April 22nd, 2010
05:31 PM ET

Blogger: Show cleavage to test cleric’s quake theory

It started as a college student’s snide response to an Iranian cleric’s assertion that scantily clad women cause earthquakes.

But as of Thursday, it had become much, much bigger.

Jen McCreight, a self-described atheist, feminist and geek “trapped in Indiana,” took issue with Hojatoleslam Kazim Sadeghi’s message during Friday prayers in Tehran, the Iranian capital.

The hard-line cleric, who was standing in for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, said women who dress provocatively – thereby tempting men – are to blame for the world’s temblors.

Read cleric story

“When promiscuity spreads, earthquakes increase,” he said. “There is no way other than taking refuge in religion and adapting ourselves to Islamic behavior.”

McCreight, who is pursuing a double major in genetics and evolution, took to her blog, Blag Hag, on Monday, demanding that the world’s women band together in a scientific experiment to test the merits of Sadeghi’s hypothesis.

“Time for a Boobquake,” she wrote. “On Monday, April 26, I will wear the most cleavage-showing shirt I own. ... I encourage other female skeptics to join me and embrace the supposed supernatural power of their breasts. Or short shorts, if that's your preferred form of immodesty.”

She continued, “With the power of our scandalous bodies combined, we should surely produce an earthquake. If not, I'm sure [Sadeghi] can come up with a rational explanation for why the ground didn’t rumble.”

Boobquake’s Twitter account quickly snared more tweets than a bird sanctuary, and its Facebook page had almost 50,000 “confirmed guests” as of Thursday afternoon.

“Nice to know that WOMEN are SO powerful that they can make men AND nature quake with a flash of her breasts! LOL!” wrote one visitor to the Boobquake Facebook page.

McCreight’s idea garnered so much attention, including criticism from people who feared she was making light of natural disasters, the Purdue University senior returned to her blog Wednesday to offer a “quick clarification.”

She acknowledged the widespread attention Boobquake had drawn and said a Canadian newspaper and an Irish radio station had requested interviews with her.

“Because I made a boob joke,” she wrote. “I just want to apologize if this comes off as demeaning toward women. To be honest, it started as a silly joke that I hurriedly fired off since I was about to miss the beginning of ‘House.’ I never thought it would get the attention it did. If I would have known, I would have spent more time being careful about my wording.”

She didn’t back off, however, and said she was asking women to don immodest outfits on the same day “for the sake of the experiment.” To allay concerns of unnamed scientists, she promised to collect statistics on the frequency and severity of earthquakes that day.

“And yes, I know I need a larger sample size to make this good science. Maybe I'll include Mardi Gras in my calculations,” she wrote.

She said no woman should feel pressured to participate.

“It’s not supposed to be serious activism that is going to revolutionize women’s rights, but just a bit of fun juvenile humor,” she wrote. “I’m a firm believer that when someone says something so stupid and hateful, serious discourse isn't going to accomplish anything - sometimes light-hearted mockery is worthwhile.”

Back on Boobquake’s Facebook page, McCreight took a moment to be serious and encouraged followers to consider donating money to the American Red Cross’ disaster relief efforts or to the AHA Foundation, an organization that strives to “defend the rights of women in the West against militant Islam.”

 Post by:
Filed under: Earthquake • Facebook • World
soundoff (172 Responses)
  1. carl benson

    anything I can do to contradict anything iranian Im in favor of

    April 27, 2010 at 4:13 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Jake

    of course i've heard of research in how sheeps bladders can be employed to prevent earthquakes.

    April 27, 2010 at 4:30 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Neha

    His views are so absurd.. In Iran women are expected to be covered from head to toe.. and they have earthquakes..so I guess the reason for the quakes is over covered women.. so many clothes probably increase the pressure on earth making it tremble 😉

    April 27, 2010 at 4:53 pm | Report abuse |
  4. xyzzy2005

    What the Cleric is saying is that he would rather have the boobs remain at his harem – atleast he knows how to make himself heard, you got to give him the credit :))

    April 27, 2010 at 7:58 pm | Report abuse |
  5. maxpwr

    Typical slight of hand. Get everyone focused on boobs when it's actually the iranian boffins to be concerned about, setting off undeground nuclear tests. "Blaim it on the boobs, yeah, yeah...booom, booom, booom!"

