and oppressive censorship in Iran and "receipt blasphemy" arrests in Malaysia

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The Dispatch Returns with New Insights

This week's Unbelief Brief exposes the harsh realities faced by women and dissenters in the Netherlands, Iran and Malaysia.

The Unbelief Brief

In the Netherlands, police have noted an increase in “honor violence” [[link removed]] over the last decade. Reports of honor-based violence peaked at 619 incidents in 2023, which is an increase of 35% from the previous ten years when there were a reported 460 incidents. Victims are overwhelmingly women but members of the LGBT+ communities are also disproportionately affected. A quarter of all incidents of honor-based violence involved victims or perpetrators from Syria, with others from Turkey, Morocco and Afghanistan. It goes without saying that Muslims are not inherently or intrinsically more likely to be violent or misogynistic. This is a result of a religious culture rooted in archaic doctrines that crystallize violence against women and the queer community. As a result of these social mores, almost two women per day— Muslim victims of their own religion—are subject to violence in the Netherlands for attempting to exercise greater autonomy than conservative Islam idealizes for them.

Over in Iran: some journalists and students are reporting that the government is apparently deactivating their cell phones’ SIM cards [[link removed]]. This seems to be in response to engaging in any form of political dissent, such as simply posting “political content,” which the regime deems propagandistic. One journalist reported contacting the government and being told that due to “political activity” in his past, he would need to go through a bureaucratic process which would include the signing of a pledge to cease all such activities—and only then could his service be restored. The theocracy continues to display open contempt for its people, still hounded by the shadow of Mahsa Amini’s death and the cries for change she evoked from the Iranian people.

Finally, in Malaysia, a grave development: yet another customer insulted Islam on a fast food receipt [[link removed]]. This disturbing incident comes on the heels of a similar case that occurred in May of this year, where blasphemous comments appeared on a Domino’s receipt [[link removed]]. That case resulted in the arrest of four “foreigners” suspected of committing the heinous offense, which is perhaps becoming common enough to warrant its own designation: “receipt blasphemy.” As was previously the case, the Malaysian police are pressing ahead with an aggressive investigation, showing their priorities are laser-focused on the “crimes” that really matter.

Until next week,

The Team at Ex-Muslims of North America

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