Open letter sent to the Bangladeshi Embassy in Canberra
In response to the following article, Sydney Atheists, in solidarity and sympathy with Bangladeshi Atheists in Bangladesh, Australia and around the world we sent this email.
http://m.bdnews24.com/en/detail/bangladesh/931299
Dear Sir / Madam,
In Australia, at least 25% of the population do NOT believe in any gods.
As an atheist, I was very distressed to read that Avijit Roy, an atheist in Bangladesh was hacked to death because of his non belief in the majority god of Bangladesh.
Could you please explain why this fellow and his wife were not protected.
Could you please explain what measures the Bangladeshi government is going to take to reduce the religious extremism that might bring such atrocious deeds to be performed.
Could you please explain how you will capture and deal with the perpetrators of this heinous crime.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Marton
President Sydney Atheists
Please write your own letters to the Bangladesh embassy at: http://www.bhcanberra.com/contact_us.php
Please keep your correspondence courteous
............ Celebrating Science and Reason..............
Friday, 27 February 2015
Wednesday, 25 February 2015
An open letter to the government of Saudi Arabia
Dear Sir/Madam,
I appeal to the government of Saudi Arabia to give leniency to those people who declare themselves to be atheists. To us the approach of beheading such individuals is seen by the overwhelming majority of Australians as barbaric and retrograde.
In Australia, at least 25% of the population do not believe in any gods. We don't consider that there is anything wrong with holding such views.
Atheists are good moral people who work in all sections of Australian society such as doctors, teachers, philosophers, lawyers, accountants, engineers, IT professionals and working people in various other areas.
In this country we enjoy freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of thought. We have a progressive, humane society where we respect the beliefs of others.
If, as I understand you to believe, that there is a god as is written in the Koran, then surely you would leave it to that god to punish people accordingly. Surely you would have to consider that it is not your place to do your god's work, it is his alone.
On behalf of Saudi atheists and humanity at large, please free those atheists who you accuse of blasphemy.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Marton
President
Sydney Atheists
Dear Sir/Madam,
I appeal to the government of Saudi Arabia to give leniency to those people who declare themselves to be atheists. To us the approach of beheading such individuals is seen by the overwhelming majority of Australians as barbaric and retrograde.
In Australia, at least 25% of the population do not believe in any gods. We don't consider that there is anything wrong with holding such views.
Atheists are good moral people who work in all sections of Australian society such as doctors, teachers, philosophers, lawyers, accountants, engineers, IT professionals and working people in various other areas.
In this country we enjoy freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of thought. We have a progressive, humane society where we respect the beliefs of others.
If, as I understand you to believe, that there is a god as is written in the Koran, then surely you would leave it to that god to punish people accordingly. Surely you would have to consider that it is not your place to do your god's work, it is his alone.
On behalf of Saudi atheists and humanity at large, please free those atheists who you accuse of blasphemy.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Marton
President
Sydney Atheists
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Billboard Campaign -
Have you escaped religion? We have!
Sydney Atheists would like to thank Billboards Australia for putting up our billboard when another billboard company declined us at the final minute. We would like to thank the Atheist Foundation of Australia for sharing in the venture to erect the billboard. We would like to thank all of the people who suggested slogans and voted on what the message should be. We would like to thank those people who made extraordinary donations to the campaign. We would like to thank our supporter members and all those people who come to our entry fee events, thereby contributing funds to make the posting of the billboard possible.
Not only did Sydney Atheists and the Atheist Foundation of Australia receive exposure on the M4 Motorway, we received coverage Australia wide through News Corp internet press, both news.com.au and the Daily Telegraph. Our billboard, interviews and press releases were covered by both theist and atheist websites from the USA to the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and probably very much more.
Collectively our websites were seen by tens of thousands of people, the Billboard itself will have been seen by hundreds of thousands of eyeballs and the reach of the message potentially by millions of people in Australia and worldwide. AND, the campaign still has over a week to run.
Congratulations to Sydney Atheists and all those who made it possible!
Steve Marton - President
Have you escaped religion? We have!
Sydney Atheists would like to thank Billboards Australia for putting up our billboard when another billboard company declined us at the final minute. We would like to thank the Atheist Foundation of Australia for sharing in the venture to erect the billboard. We would like to thank all of the people who suggested slogans and voted on what the message should be. We would like to thank those people who made extraordinary donations to the campaign. We would like to thank our supporter members and all those people who come to our entry fee events, thereby contributing funds to make the posting of the billboard possible.
Not only did Sydney Atheists and the Atheist Foundation of Australia receive exposure on the M4 Motorway, we received coverage Australia wide through News Corp internet press, both news.com.au and the Daily Telegraph. Our billboard, interviews and press releases were covered by both theist and atheist websites from the USA to the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and probably very much more.
Collectively our websites were seen by tens of thousands of people, the Billboard itself will have been seen by hundreds of thousands of eyeballs and the reach of the message potentially by millions of people in Australia and worldwide. AND, the campaign still has over a week to run.