    April 27, 2010 at 9:42 pm | Report abuse |
  6. dogpatch

    I'm amazed nobody has quoted blues great KOKO TAYLOR "I'm a woman... I'm a Earthshaker!"

    Hit this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFpaCyePYT8

    April 27, 2010 at 10:15 pm | Report abuse |
  7. lola

    Powerful Earthquake Strikes Offshore Taiwan
    April 26, 2010
    A Powerful Earthquake measuring up to 7.2Mw Strikes Southeast of Taiwan
    A sequence of large shocks could occur in the region extending as far as the east coast of Honshu
    The quake struck at a depth of about 10km and could trigger moderate to strong tsunami waves locally.

    HOPE YOU ARE ALL HAPPY THAT YOUR BOOB QUAKE KILLED AND CAUSED INOCENT PEOPLE TO DIE … I wonder who is laughing now ..Maybe the cleric in Iran …

    April 28, 2010 at 12:47 pm | Report abuse |
  8. lola

    Powerful Earthquake Strikes Offshore Taiwan
    April 26, 2010
    A Powerful Earthquake measuring up to 7.2Mw Strikes Southeast of Taiwan
    A sequence of large shocks could occur in the region extending as far as the east coast of Honshu
    The quake struck at a depth of about 10km and could trigger moderate to strong tsunami waves locally.
    HOPE YOU ARE ALL HAPPY THAT YOUR BOOB QUAKE KILLED AND CAUSED INOCENT PEOPLE TO DIE … I wonder who laughing not ..Maybe the cleric in Iran …

    April 28, 2010 at 12:47 pm | Report abuse |
  9. lola

    Powerful Earthquake Strikes Offshore Taiwan
    April 26, 2010
    A Powerful Earthquake measuring up to 7.2Mw Strikes Southeast of Taiwan
    A sequence of large shocks could occur in the region extending as far as the east coast of Honshu
    The quake struck at a depth of about 10km and could trigger moderate to strong tsunami waves locally.
    HOPE YOU ARE ALL HAPPY THAT YOUR BOOB QUAKE KILLED AND CAUSED INOCENT PEOPLE TO DIE … I wonder who is laughing now ..Maybe the cleric in Iran …

    April 28, 2010 at 12:48 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Ian

    nothing more than co-incidence, with the past months and the months to come, we will see many quakes/tremors, regardless of glorious breasts. Amazing ow belief fuels hatred...

    April 29, 2010 at 3:41 am | Report abuse |
  11. Sarah Syed

    As far as earthquakes are concerned, we know the world did not create itself. The universe came into being from nothing as a result of a great explosion, emanated from a single point some fifteen billion years ago. Thereafter, matter, energy and time in the universes emerged in an instant and to this day, as proposed by Hubble, the universe continues to move and expand. The scientific community has only come to acknowledge these facts in the 20th century but the Qur’an accurately explained in detail the creation of the universe 1431 years ago.
    Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?” [Qur’an, 21:30]
    “And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander.” [Qur’an, 51:47]
    Just as the universe was created out of nothing (the Big Bang), it will also come to an end and become nothing (the Big Crunch). When the universe reaches a sufficient level, the expansion will come to an end because of gravity, causing it to collapse in and on itself and disappear to a point smaller than a proton. The contracting universe will end in a fierce heat and contraction. Not long ago, with the help of advanced technological equipment and modern scientific knowledge Renata Kallosh and Andrei Linde, Professors from Standford University have discovered that the universe is in the middle of its life cycle. They anticipate that the dark energy will become excessively negative and cause the universe to become unstable and collapse. This remarkable truth is also prophesized in the Qur’an.

