December 17, 2009

The BBC has gotten criticism from lawmakers and others for inviting debate on their website as to whether homosexuals should face execution in Uganda. There is a proposed Ugandan law that would punish people for committing homosexual acts by life imprisonment or the death penalty. The proposed legislation would also result in family and friends facing up to seven years in jail if they fail to report the person's homosexuality to authorities.

The online debate was on BBC's website "Africa Have Your Say". They asked for people's opinions on whether Uganda has gone too far or whether there should be any laws against gays. The page's title was originally "Should homosexuals face execution?" but was later changed to "Should Uganda debate gay execution?". The forum attracted 600 comments. Critics said that the BBC should not treat the execution of gay people as a legitimate topic for discussion, and instead this proposed legislation should be condemned. The program editor defended the debate. He said they put a lot of thought into choosing this topic and thought it was a good way to reflect on the diverse views on homosexuality in Africa. (Full Story)

I think it's always good to be aware of issues throughout the world, and to have an open discussion on these issues -- the causes, their effects, and so on. However, I think BBC went about the debate in the wrong way. They shouldn't have phrased the debate as "Should homosexuals be killed?" Because that is terrible, and they shouldn't encourage comments on the side that, 'Yes, homosexuals should be killed and here's why...' They should have facilitated more of a discussion (not a debate) on how people felt about this legislation, and what the legislation says about the treatment of homosexuals in Africa.

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The Census Bureau estimates that whites will no longer make up the majority of Americans in 2050. They had to push back their estimate from last year by eight years because the recession and stricter immigration policies have slowed the flow of immigrants into the U.S. The year when minority children will become the majority was also delayed by eight years, moving from 2023 to 2031. These new estimates are based on birth rates, death rates, and immigration continuing at the slower rate that it currently is at.

They also estimate that the total population will be 399 million by 2050 (the population today is 308 million). It's projected that whites will make up 49.9% of the population (they currently make up two-thirds of the population); African-Americans will make up 12.2%, which is virtually unchanged from today; Hispanics, who are currently make up 15% of the population, are expected to rise to 28%; and Asian-Americans are expected to make up 6% (they're currently at 4.4%). Furthermore, the population of those 85 and older is projected to more than triple to 18.6 million by 2050.

"The actual shift in demographics will be influenced by a host of factors that can't be accurately forecast -- the pace of the economic recovery, cultural changes, natural or man-made disasters, as well as an overhaul of immigration law... As a result, the Census Bureau said the projections should be used mostly as a guide." (Full Story)

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A study by the Pew Research Center has found that people are restricted from practicing religion freely in a third of all countries. That amounts to 70% of the world's population (some of the most restrictive countries are very populous). These citizens are either unable to practice their religion freely because of government policies and laws or because of hostile acts (including harassment and violence) by individuals or groups. The study found that, out of the 25 most populous countries, Iran, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, and India have the most restrictions when both measures are taken into account. The United States, Brazil, Japan, Italy, South Africa, and the United Kingdom have the least amount of restrictions when both measures are taken into account. The report found that 20% of the world's countries (which amounts to 57% of the world's population) have high or very high government restrictions. These countries include Saudi Arabia, Iran, and former communist countries, such as Russia, Belarus, and Bulgaria, where state atheism has been replaced by favored religions that are given special privileges or protections.

Many countries have language in their constitutions or laws that ban religious restrictions. However, in practice, many governments place restrictions on religion. Only about a quarter of the world's countries actually implement constitutional language protecting religious freedom. (Full Story)