New Humanist, 2nd March 2020 The Citizenship Amendment Act is only part of President Modi’s assault on the secular underpinnings of the Indian constitution. Walls – physical, digital, bureaucratic – are going up all over the world, dividing citizen from citizen. The very notion of citizenship is being questioned and restricted. India is no exception but the … Continue reading
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) concludes today in London and has been in the news for the very good reason that British Prime Minister Theresa May had initially refused to meet with the Caribbean heads of state to discuss the Windrush scandal. Those who had arrived in Britain as children from the Caribbean in … Continue reading
21 August 2017 Former Charlie Hebdo journalist Zineb El Rhazoui collects fatwas like badges of honour. Her recent book outlines similarities between the Islamic and European far right. In heated debates following the 2015 massacre at Charlie Hebdo, apologists for the violence condemned the ‘racism’ of its cartoons. Staff of the French satirical magazine were frequently … Continue reading
3 August 2017 The growth of religious fundamentalist forces in Bangladesh poses life-threatening challenges to atheists and secularists. “We stand on the right side of history” was the title of the keynote speech given by Bonya Ahmed, a Bangladeshi-American freethinker, at the international Conference on Freedom of Conscience and Expression in London last month. The price she … Continue reading
27 July 2017 A recent conference on freedom of expression threw up issues around relationships between ex-Muslims and reformist Muslims – and the ideological confusion of their allies. In the ten years of its existence, the Council for Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) has organised annual conferences to draw attention to issues facing ex-Muslims, their status … Continue reading