    “They have not appraised Allāh with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be [within] His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand. Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him.” [Qur’an, 39:69]

    “The Day when We will fold the heaven like the folding of a [written] sheet for the records. As We began the first creation, We will repeat it. [That is] a promise binding upon Us. Indeed, We will do it.” [Qur’an, 21:104]

    At a time when the world was awash with many superstitious and groundless notions, the Qur’an presented key facts of astronomy, physics and biology. How did Muhammad (peace be upon him), an illiterate Arab Bedouin, corroborate numerous scientific truths in the absence of information and technology to examine the universe? Obviously, this universe has a Creator who has intelligibly planned and prepared matter, energy and time. The very same Creator also revealed the Qur’an. Newton saw a ‘divine hand’ in things, which caused the movement of the Solar System. Darwin considered a ‘Creator’ necessary for the origin of life. There was a ‘Superior mind’, observed Einstein, which manifested itself in the universe. Sir James Jeans was led by his studies to the conclusion that the universe was a ‘great thought’ rather than a ‘great machine.’
    The Creator draws our attention to how everything in the universe adheres to an astonishing order and unfailing regularity. A seed grows into a forest teeming with wildlife (Quran, 22:5) and small droplets of water make cascading falls and clouds (24:43). The celestial bodies travel intricate journeys through space in their orbits, never wavering from the path chosen for them. Every detail of nature is so diverse and complex that it cannot be a coincidence. Even the stages of development in a human being: pre-embryonic, embryonic and fetal are described in the Qur’an (23:14, 39:6, 96:1-3)

    Is the purpose of the universe to serve as a stage for hideous crimes, ferocity and terror? Are human beings created for sex? Will there be no consequences for the infinite number of murder, rape and sexual transmitted diseases in the world? Should the Creator leave us to plunder the universe and live perverted lifestyles? No, surely the Creator guided us throughout human history with the best course of action and ethics through His infallible Prophets and Divine Instructions. The Creator gave life to us and dispersed us in the Earth; provided us with sustenance and medicines so that we will be healthy, happy and pure in our minds and bodies. Natural disasters like earthquakes and tornadoes are only to warn those people who succumb to corruption and promiscuity.

    “Do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not cause the earth to swallow you and suddenly it would sway? Or do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not send against you a storm of stones? Then you would know how [severe] was My warning. And already had those before them denied, and how [terrible] was My reproach.” [Qur’an, 67:16-18]

    Historically natural disasters have occurred in sexually promiscuous areas. Roman history bears witness to the fact that women's bodies were lying at the intersection for public fondling. Roman public bath was like a country club. Graffiti at Pompeii and Herculaneum suggests that having prostitutes added to bath experience was common pleasure. The erotic frescoes depict both group and oral sex for bathers’ entertainment and advertise sexual services available on the upper floor of the baths. Their hedonistic culture was set ablazed and scalded with a rain of volcanic debris. Promiscuous Athens and gay Sparta were also destroyed in the same way.
    A little while back, just days before "Southern Decadence," 34th annual homosexual celebration attracting tens of thousands of people to the French Quarter section of New Orleans to drink and perform sexual acts on the streets, Hurricane Katrina flooded 80% of the city. Earlier, the sex industry of Thailand, with the largest number of under-age prostitutes in the world, was punctured by the Tsunami. A few days back, on April 25th, 2010 Brazil, the birthplace of bikini, was hit with a 4.9 magnitude earthquake. The same day Richie Kotzen, a Satanist rock musician was scheduled to perform in Brazil.
    Read the global disaster report http://globaldisasterwatch.blogspot.com/ almost everyday there is a strong earthquake in some part of the world. We are living at a time of great moral decadence and debauchery. Human laws and political systems have worsened the plight of humanity. Only our Creator can guarantee a healthy and happy survival of all human beings on condition that we believe in Him, dress modestly and become abstemious.

    A nation that forsakes modesty and denies the Creator, it mockingly demands punishment, should realize that to everything there is a season.

    “And if Allāh were to impose blame on the people for their wrongdoing, He would not have left upon the earth any creature, but He defers them for a specified term. And when their term has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede (it).” [Qur’an, 16:61]

    “And they urge you to hasten the punishment. And if not for [the decree of] a specified term, punishment would have reached them. But it will surely come to them suddenly while they perceive not.” [Qur’an, 29:53]

    On the Day the Hour arrives the wrongdoers will be in despair. [Qur’an, 30:12]

    April 29, 2010 at 8:34 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Julie Jigsawnovich

    World Press Distracted by Boobquake while Iran Manuevers Into Women's Rights Commission
    http://jigsawnovich.blogspot.com/2010/04/world-press-distracted-by-boobquake_30.html

    April 30, 2010 at 4:46 pm | Report abuse |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
« Back to main