The Jewmanist

Hebah Ismail, an Egyptian-American Harvard Law student flew to Israel to do research on human rights. From the Harvard Law Record:

A warm smile and easy laugh reveal Hebah Ismail’s unthreatening, gentle personality. An American citizen, this 3L of Egyptian descent works with the International Human Rights Clinic on projects related to Bedouin land rights. Hebah wears a hijab. She still does not know which of one, or combination, of these characteristics prompted the immigration personnel at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport to deem her dangerous and deny her entry to Israel.

Profiling at it’s best…

After going through her computer, including the external hard drive, the line of questions continued. While most of those originally holding Ismail appeared rather young, a man in his 30s and clearly in a position of authority took over the interrogation.

Ismail recounts how this man introduced himself.

I know this story is a few days old, but- wow.

NEW YORK — Bicyclists planning a protest ride through New York City are calling it their “Freedom Ride” – free of clothing, that is. The removal of clothing during Saturday’s ride is meant as a protest over the removal of a bike lane in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Bicycling advocates say the city erased the bike lane from the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood because some conservative residents were upset about seeing women in skimpy clothing ride by every day.

The conservative Jewish faithful say that’s not the issue. They say it’s about safety. A Bloomberg spokesman notes that there is another bike lane nearby that is separated from car traffic.

The naked protesters, meanwhile, will face some fierce weather Saturday: Forecasters are predicting snow and brisk winds.

[Read more.]

Well, if it’s all about safety, I get it. But really?

By pushing the parishioners to get bigger loans and get into bigger houses? Hanna Rosin at The Atlantic, has a very interesting piece on the how pastors are one of the many negative influences on people to place them in homes that are well beyond their means. Not to say there weren’t other causes, but churches have a lot of power and sway in their communities.

LIKE THE AMBITIONS of many immigrants who attend services there, Casa del Padre’s success can be measured by upgrades in real estate. The mostly Latino church, in Charlottesville, Virginia, has moved from the pastor’s basement, where it was founded in 2001, to a rented warehouse across the street from a small mercado five years later, to a middle-class suburban street last year, where the pastor now rents space from a lovely old Baptist church that can’t otherwise fill its pews. Every Sunday, the parishioners drive slowly into the parking lot, never parking on the sidewalk or grass—“because Americanos don’t do that,” one told me—and file quietly into church. Some drive newly leased SUVs, others old work trucks with paint buckets still in the bed. The pastor, Fernando Garay, arrives last and parks in front, his dark-blue Mercedes Benz always freshly washed, the hubcaps polished enough to reflect his wingtips.

The Atheist Blogroll Photography Contest ends September 15! If you have not entered yet, you still have some time.

Via Deep Thoughts:

I am pleased to announce the 2009  Atheist Blogroll photography contest. This year’s contest is open to any member of the Atheist Blogroll, their family, friends or significant others. By request, I’ve also opened the contest up to members of the Atheist Nexus too. We have five categories this year.

• Atheism/Religion
• Travel and People
• Self-Portrait
• Altered Images
• The Natural World

The deadline for submissions is September 15, 2009.  Send your photographs as a .jpg file to the Atheist Blogroll.