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On June 27, RSS functionary J Nandakumar alleged that the censor committee of Kerala had denied a certificate to the upcoming Malayalam film Puzha Muthal Puzha Vare by filmmaker Ali Akbar aka Ramasimhan Aboobakker. The film revolves around the 1921 Malabar genocide of Hindus by Moplah Muslims.

In a post, J Nandakumar wrote, Left-Jihadi Censor Committee in Kerala denies censor certificate for Ali Akbar film Puzha mutual Puzha Vare (River to River) exposing the truth of Mappila (Moplah) riots. He also tagged Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur in his post.

OpIndia tried to verify the claims independently but could not connect to the director Ali Akbar.

Ali Akbar is a director in Malayalam Film Industry. Recently, Akbar and his wife embraced Hinduism, and the director changed his name to Ramasimhan Aboobakker. Ali Akbar had said, Ramasimhan is a person who was killed while sticking to the culture of Kerala. Tomorrow, Ali Akbar will be called Ram Singh. Thats the best name.

Ramasimhan and his family were butchered by Islamists for converting to Hinduism from Islam in 1947. Ramasimhan, his brother Dayasimhan, Dayasimhans wife Kamala, their cook Raju Iyer and other members of the family were brutally butchered by Islamist Jihadists in Malaparamba, Malappuram district, on August 2 1947, just two weeks before the independence.

Renowned Malayalam director Akbar had in December announced that he was leaving Islam, protesting against those who had celebrated the tragic death of CDS General Bipin Rawat. Ali Akbar had then revealed this on Facebook, where he also stated that he and his family would have no religion henceforth.

The Malabar genocide of 1921 was a systematic campaign of jihad against Hindus. The genocide, orchestrated by the likes of Variankunnath Kunhamad Haji, Ali Musaliar and others, led to an estimated death of 10,000 Hindus in Kerala. It is believed that as many as 100,000 Hindus were forced to leave Kerala in the wake of the massacre. The number of Hindu Temples that were destroyed in the genocide is speculated to be a hundred. Forcible conversion of Hindus was rampant and unspeakable atrocities were poured upon Hindus.

The Moplah pogrom was described by the likes of Annie Besant and Babasaheb Ambedkar in their respective published books. Annie Besant described the events in her book The Future of Indian Politics as, They murdered and plundered abundantly, and killed or drove away all Hindus who would not apostatize. Somewhere about a lakh, people were driven from their homes with nothing but the clothes they had on, stripped of everything. Malabar has taught us what Islamic rule still means, and we do not want to see another specimen of the Khilafat Raj in India.

Babasaheb Ambedkar, in his book, Pakistan or the Partition of India, wrote, The blood-curdling atrocities committed by the Moplas in Malabar against the Hindus were indescribable. All over Southern India, a wave of horrified feeling had spread among the Hindus of every shade of opinion, which was intensified when certain Khilafat leaders were so misguided as to pass resolutions of congratulations to the Moplas on the brave fight they were conducting for the sake of religion. Even after 100 years of the event, the wounds of the genocide remain afresh in the Hindu conscience.

Link:
Kerala: Film on Moplah Massacre made by ex-Muslim who reverted to Hinduism denied censor certificate - OpIndia

Jennifer Crumbley, sat to the left of attorney Mariell Lehman as her husband, James Crumbley sat to the right in the Oakland County courtroom of Judge Cheryl Matthews on March 22, 2022, regarding pretrial matters.

The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office has asked a judge to deny Jennifer and JamesCrumbley's emergency request to silence and sanction them, arguing the couple is "merely" rehashing old arguments thatwarrant no urgent action.

"There is no emergency," the prosecution wrote of the Crumbleys' latest effort to stop prosecutors from makingpublic statements about their case and the evidence against them.

Lawyers for theCrumbleys, the parents of the Oxford school shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley, filed an emergency motion Tuesday morningaskinga judge to sanction Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonaldfor allegedly bad-mouthing them, calling them liars and disclosing details about their case that they fear could taint the jury pool.

Late Tuesday, the Prosecutor's Office asked the judge to reject the Crumbleys' motion in its entirety, but without mentioning the"sanctions" requestin their reply brief.

TheProsecutor's Office did, however, agree to one of the Crumbleys' requests involving pretrial publicity, stating it would not object to an order prohibiting both sides from making public statements to the news media pending the outcome of the case.

