Political correctness in secular Europe
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Santa Claus is facing tough times in Europe. So, for that matter, are the Virgin Mary, Joseph and even baby Jesus.
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A German court today sentenced infamous Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel to five years in prison for holding a particularly unpopular opinion.  The irony of jailing people for their beliefs in the name of fighting the neo-Nazi movement seems to be lost on most of the western world, including Canada, which jailed Zundel for two years in a maximum security facility before deporting him to Germany.  Many organizations, such as the Simon Wiesenthal Center, applaud the decision, but sadly lacking is a sense of outrage over the blow that this decision strikes against free speech.  Whatever happened to "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"?
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BRUSSELS, Nov 24 (IPS) - Nationalism, corruption, populism and violence are  terms increasingly associated with some of the events seen in the  Central and Eastern European countries that joined the European  Union (EU) in May 2004. But whether there are reasons for concern  is still open to debate.
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"It is worthwhile to work for the family and marriage because it is worthwhile to work for the human being, the most precious being created by God"  MADRID, Spain : Tens of thousands of people in predominantly Roman Catholic Spain rallied Sunday in defense of the traditional family in a country where the government has legalized gay marriage and facilitated ... via International Herald Tribune
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ROME (Der Spiegel) - Echoes of an old culture war have been rippling through Europe, as a bishop in Germany calls for Catholics to keep their kids away from a sex-education musical and the Vatican condemns a new gay-rights campaign in Italy. A children's musical about sex and babies, organized by the German government, has been touring the country since 2003 without noticeable friction. But now it's arrived in the city of Fulda, near Frankfurt, and the local bishop has called for a boycott. The Fairytale of Nose, Belly and Butt should be avoided by right-thinking Catholic families, according to Heinz Josef Algermissen, because in the Church's view, "explanations about sexuality belong in the home," and "can't be left to a theater troupe." The show's Web site begs to differ, saying the theory behind the project is that humans are "sexual beings from birth onward," and that children experience "smooching and touching genitals as no less fun or significant than tickling their big toe." Uproar in Italy, too This notion of human sexuality is no doubt as offensive to the Church as the idea that humans might be wired from birth to be straight or gay - which is the assumption behind an Italian ad campaign protested recently by the Vatican. The regional government of Tuscany has planned to use a photo of a newborn child wearing a hospital bracelet with the word "homosexual" as part of a publicity push to combat homophobia. "Sexual orientation," reads the tag line, which will appear on billboards throughout Tuscany, "is not a choice."  Italy's political right, along with some Catholic groups, want the campaign to be withdrawn. The Church's declared position is that homosexuality is a psychological disorder, not exactly a sin - although indulging in gay sex is a sin.
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Given the contemporary issues and ideological stances adopted
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Comment is free: Ulrich Beck: A European community based on the principles of cosmopolitan tolerance could form the template for a new global order
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By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Brussels and Bruce Johnston in Rome. The European Union&#39;s incoming justice commissioner accused MEPs yesterday of anti-Catholic &quot;fundamentalism&quot; after they voted him unfit to take
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BRUSSELS, Feb 9 (IPS) - The European Commission has warned that a European  Union-wide ban  on Nazi symbols to be extended to Communist Party  symbols as well would be ''unwise''.
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ANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain, AUG. 23, 2004 (Zenit) - Archbishop Fernando Sebastian of Pamplona says that the Catholic Church "is not opposed to the recognition of certain civil rights for certain types of ...
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United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said on Monday that bigotry and prejudice, especially in regard to Muslims, were common in Europe and called on governments to tackle the issue.
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Humanist and atheist groups around the  world are looking to boost their profile in 2005 to counter  religious fundamentalism and efforts by some Western leaders to  relaunch faith as a keystone of national life.
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Aryans battle 'Cultural Marxism' Those among you who feel that Conservapedia - the "conservative encyclopedia you can trust" dedicated to countering liberal bias - is not sufficiently tough on Marxist-Leninist dogma are directed forthwith to Metapedia, the "alternative encyclopedia dedicated to the pro-European cultural struggle".â¦
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Da Europa ritardi e debolezze verso montare fondamentalismo
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Violence is anathema to modern German sensibilities. That pacifism applied to video games could mean legal repercussions. By Bruce Gain.
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PRAGUE, Dec 29 (IPS) - Ideological issues, corruption and populism pervade  the political culture of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia  and Poland at a time when both economic reform and an improvement  in living standards are being promised to bridge the gap with the  West.
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Romanies feel discriminated against in the Czech Republic as well as other EU countries, and individual cases of discrimination are mostly not solved but by court, Alan Anstead from the European Romany Rights ...