Not all diversity is good diversity, apparently.

Colourful cultural customs in Nepal have drawn the ire of animal protection and environmental groups.

The five yearly sacrifice of some 200,000 birds and animals at the temple of Gadhimai took place last week.

Bridget Bardot wrote to the President of Nepal saying the best gift she could receive would be an end to the ritual killing of animals. Thank you for sharing that with us, Bridget. I’d been wondering what to get you this year.

Activists said the sacrifices could cause bird flu, swine flu, cattle diseases and environmental devastation, and suggested the goddess might like a few nice chocolates or a chai latte instead.

Organisers were unimpressed. The goddess knows what she wants.

In related news, last week also saw the opening of KFC and Pizza Hut franchises in Kathmandu.

Democracy is also undergoing some disparagement.

In an unequivocal result in a referendum on Saturday, the Swiss said no to the building of any more minarets in their country.

Naturally, all the right people are scandalised.

‘It’s scandalous’ said French Minister of Complaining Loudly With Garlicky Breath, Bernard Kouchner, while Babacar Ba, a senior official of the Organisation of Islamic Whining, said this was evidence of growing islamophobia in Europe.  Yawn.

Church leaders also spoke up, saying the ban was, well, bad and everything, and would not help Christians who were persecuted and oppressed in Islamic countries.

This is such momentous dimmness (or dhimminess, if you prefer) that it deserves a measure of respect.

European leaders are united: Something must be done to stop these uppity Swiss from thinking they can have a say in what happens in their own country.

Not to worry. The decision will be appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in Unamatrix 0-1, also known as Strasborg, where it will take years and millions of dollars to reach the conclusion that the Swiss are a bunch of rednecks who have no right to decide anything.

So all is well after all.

Democracy is OK as long people democratically decide the right things. If they don’t, then we have courts to help them decide properly. For their own good, naturally.

P.S.

The Swiss decision is not about freedom of religion. Muslims are free to worship, and to proselytise, and to build more mosques. They just can’t build any more of those big towers with massive PA systems where people screech at the entire populace three times a day.