Butsuch an order would have to be narrowly tailored so that it doesn't "infringe" on its abilityto "zealously advocate their position or to confer with the victims," the prosecution argues.

"The people have every right to make responsive arguments to this court and vigorously advance their position," Oakland County AssistantProsecutor Marc Keast wrote in the filing.

At issue for the defense are comments that McDonald and her associates have made both publicly and in court documents, such as one recent filing in which prosecutors wrote: "The truth will not set (the Crumbleys) free."

Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast, left, sits next to Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald as Jennifer Crumbley, sat to the left of attorney Mariell Lehman and James Crumbley in the Oakland County courtroom of Judge Cheryl Matthews on March 22, 2022, regarding pretrial matters.

More:Experts: Are the Crumbleys criminals, or just bad parents? Tough case to prove

More:Prosecutor: Oxford school shooting suspect texted mom about 'demons' in the house

Story continues

"Continuously touting that they are the ones bringing the public and the victims

the 'truth,' they imply the defense is lying," defense attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman wrote in Tuesday's emergency motion.

But prosecutors objectto the defense's efforts to censor their court filings and courtroom comments.

"(The prosecution has a) duty to confer with the victims, notifythem of the progress of the case, and to correct misinformationdisseminated in the public arenaregardless of the source," the Prosecutor's Office argues in court documents. "There are many times that information is discussedinaccurately by various individuals in the media and online, and the people must retain the ability to communicate to the victims regarding misinformation being repeated."

The Crumbleys are charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly buying their son the gun that police say he used in the Nov. 30 massacre that killed four students and injured six students and a teacher. Prosecutors say the couple ignored signs that their son was "emotionally troubled" and spiraling out of control, and instead of getting him help, they bought him a gun.

The Crumbleys have pleaded not guilty, arguing they had no way of knowing that their son would carry out a school shooting, and that thegun was locked and hidden in a secure place.

The Crumbleys also have asked for a change of venue, arguing they cannot get a fair trial in Oakland County due to the intense media coverage, and the pain endured by the local community.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald speaks Dec. 3 in Pontiac.

A hearing will be held to discuss that request, and others.

Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, is charged with first-degree murder and terrorism. He and his parents are being held in the Oakland County Jail, though are prohibited from communicating with one another.

Ethan Crumbley has a pretrial hearing Thursday morning, though he will appear virtually from jail due to COVID-19 concerns.

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Prosecutor in Oxford case fights Crumbleys' efforts to silence them

See the original post:
Prosecution to Crumbleys: You can't censor us. We have a duty to the victims - Yahoo News

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia

Malaysias film censors said Friday that it was Disneys decision to ax the animated film Lightyear from the countrys cinemas after refusing to cut scenes promoting homosexuality.

The Film Censorship Board said it approved the movie with parental guidance for those under 13 on the condition of modifications. Scenes and dialogues that it found to contain elements promoting the LGBT lifestyle which violate key aspects of the Guidelines on the Film Censorship were ordered to be cut and muted, the board said in a statement.

However, the film distributors did not agree to comply with the instructions and decided instead to cancel the screening, the board said, adding that it would not compromise on any LGBTQ scenes. The board did not specify in the statement which scenes violated censorship guidelines.

Lightyear includes a female character voiced by actress Uzo Aduba briefly kissing her female partner in one scene in the $200 million film.

Authorities across much of the Muslim world have barred Lightyear from being played at cinemas because it includes a brief kiss between a lesbian couple. Many Muslims consider gays and lesbians to be sinful and many Muslim-majority nations criminalize same-sex relationships. The United Arab Emirates also announced it would ban the Pixar animated feature from showing in movie theaters because of the kiss.

Read this article:
Disney refused to cut gay scenes in 'Lightyear,' Malaysia's censors say - Los Angeles Times

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When putting together the book censorship news this week, it felt like each story was trying to one up the next, ranging from the ridiculous to the truly chilling. Were seeing an increase in lawsuits and legal involvement, from residents suing officials for banning books, to parents suing teachers for reading LGBTQ books in class, to the ACLU planning legal action against a schools new book challenge policy.

This is why Kelly Jensen and I keep emphasizing that simply reading banned books or buying them isnt enough: this is a systemic issue, and it needs a systemic solution. We need to organize in order to fight back against this wave of censorship, and that includes paying attention to who is getting elected to school and library boards if you have the opportunity, running for these positions is one of the most effective ways that you as an individual can fight censorship.

