Year: 2018

France: The Inability of a Secular State to Protect Secularists

May 16, 2018 | by | 0 Comments
Despite living in one of the most secular countries worldwide, ex-Muslim secularists in France still face hate speech, death threats, and an idle government. Waleed Al-Husseini founded the Council of Ex-Muslims of France. He escaped the Palestinian Authority after torture and imprisonment in Palestine, fleeing to Jordan and then France. He is an ex-Muslim and […] Read more

We Must Support Britain’s Secular Muslims

May 2, 2018 | by | 1 Comments
Secular Muslims like Sajid Javid in prominent government posts are victories for the battle of hearts and minds. In tough times for Muslims in public life, a cohort of secular Britons hailing from Muslim communities are challenging assumptions and extremism on all sides. This week, as a result of the Home Office scandal on the treatment […] Read more

The Growing Tide of Violent Rhetoric Against Baha’is in Houthi Yemen

May 1, 2018 | by | 0 Comments
Yemen’s Houthis incite violence against Baha’is on social media.   On March 23, Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdel-Malek Al-Houthi made a speech in which he called the Baha’i faith a “satanic” movement that wished to “wage war” against Islam. On the same day of Al-Houthi’s speech, Houthi activist Ahmed Ayed published a tweet stating “we will […] Read more

Sceptic Amardeo Sarma on Humanism and Rationalism in the West

April 25, 2018 | by | 0 Comments
German sceptic Amardeo Sarma discusses critically analysing entrenched belief systems, including religion and a shockingly fervent homeopathic movement. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Was there a family background in humanism or rationalism for you? Amardeo Sarma: No, because both my parents were moderately religious. In fact, to give you an example, when I grew up, my father […] Read more

Liberal Islam and Migrant Integration with Seyran Ateş

April 13, 2018 | by | 0 Comments
Seyran Ateş, a lawyer and feminist activist, speaks with Conatus News about law, faith, feminism, and integrating migrants in Western societies. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: To begin, what was your background in faith and feminism? Insofar as I know, you are of Kurdish descent. Seyran Ateş: My mother is Turkish. My father is Kurdish. He died in 2014. […] Read more

Iranian Dreams: Exiles Describe Their Ideal Iran

April 9, 2018 | by | 0 Comments
We asked four Iranians, persecuted for varying religious and political reasons unable to return to their country what their ideal Iran looks like. The recent protests in Iran have sent a clear message that Iranians are unhappy with the state of their country. From economic policies to strictly enforced religious laws, Iranians are fed up […] Read more

Catholic Values Fundraising Row – Secularists Respond

April 4, 2018 | by | 0 Comments
The International Campaign For One Secular School System will be holding a press conference at Parliament Hill in response to the Halton Catholic District School Board’s new ‘Catholic values only’ fundraising rule. The publicly funded Halton Catholic District School Board, which oversees 33,000 students in 46 elementary, 9 secondary and 4 continuing education facilities, passed a […] Read more