Blog #5 Reward for killing of Film Maker

 Courtney Gaston

Anger is still present in the Middle East over the YouTube video that was posted about the Muslim leader Muhammad. A Pakistani government minister announced that they have placed a $100,000 bounty for the killing of the person who produced the online video. The support of the Taliban and al-Qaida has been requested in support to the would-be killer. Legislation was requested to have the anti-blasphemy law at the global level so that no one could hurt the religious emotions of the Muslims in the name of freedom of expression. Muslims across the world are feeling anger and distress from the video. Leaders are not encouraging the people to engage of acts of violence during their protests because of fears that could defame Muslims and their religion. But the people are not listening to officials and are still acting in violence, 15 people were killed and there were shops and businesses that were damaged in Pakistan. Dozens of other people have been killed because of the anguish of the video, including the US ambassador to Libya. Protests are going on all over the world, thousands of people protested in Nigeria’s largest city, Kano. The person who is believed to have made the film, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was arrested on Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles. He was arrested for violating his probation from previous federal fraud charges in 2010. His probation strictly prohibited him from using “any online service at any location” without permission. Nakoula is a Coptic Christian that was born in Egypt.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/22/14036172-pakistan-official-offers-100000-reward-for-killing-of-maker-of-anti-prophet-muhammad-film?lite

World's Future Depends on Women's Equality

Blog 5: World's Future Depends on Women's Equality

This article is basically about the importance of women’s rights all over the world. Women in various parts around the globe are going through experiences that are being ignored. For instance, in the Filipino women are dying at childbirth because they do not have access to modern contraception. Also in Pakistan, girls are scarred with acid in payback for refusing marriage proposals. While everywhere, rights to reproductive services are almost always under constant attack.  The human trafficking of girls and women has gotten worse and is happening even in our own backyard of America. With all of this, not one of the inequalities have been geared towards men, why is this? In the Iran society, in the 1980s, the average women would have up to 7 children. When family planning was introduced, that number dropped to 1.6 and as a result, maternal mortality dropped and women’s literacy doubled. Many women entered into the work force to better provide for their families and attended universities. Iran’s leader has called to end the family planning programs and ban the female population from attending college because it is seen as a threat. Yet in the US, we are trying to fight for these women by investing $610 million, which is $2 per American per year, to help with the family planning programs. Maybe this will help lead them to the right direction of having more women’s rights and more power being in women’s hands.

The issues that are happening to women in other countries are unheard of by some Americans and are sometimes being ignored as well. Without their stories being heard, how will any change come about? It is a good thing that America is helping with the family planning in Iran, but what about the other countries that need help with family planning. Even in America, we have issues on our home soil with people trying to get rid of our family planning rights and if they do that then what? Men are going to make all of our decision about our bodies. Everywhere in the world women’s rights need to be reevaluated and equalized because we are half of the globe if not more and we matter just as much as the next male involved. If more women don’t get out and speak about issues that matter to us, there won’t be any more of our issues left because decisions will already be made for us! 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-seager/worlds-future-depends-on-_b_1912820.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share