In May, we announced the School Board Project, which is a database in progress that documents every school board and school board election in the country, state by state. Its a massive project, but weve been chipping away it, prioritizing the states that have school board elections coming up. Eventually, we hope to do the same thing for library boards.

As Kelly explained, this is meant to be a resource that you can build on for your own local activism:

The School Board Project allows anyone to download the spreadsheets and add any relevant information that helps them. For example: individuals or groups may find including the names and stances of those running for boards in the sheet to help guide voters and/or as a means of tracking the kind of topics that are producing the most discussion in those districts. It can be useful for those considering a run for school board to collect information about what they need to do to become eligible or how long they have to prepare for a run. The possibilities here are wide open.

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Today, Im happy to announce round two of the School Board Project. In addition to the states already included in round one Florida, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Virginia we have also documented the upcoming school board elections, and how many seats are available, in Kentucky, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

Just open the document and save a copy, and then you can add any extra information or delete states that arent relevant to you.

Wed also like to get in contact with grassroots anti-censorship organizations that are helping people with these values run for school or library boards. If you know of any groups like this, especially on the state level or smaller, please let us know!

If you want to be involved in literary activism and the fight against censorship, one easy thing you can do is sign up for our Literary Activism newsletter. Well keep you updated about the latest relevant news as well as give you practical tips for how you can help in the first against censorship. Its also the best way to make sure you see this Censorship News Roundup every week!

Read the original:
Once the Books Start Coming Off the Shelves, Well See You In Court.: Book Censorship N... - Book Riot

Mary Strevel| The Monroe News

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. These are the uplifting words of a young Jewish teenager, Anne Frank, who you might remember from school if you were lucky to be in a school district that did not ban her book.

Her diary was written in the midst of World War II while hiding with friends and family from the Nazis who were exterminating Jews. This book is one of the most banned books over the past 50 years. She used her diary to express thoughts that she wasnt quite comfortable with her relationship with her mother as well as the maturing of her body. Anne writes, Who would ever think that so much went into the soul of a young girl? A young girl today can truly empathize with those thoughts. Some things even 80 years later resonate to us.

I wonder what she would make of this world we are living in today racism, xenophobia and discrimination.Would she be surprised that her diary has beenbanned for not only expressing her sexual feelings but for issues that might make children feel uncomfortable?After many years of teaching this book to a variety of ages, I learned that students were mostly concerned about the physical limitations of her world than anything else.How did eightpeople hide from the Nazis for twoyears in 450 square feet? How could they keep quiet all day long so the workers below them would not know of their existence?

How could Anne say, The sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit after what happened to her and her family as well as 6 million Jews? Would she bestartled to learn that the New York Times reported that 31% of Americans and 41% of millennials believe 2million Jews died in the Holocaust, not 6million, and that same percentage cannot identify Auschwitz?

The consequences of book banning is that we erase from discussion issues that make us feel uncomfortable. As a former English teacher, I never had a problem with a parent objecting to a child reading an assigned book. That is their prerogative as their childs parent. However, parents going to the school board to ban a book for all children in classrooms is unconscionable.

Nazis and other totalitarian societies ban books to control the political message.They do not want anyone questioning their authoritarianism.Their ideas are the only ideas that count.The Nazis put it as un-German. The arts, whether it is literature, drama or any artistic endeavor, always come under attack by leaders who want to control the cultural message of their society.

Ironically, some of the books like Anne Frank's are the ones that will help us understand what happened during a specific time of upheaval in our world. Today, the books being banned touch on such topics as race, religion, gender identity and sexual orientation. These are all topics that young adults are talking about whether parents know it or not. They are talking to each other about this and banning books about these topics will not stop the dialogue from happening.

Ukraine is now fighting for its independence.In those parts of the country where the Russians have overrun, you can be sure that books and any writing that does not conform to their message will be banned.

I leave you with the words of Anne Frank, I live in a crazy time. I would suggest to her if we could talk that the world we live in now is also a crazy time.Books are being banned because someone might feel uncomfortable with the truth.George Orwell, the author of the most banned of all books, "1984," said, In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

Books can be banned, but thoughts and ideas cannot be censored.

Mary Strevel is a member of Stronger Together Huddle, a group engaged in supporting and promoting the common good of all. She lives in Temperance and is a retired teacher from Monroe High. She can be reached at mdstrevel@gmail.com.

The rest is here:
Banning books will not censor thoughts and ideas - Monroe Evening News