Today's God Crimes

In Maryland, a Roman Catholic priest was convicted of sexually abusing an altar boy in Maryland more than seven years ago. The 57-year-old Reverend Aaron Cote is expected to be sentenced to 10 years of probation and must register as a sex offender.

In Baltimore, two members of a religious cult want to represent themselves at their upcoming trail for the starvation death of a one-year-old child. The members are accused of denying food and water to the toddler after he refused to say "Amen" after meals.

The French government has condemned the flogging of several women in Sudan for wearing trousers, which violates Sharia law.

In Jordan, honor killing is not murder

In Jordan, a man initially sentenced to just 15 years for strangling his wife in an "honor killing" got his term even further reduced on Wednesday. Now the 29-year-old murderer will be serving a measily seven-and-a-half years for killing his 26-year-old wife, who he suspected of having an affair.

An official told the press that, "the court reduced the sentence to give the man a chance to repent, considering the sensitivity of the issue". I'm sorry, but who's the victim here again? With such treatment, you would think this cold-blooded killer was robbing stores to buy medicine for orphaned lepers.

Here are some fun facts: in Jordan, murder is punishable by death but exceptions are made when the murder is called an "honor killing". Between 15 and 20 women are victims of "honor killings" each year in Jordan.

Shop bans Muslim veils after hold up by hijab wearing robbers

In Glasgow, owners of an "Asian" (which, to the Brits, typically means South Asians and folks from the Middle East) jewelry shop have decided to turn away customers wearing Muslim veils after they were robbed by two men dressed in full Muslim female dress, which covers everything except the eyes.

The shop owners hope their idea will be adopted by other businesses. While they acknowledge their new policy may offend some people (Muslims), they consider their safety more important.

As expected, folks are already calling this move prejudiced and discriminatory.

Saudis crack down on those dens of immoral filth: women's gyms!

Apparently, the Saudi Arabian government thinks women there are just getting too wild and unruly these days. There's no clearer example of this than the growing popularity of women's gyms, where Saudi ladies engage in such depravity as working out and gossiping with fellow Muslim women about...well I don't know what the hell they could possibly talk about because they're not allowed to do anything!

Either way, Saudi officials have decided to crack down on unlicensed gyms. Now, only clubs that are affiliated with medical groups can get licenses and all others will be be closed. Fortunately, some Saudi women are protesting this new policy and have launched an online campaign called Let Her Get Fat. Will this stop the gym closings? Probably not. But these protests are helpful in galvanizing Muslim women and raising consciousness. Hey, it's better than nothing.

But I can understand the Saudi government though. Give these broads an inch and they'll end up taking a foot. You let them keep these gyms now and next they'll start asking for the friggin' moon -- or worse yet, driving privileges!

Muslim women protesting "rape" law get pelted with stones

On Wednesday in Kabul, Afghan women protesting the controversial new law legalizing marital rape were pelted with stones by a mob of angry men.

Dozens of women gathered outside a mosque to denounce the law that would obligate wives to have sex with their husbands at least once every four days and forbid women to leave their homes without their husband's permission.

Unfortunately, these brave demonstrators were outnumbered by fervent supporters of the law, comprised of both men and women. A hundred female supporters shouted "Allah is great" while 200 angry men threw stones at the protesters.

But remember kids, Islam is a religion of peace.

I don't see how even the most liberal cultural relativist can defend this law. Family pets have more autonomy than Afghan women would under this mandate.

75-year-old woman sentenced to 40 lashes, six months in prison for mingling

So while the White House continues sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to "liberate" those countries from their oppressive regimes, our "good friends" in Saudia Arabia continue with their Muslim extremist hijinks. And never mind that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were from "The Land of the Two Holy Mosques". But more on that some other time.

Last year, "The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice", religious policemen who enforce such important things as dress code, prayer times and sexual segregation, entered the 75-year-old woman's house and caught her in the company of two unrelated men. Nothing bizarre or depraved was going on between the trio mind you; the men (one of whom she used to breast feed as a baby) were simply delivering bread. In case you're not familiar with the rules of Islam, a woman is not allowed to be home alone with any man who isn't her husband or a male relative. Period.

Now, the woman has been sentenced to 40 lashes, four months imprisonment and deportation (she is from Syria). For the guys, one of them gets four months in prison and 40 lashes and the other one gets six months in prison and 60 lashes for their troubles.

Fortunately, an appeal is underway.

Unfortunately, however, these types of punishments are doled out regularly in Saudi Arabia.

From CNN:

(CNN) -- A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a 75-year-old Syrian woman to 40 lashes, four months imprisonment and deportation from the kingdom for having two unrelated men in her house, according to local media reports.

According to the Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan, troubles for the woman, Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi, began last year when a member of the religious police entered her house in the city of Al-Chamli and found her with two unrelated men, "Fahd" and "Hadian." (read more)