Congratulations to Sydney Atheists and all those who made it possible!
Steve Marton - President
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Welcome to Sydney
Atheists
Please take time to discover our web site and meetup group, starting with the
tabs at the top of this page.
On the right column you will find links to our most active
sites, our Meetup events pages which list all of our social and Talk evenings or click on:
Join our events »
You can also click on the white arrow on the red background for our Youtube channel where you can watch many of our previous talks as well as a handful of interesting excerpts from elsewhere. The last box in the row is our most active Facebook site. Our twitter account, though not very active can also be accessed.
Join our events »
You can also click on the white arrow on the red background for our Youtube channel where you can watch many of our previous talks as well as a handful of interesting excerpts from elsewhere. The last box in the row is our most active Facebook site. Our twitter account, though not very active can also be accessed.
Sydney Atheists Press release:
Sydney Atheists have been involved in the presentation of a
billboard that states:
Have you escaped religion? We have!
Most of the members of Sydney Atheists once belonged to a
religion. With the benefit of a comprehensive and usually critical education,
particularly in the areas of science, history, geography, philosophy and religion we have
discovered the fallacies of religions. It is a great challenge for many to
escape the religious indoctrination that most of us have suffered, usually from
birth.
We have members who once belonged to religions ranging from
Judaism, Christianity and Islam to Hinduism and Sikhism. It stands to reason
that because all religions make the claim that they are somehow uniquely
correct in their supernatural claims, they are all simply false belief systems
that deny the realities of the universe, life in general and particularly the
place of humanity on this earth.
Sydney Atheists invite those who are trapped by religious
belief to escape the bounds and strictures of their religions to gain freedom
of thought, deed and a better life, governed by morals that are determined
through rational, humane and sceptical thinking and the just laws of the land.
Our billboard - put up in conjunction with the Atheist Foundation of Australia - went up the morning of Wednesday 4th of February on the M4 Freeway at West Homebush
Press enquiries 0450 123 211
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Billboard Campaign aborted
Sydney Atheists and the Atheist Foundation of Australia Billboard was yesterday pulled from publication by the publishing billboard company on the grounds that in the current environment the billboard would "cause offence or be likely to inflame tensions in the community between religious, racial groups or ethnic groups"
The sign had "the potential to create significant tension in the community given all the circumstances (including the political, social or environmental context)”
Another billboard company was subsequently approached and we thank that billboard company for going ahead with our campaign. Please see the post of the 3rd of February.
Sydney Atheists and the Atheist Foundation of Australia Billboard was yesterday pulled from publication by the publishing billboard company on the grounds that in the current environment the billboard would "cause offence or be likely to inflame tensions in the community between religious, racial groups or ethnic groups"
The sign had "the potential to create significant tension in the community given all the circumstances (including the political, social or environmental context)”
Another billboard company was subsequently approached and we thank that billboard company for going ahead with our campaign. Please see the post of the 3rd of February.
Sunday, 18 January 2015
Appointment
Jessica Nissan has been appointed to the committee of Sydney Atheists. Her role will be Sydney Atheists Young Adults coordinator.
On behalf of the committee and the wider Sydney Atheists community, I would like to congratulate and welcome Jessica to this very important role.
Steve Marton
President
Jessica Nissan has been appointed to the committee of Sydney Atheists. Her role will be Sydney Atheists Young Adults coordinator.
On behalf of the committee and the wider Sydney Atheists community, I would like to congratulate and welcome Jessica to this very important role.
Steve Marton
President
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
A tale of two cities
In November 2014 The Guardian reported that "An Iranian-British woman jailed for trying to attend a men’s volleyball game in Iran has been released on bail, her family has said.
The following is a photo from Melbourne where Iran played Bahrain in the Asian Cup
Iranian fans celebrate Ehsan Haji Safi's goal on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
All the ladies in this photo are beyond the religious police of Iran. Not only have they attended a soccer match - prohibited in Iran - they do not wear a burqua or hijab and their faces and arms are bare. One in the upper far right of the picture is even in a tank top.
In November 2014 The Guardian reported that "An Iranian-British woman jailed for trying to attend a men’s volleyball game in Iran has been released on bail, her family has said.
Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25,(pictured) was found guilty last month of “propagating against the ruling system” and received the custodial sentence.
She was detained in June at a Tehran stadium after trying to attend a men’s volleyball match between Iran and Italy.
Her brother, Iman Ghavami, 28, told the Press Association: “She has been bailed until her court appeal, when she hopes to be vindicated.
“She was bailed for £20,000 and now wants to spend time with her family.”
The following is a photo from Melbourne where Iran played Bahrain in the Asian Cup
Iranian fans celebrate Ehsan Haji Safi's goal on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
All the ladies in this photo are beyond the religious police of Iran. Not only have they attended a soccer match - prohibited in Iran - they do not wear a burqua or hijab and their faces and arms are bare. One in the upper far right of the picture is even in a tank top.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)