Hemant Mehta is the founder and editor of FriendlyAtheist.com, a YouTube creator, and podcast co-host. He is a former National Board Certified math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. He has appeared on CNN and FOX News and served on the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief and the Secular Student Alliance. He has written multiple books, including I Sold My Soul on eBay and The Young Atheist's Survival Guide. He also edited the book Queer Disbelief.
Earlier this week, media outlets began reporting that Faisal bin Hassan Trad, a representative from Saudi Arabia (of all places), had been appointed to a major leadership position for the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. I repeat: Someone from a country known for its human rights abuses would now head up a panel for the Human Rights Council. The panel Trad would head up has a lot of power when it comes to choosing human rights appointees anywhere in the world where the UN has a mandate. The outrage was quick and harsh. You can understand why. After all, we’re talking about a nation that has killed more than 100 people this year alone, most by beheading. Ali Mohammed al-Nimr is also set to be beheaded and crucified very soon. The wife of Raif Badawi, who is currently awaiting his 1,000-lashes punishment for insulting Islam, even said that the appointment was “a green light to start flogging [him] again.” But in the past couple of days, we’ve received more information on what the United Nations was thinking. Read more
In Kentucky, the Franklin County School Board was approached by a resident who wanted to offer teachers “In God We Trust” signs to hang in their classrooms. They heard him out.. and then several board members did something shocking: They expressed their fervent support for church/state separation: Read more
Harlem Hate Pastor James David Manning, the man who (among other things) said Starbucks lattes contain the “semen of sodomites,” was the subject of a protest outside his church this week organized by the group Harlem Against Violence, Homophobia, and Transphobia. Manning handled the protest with grace, bringing participants water bottles and hoping they could reconcile their differences. I’m just kidding. He screamed at the top of his lungs while calling everyone “faggots” and “lesbos.” Just like Jesus would do. Read more
