Asraya

Samuel Paty’s Beheading: The Limits Of Speech And Religion

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Samuel Paty’s Beheading: The Limits Of Speech And Religion

Much of France is focused on the trial of eight people stemming from the 2020 beheading of French schoolteacher Samuel Paty by Abdoullah Anzorov, an 18-year-old Muslim immigrant from Chechnya.

Anzorov himself is not on trial since he was shot dead by police minutes after his butchery. The focus now is on those who encouraged and enabled him. Seven men and one woman are appearing in Paris’ special criminal court. They include friends accused of helping buy weapons for the attack and spreading false information about Paty, which prosecutors argue contributed to a climate of hatred that led to the killing. This raises difficult questions about legal limits on speech, especially where religion is concerned.

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International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

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International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

25 November every year is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world. Globally, almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life.

For at least 51,100 women in 2023, the cycle of gender-based violence ended with one final and brutal act—their murder by partners and family members. That means a woman was killed every 10 minutes.

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The many purposes of the Bhagavad Gita

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The Bhagavad GitaThe Bhagavad Gita never advised that you should renounce everything, go to the forest and do penance. You may think, “Why preach Gita to these youngster?” You are afraid that if these people read Gita, they may give up family life and become renunciates. A small question. There are many elderly people who read and teach Bhagavad Gita regularly. Do they take to renunciation? No. You must get to the inner meaning of the Bhagavad Gita in order to understand human nature.

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Are plant-based burgers really bad for your heart? Here’s what’s behind the scary headlines

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Plant based burgerSo does eating supermarket plant-based burgers and other plant-based, ultra-processed foods really put you at greater risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death? Here’s what prompted the research and what the study actually found.

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Your phone, your emotions and everyday life

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smartphoneMobile phones – sometimes called cellphones or smartphones – have come a long way since their introduction. Due the proliferation of apps for smartphones, and the fact that smartphones provide instant access to social media, many people use their phones to regulate their emotions: boredom, depression, ennui, like this. This article looks at all aspects of emotion regulation and the upsides and downsides of using our phones for emotion regulation.

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Sexual Choking: some reflections

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Pornography and Sexual Choking: some reflections
Human sexual activity is part of the spiritual journey. When we practice truth, love, peace, right conduct and non-violence, we bring all that we are to our practice of values. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. And that involves a sexual element as this part of our lives ensures the human race will continue. Recent surveys of young people – and recent courtroom events – reveal a rise in sexual choking. For the young, this behaviour flows from the sexual landscape of pornography that shapes so much sexual activity in this day, this age. Some reflections and observations are offered.

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The Witchcraft Act saw thousands executed and tortured. Now Scotland is doing something about it

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hanging of witches

Around 2,500 people — mostly women — were executed in Scotland between 1563 and 1736 under the country’s Witchcraft Act.

Now, hundreds of years later, the Parliament of Scotland is doing something about it — starting with a public apology. The apology affirms the proper attitude to gender and the role of women in society.

Many light-workers, healers, Romany (gypsies) and others unjustly accused of being in league with the devil were arrested on scant evidence, more often, simply finger-pointing. A righting of the wrongs is the correct thing to do, and allows for healing on the astral (or akasha) levels – as there is an etheric signature to these events which must be erased.

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The Golden Age

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The Golden AgeMany speak of the coming of the higher dimensions, the 5th Dimension. For some, it is the great restoration to a time before the Fall of Atlantis. Others call it the Age of Aquarius, others say it is the Golden Age, and some others tell it is the Return of the Light. Whatever the name, the recognition is in the heart: a return to an era of peace and harmony, wherein people will live with harmony and love; and there will be discussion and debate instead of discord and war.

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A Spiritual Response to Killer Robots (Autonomous Weapons)

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Unmanned autonomous weapon


Fully autonomous weapons, also known as “killer robots,” would be able to select and engage targets without meaningful human control. Precursors to these weapons, such as armed drones, are being developed and deployed by nations including China, Israel, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. There are serious doubts that fully autonomous weapons would be capable of meeting international humanitarian law standards, including the rules of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity, while they would threaten the fundamental right to life and principle of human dignity.

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Wasted Opportunities: Mislabelling Ancient Wisdom as New Age

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times
We can stop reinventing the wheel if we are receptive to learning from the past! Have you ever wondered why ancient practices that are tied to well-being – such as yoga and meditation, holistic medicine and holistic healing methods like acupuncture – are part of what’s called New Age in the West? Yoga and meditation are believed to have been born and practiced since the Indus Saraswati Valley civilisation, so many thousands of years ago.

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International Day of Islamic Art

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International Day of Islamic Art

18 November is International Day of Islamic Art. In 2019, UNESCO proclaimed this day to raise awareness to past and contemporary artistic expressions of Islam and the contribution of culture through Islamic Art to civilisation. It encourages worldwide appreciation for Islamic art in all its forms, such as glass, metalwork, pottery, jewellery and textiles.

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