Towns Jewish Times, attributed to the American Israel Press Service, alleged that the ban was the work of members of the Satmar community associated with Brooklyn politician Vito Lopez and that the signers of the ban didn’t really know what they were signing. Matzav, in response, defended the signers...

The post on the Five Towns Jewish Times site was taken down as well. Larry Gordon, its publisher, did not respond to comments...

However, Weiser stressed that the ban had nothing to do with specifically featuring sexual abuse cases on the site, or with Vito Lopez.  “It’s a vicious lie to say such a stupid thing that there was an agenda,” he said. “We showed the rabbonim. I have a whole list of articles going back a whole year. [The gedolim] were shocked that a yiddish website with a frum name should be poisoning the minds of the young, old, and the bochurim.”
Weiser said that he and several others had given a warning to the owners of the site about their content in January 2010, well before Lopez was associated with the scandals.
(Jewish Star)



Now Shimon Weiser is now supporting the pro toeivah Vito Lopez for city council even though Lopez voted for gay marriage 5 times and 7 times for a bill that led to teachers asking 11 year old girls to kiss each other!

Simon Weiser, a member of Community Board 1 and an organizer in the Williamsburg Hasidic community, said Lopez should be judged on his decades-long record of helping Brooklyn communities.
“For such a politician with rich accomplishments to his life, creating housing and educating the poor, to see him go down like this, it bothers me,” said Weiser.
(Brooklyn Daily)

VIN ban psak

This is not meant as a attack on all these rabbaniem, many of which probably only saw the wrong things on VIN with out knowing that they were really being used to support it competitor Yeshiva World News which was much worse.  I also have to point out that while I agree 100% with most of the complaints against VIN, however the "psak" is wrong about politicians part.
it's a mitzva gedola to attack politicians (who do wrong things) in a democracy, so jews don't vote for them in the future. AIN  TOELES GADOL MI ZU

38% Of People In the UK Want To Ban Bris Milah 45% Want To Ban Shechita

According to the results of a YouGov poll conducted on the behalf of the Jewish Chronicle (UK) 

38%  support a ban on Bris Milah (circumcision), 35% against a ban on Bris Milah, and 27% are undecided.

45% support a ban on Shechita (Kosher animal slaughtering), 27% are against ban on Shechita, and 28 27% are undecided. 

Interestingly enough that 38% figure is bigger than the support for the largest party in Britain's Parliament according to the latest poll

• 37% of the public support Labour
• 27% of the public support the Conservatives 
• 17% of the public support the UK Independence Part

 People who support the party UK Independence Party were the most likely to support these antisemitic policies. With 71% of people wanting to ban Shechita, and 51% wanting to ban Milah (the only party above 50%).  Non surprisingly the party that is most in favor of taking away Jews religous freedom is strongly in favor of LGBT "rights".

Also not surprisingly younger people are more supporting of banning both Milah and Shechita. 41% of 18-24 year-olds would ban both Milah and Shechita.  

These numbers are especially troubling because there have been numerous attempts to ban Milah in the past few years around the world (most notably in Germany but also in places like Sweden, Norway, Holland, and Finland) including the United States (Massachusetts, San Francisco, and Santa Monica)

Glen Poole, the director of "gender equality consultancy Helping Men", and a leading fighter against Bris Milah said

"Ending religious circumcision in the UK is now more popular with the British public than any of the political parties. As the majority of British people want to ban this dangerous practice, it is time for the Government to lead the nation in having the difficult conversations required to end medically unnecessary male circumcision in the UK.

The Government's 'call to end violence against women and girls strategy' makes it clear that harmful practices like female genital mutilation are unacceptable in a modern equal society. But surely protecting girls against unnecessary genital surgery whilst turning a blind eye as surgery is performed on their brothers, is also not acceptable in a modern equal society.

"It is now five years since  the NSPCC and the Children's Rights Alliance for England recommended that the Government take action to end the practice of circumcising boys without their consent. In that time baby boys bled to death in the UK as a result of medically unnecessary male circumcision. It is time now, with the public's backing, for the Government to take decisive action to confine this medically unnecessary practice to the history books."

Dayan Pinchas Toledano, former head of the Sephardi Beth Din, now Haham of Amsterdam, said that the survey’s results “don’t surprise or shock me”. The Dutch community recently mobilised to protect shechita after politicians wanted to introduce compulsory pre-stunning of animals before religious slaughter — which would have meant banning the Jewish method of killing animals.  Dayan Toledano, himself a retired mohel, said: “If you try to ban such practices, you have no religious freedom at all.”

While Dayan Yisroel Lichtenstein, head of the Federation Beth Din, said: “It’s worrying and it shows we need to do a lot more public relations to put our case.” Dayan Lichtenstein is particularly concerned at the level of support for a ban on shechita among young people “because I would have expected their education to have made them more liberally-minded.”