Sceptic Amardeo Sarma on Humanism and Rationalism in the West

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

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

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

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

Tunisian Atheist Risks Death If Forced to Leave Romania

Tunisian Atheist Nacer Amari, who lives in Romania will be forced to return to Tunisia in April. He fears being killed. Tunisian Atheist Nacer Amari, 41, has lived in Romania since 2011, when the Tunisian revolution shook the country. Amari, a member of the organization Tunisian Freethinkers, received a number of death threats on social […] Read more

Houthi Secretary-General Accuses Baha’is of Dividing Muslims

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis accuse Baha’is of seeking to divide Muslims, in an effort to incite hatred against the religious minority. In a statement last week, Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badreddin Al-Houthi, the Secretary-General of Yemen’s Shia political party Ansar Allah, accused Baha’is of seeking to create disunity among Muslims. An article in ParsToday said: “Explaining that the […] Read more

Have Our Grocery Purchases Been Funding Female Genital Mutilation?

The debate around halal food hasn’t touched on how halal certification might have helped to enable the suffering of thousands of young girls. The halal food market is expected to be worth more than 2 trillion dollars by 2025. What many people do not realise is that a significant amount of that money may end […] Read more