Latest news with #non-Christian
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
'Return to the land': Group sets up all-white town in Arkansas; civil rights activists raise alarm
(Image credit: RTTL X handle) An extremist ethnonationalist organisation has established an exclusively white settlement in a secluded area of northeastern Arkansas's Ozarks and is reportedly considering expansion into Missouri. Return to the Land (RTTL), a self-described private membership association for people with "traditional views and European ancestry," launched its initial community in Arkansas in October 2023 and is now planning to enter Missouri, likely near Springfield, according to NBC affiliate KSNT. The organisation rejects mass immigration, multiculturalism and "forced integration" and excludes non-white, non-Christian and LGBT+ individuals, stating its members aim to distance themselves from contemporary society in favour of rural living. "You want a white nation? Build a white town?" RTTL's co-founder Eric Orwoll asks in an X video promoting the initiative. "It can be done. We're doing it." The organisation's primary settlement spans roughly 150 acres, houses 40 residents, and includes cabins, roads, wells, a community centre, and a schoolhouse. A second location opened nearby in January 2024, with plans for another Ozarks site and potential expansion into the Appalachian mountains listed on their website. In conversation with Sky News journalist Tom Cheshire, who visited RTTL's first settlement and observed activities including goat milk production, flute performances, family sports and swimming, Orwoll expressed longing for 17th-century colonial America. "I would probably feel more comfortable there because I'm white and that's the way this country was when my ancestors came there," he remarked, disregarding the indigenous population displaced by colonisation," he said. "Even if an individual has all the same values that I have, if they have an ethnic identity that other people share and care about, their children will also have that identity, and their children might not necessarily have all the same beliefs that they have," Cheshire further added. Regarding RTTL's growth plans, he said, "I would like to have more communities so that people in all parts of the U.S. have this as an option if they want. I would also like us to network and branch out internationally." Their expansion efforts include online fundraising, including a campaign offering financial incentives to parents of newborns to encourage population growth, which had reached half of its $10,000 target. Despite promoting rural living, RTTL maintains an active social media presence, sharing construction updates, nature photography, and children's book illustrations to promote their pastoral vision. Orwoll, who presents his project as a matter of First Amendment rights and private property freedom, has invested significantly in legal research. "The attorneys we've consulted believe what we're doing is legal," he told KSNT. "Americans have the right to freely associate and form intentional communities on whatever basis they choose." He believes RTTL's private membership association status exempts it from anti-discrimination laws like the Civil Rights Act and Fair Housing Act, though legal experts dispute this interpretation. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin responded, "Racial discrimination has no place in Arkansas or anywhere in a free society. These allegations raise all sorts of legal issues, including constitutional concerns. My office is reviewing the matter." Barry Jefferson, Arkansas NAACP chapter president, said: "I just truly believe that we don't need to get back to the Jim Crow era. We've been through that before. I think no one should be discriminated against because of their skin colour. "If you really look deep into the Civil Rights Act, it doesn't state that. I think they're misunderstanding what it states because there have been many organisations that tried to carve that out. That's not right," he added. The Anti-Defamation League has directly criticised RTTL, stating it attempts to resurrect "discredited and reprehensible forms of segregation." When questioned about racist elements within his organisation, including white supremacist content in its Telegram channel and his views on Adolf Hitler's "second coming," Orwoll maintained that conventional perspectives on the Nazi leader are "one-sided" and influenced by wartime propaganda. "I think all historical figures are complex, multi-dimensional," he said. "But when I say, 'you're gonna have to wait for that new Hitler to arise', I'm not saying you're going to have to wait for a new person to start a new Holocaust," Orwoll further said, adding to his statement that, "I am saying you are going to wait for a charismatic leader who is going to advocate for your interests because that's how a lot of people see Hitler."
NZ Herald
16-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Older, white males without university education feel most restricted in what they can say, study finds
It follows controversies such as 2021 protests against a teacher in Batley, West Yorkshire, who received death threats and went into hiding after showing pupils a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad from Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine, during a religious studies lesson. Similar concerns over the right to freedom of expression and protest have been raised in the aftermath of the October 7 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel and the ensuing Gaza conflict. More than a third (36%) felt they had to hold back on expressing their views on race or ethnicity, while 32% said they did not feel they could freely speak out on immigration or religious extremism. On asylum and Gaza, 31% felt constrained, rising to 41% for transgender issues. Groups that were predominantly white, male, older, and non-graduate were more strongly in favour of free speech, regardless of the issue, but at the same time felt more constrained in their ability to freely share their views about most topics. Nearly half of this group (48%) said they felt they had to restrain their comments on race, far higher than the average of 36%. The same was true on immigration, where 43% felt they had to hold back on their views compared to an overall average among the public of 32% who felt constrained. Christians were more likely to back the right to free speech, but also more likely than average to feel they had to hold back on expressing their views. Conversely, women, younger Britons, and people from ethnic minorities or non-Christian religions tended to think that people needed to be more sensitive in the way they spoke. Just under a third (29%) of all those polled agreed that people needed to be more sensitive. But this rose to 34% amongst women, 45% from ethnic minorities and 45% for non-Christians. By contrast, men, people aged over 65, those from white ethnicities, and Christians were more likely to think that people are too easily offended. While on average 49% felt people were too easily offended, this rose to 56% of men, 54% of those from a white ethnicity and 59% for Christians. These were nearly double the rates for people from ethnic minorities and non-Christians. Race and ethnicity was the only topic overall where the balance of opinion was more towards avoiding offence rather than speaking freely (by 42% to 34% ), according to the research. People predominantly held back from expressing their views to avoid causing offence or starting an argument. Forty-six per cent resisted expressing their views on any religious figure, text, or teaching and just 35% held back their political views to avoid causing offence. Some said they held back because of heightened concerns about their safety. For religious topics, 25% said they restrained themselves because of safety fears, and 17% over political views. The report said there was a group of people for whom free speech was a significant issue. They represented about 37% of the total sample and were described by researchers as those who were most concerned about the pace of change. But they were also the group most likely to express 'heightened concerns' about their ability to speak freely about race, immigration, asylum, and religious extremism. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: 'The left's determination to shut down debate around immigration has created a chilling environment for free speech. In this context, a catch-all definition of Islamophobia would be a disaster, worsening the culture of fear that has spread throughout society.'
RTÉ News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Call on ending bow to Ceann Comhairle before committee
A proposal to end the practice of bowing to the Ceann Comhairle will be considered by the Dáil Reform Committee today. TDs typically bow to the Ceann Comhairle when they are leaving the Dáil chamber. But Sinn Féin has called for this tradition to be discontinued given that "all citizens are equal." The committee will also discuss a Labour proposal to end the daily Dáil prayer which is read out at the beginning of the day's business. It is followed by 30 seconds of silence. The party said that instead of the prayer there should only be 30 to 60 seconds of silent reflection to recognise that some TDs may have no religion or a non-Christian faith. Labour believes the change would allow TDs to freely pray in private should they wish to.
Epoch Times
12-07-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
Gold Star Widow Doesn't Want Others to Grieve Alone, Creates Country's Largest Faith-Based Group for Widows
When Rachel Faulkner Brown was 23, her first husband died. When she was 31, her second husband died. She had no one to guide her through her grief. 'I didn't have anyone showing me the way forward. I had to figure it out on my own,' she said. So she created a way for widows to come together and help each other heal. In 2018, Brown launched Never Alone Widows in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is currently based. Now, it is the largest faith-based group for widows in the United States, with over 60 chapters across 27 states. Roughly 2,000 women meet up every month to share each other's journeys. The group also organizes annual retreats and conferences for larger get-togethers. While it is a Christian ministry, non-Christian women can attend as well. 'We want anybody who needs community and healing to come and find it in local groups,' she said.
NZ Herald
04-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Letters: Multicultural Council condemns Destiny Church march; East Coast tourism potential
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki led a march down Queen St in central Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau. Photo / Alex Burton Multicultural Council condemns Destiny Church march in Auckland The Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council welcomes New Zealand politicians speaking out against the appalling demonstration organised by the Destiny Church in Auckland last month. Destiny supporters railed against non-Christian religions, 'uncontrolled immigration' and ethnic communities. At the event, Palestine, Islam, Buddhist and
