Democracy cannot exist without the right to free speech.
Free speech should be robustly defended as a fundamental freedom.
The National Secular Society has defended free speech from religious threats since our founding. We played an instrumental role in abolishing "blasphemy" laws in Britain, but serious concerns remain. Blasphemy laws still exist in Northern Ireland. And throughout the UK, religious fundamentalists seek to impose their blasphemy taboos on others through violence and intimidation.
There are also increasing attempts to categorise offending religious sensibilities as 'hate speech', making criticism, mockery or perceived 'insult' of religion a criminal act akin to racial hatred or inciting violence – in other words, a 'blasphemy law by the back door'.
Without free speech no search for truth is possible; without free speech no discovery of truth is useful; without free speech progress is checked… Better a thousand fold abuse of free speech than denial of free speech.
We are further concerned by a developing 'culture of offence' in which any speech or action deemed likely to offend religious sensibilities is considered taboo. Enforced by a toxic mix of terrorism and religious deference, this is chilling free speech through self-censorship.
We also campaign against blasphemy laws around the world, where they continue to be used to target religious and political minorities. These are sometimes described by UK politicians as 'misuse' of blasphemy laws, but we contend there are never any legitimate uses for blasphemy laws.
Being offended from time to time is the price we all pay for living in a free society. Rather than trying to silence those we disagree with, we believe the answer to speech we don't like is more speech – better speech.
We therefore campaign to protect and preserve freedom of expression, including offensive, critical and shocking speech.
What you can do
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Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
2. Join us
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
New report warns of ‘escalation’ in global persecution against non-believers
Posted: Thu, 10 Dec 2015 07:59
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) has warned that worldwide "persecution of the non-religious has escalated" in the past year.
The 2015 "Freedom of Thought" report is the fourth annual study produced by IHEU that "records discrimination and persecution against humanists, atheists, and the non-religious, with a country-by-country assessment".
It found that "there has been a rise in extrajudicial violence" across the globe targeting secularists, atheists, humanists and critics of religion, and that in several states "harsher judicial sentences have been handed down for crimes such as 'blasphemy' and 'apostasy'."
The 2015 report highlights the "string of murders in Bangladesh" targeting secularists and non-believers, who were "hacked to death in machete assassinations. The victims were Avijit Roy, Washqiur Rahman Babu, Ananta Bijoy Das, Niladri Chatterjee, and most recently the publisher Faisal Arefin Dipon."
While these targeted murders have been "relatively well-reported", along with the case of Saudi secularist Raif Badawi, the Freedom of Thought report also highlights "less well-known cases, such as Egyptian student Sherif Gaber. In February this year, Gaber was sentenced to a year's hard labour for 'contempt of religion' (he had declared his atheism on Facebook) and for promoting 'debauchery' (he had challenged a lecturer who said that homosexuals should be 'killed in the streets'). Gaber went into hiding following the sentence this year."
Among many other examples, the report cites the case of another Egyptian student, Karim al-Banna, who was "arrested at an atheist cafe last November, and was this year handed a three-year jail term for 'insulting religion'."
IHEU have drawn attention to other under-reported stories, including the assassinations of three Indian rationalists in recent years, including two murders in 2015, and a spate of death sentences handed-out for apostasy in Saudi Arabia and Mauritania.
In one case in the Maldives, the report says that "the administrators of atheist Facebook pages were publicly identified, kidnapped by a 40-strong gang, compelled to 'recant' their atheism and hand over passwords to their accounts. Anti-atheist Facebook pages have forced many secular Maldivians offline throughout 2015."
The report notes positive developments in Iceland and Norway, both of which abolished blasphemy legislation in the course of 2015, but it paints a bleak picture of the global situation. IHEU say there is a "real and growing threat to non-religious people throughout the world, with people being imprisoned and murdered for expressing secular beliefs."
Bob Churchill, who edited the report and is IHEU's director of communications, said: "The world must recognise that to identify and speak out as non-religious is a basic human right, and the fact there are increasing numbers of people demanding recognition of this right is not a signal of moral decay but of a functioning, free society."
The National Secular Society is an affiliate of IHEU, which has recognised status at the United Nations as the umbrella organisation for non-religious, humanist and secularist groups. NSS campaigns manager, Stephen Evans, commented: "The world is seeing continuing struggle between secular democratic values and authoritarianism and theocracy. People of all faiths and none fall victim to those seeking to close down dissent, discussion and debate. This report is vital in setting out the full extent of discrimination and persecution faced by secularists and the non-religious; a topic that has, until now, been sadly neglected."
The Freedom of Thought Report 2015 can be downloaded here.
Muslim Reform Movement embraces secularism and universal human rights
Posted: Tue, 8 Dec 2015 11:58
A coalition of Muslim writers, activists and politicians has launched a "Muslim Reform Movement" rejecting violence and calling for a defence of secularism, democracy and liberty.
The reformers have issued a Declaration defending gender equality, freedom of speech and freedom of religion, stating that they are for "secular governance" and "against political movements in the name of religion."
They have called for the separation of "mosque and state" and emphatically reject the "idea of the Islamic state".
Activists from the group stuck their Declaration of Reform on to the front door of the Islamic Centre of Washington, a mosque the movement described as "heavily influenced by the government of Saudi Arabia".
The preamble to the Declaration states: "We are Muslims who live in the 21st century. We stand for a respectful, merciful and inclusive interpretation of Islam. We are in a battle for the soul of Islam, and an Islamic renewal must defeat the ideology of Islamism, or politicized Islam, which seeks to create Islamic states, as well as an Islamic caliphate.
The signatories add that they "support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by United Nations member states in 1948."
Rejecting violence, the preamble goes on: "Facing the threat of terrorism, intolerance, and social injustice in the name of Islam, we have reflected on how we can transform our communities based on three principles: peace, human rights and secular governance. We are announcing today the formation of an international initiative: the Muslim Reform Movement."
The founders of the group include Muslims and public figures from Canada, the UK and the United States, including Usama Hasan of the UK-based Quilliam Foundation.
The organisers are now calling for support from "fellow Muslims and neighbours".
The Declaration says the movement stands for "universal peace, love and compassion" and rejects "violent jihad".
"We stand for the protection of all people of all faiths and non-faith who seek freedom from dictatorships, theocracies and Islamist extremists."
The Muslim Reform Movement has committed itself to defending freedom of speech:
"Every individual has the right to publicly express criticism of Islam. Ideas do not have rights. Human beings have rights. We reject blasphemy laws. They are a cover for the restriction of freedom of speech and religion. We affirm every individual's right to participate equally in ijtihad, or critical thinking, and we seek a revival of ijtihad."
Farahnaz Ispahani, a former Pakistani politician and signatory of the Declaration, said: "If Muslim minorities in non-Muslim countries are to be protected, we must demand the protection of non-Muslims within Muslim-majority countries."
The Declaration also singles out gender equality and the protection of women's rights, stating: "We support equal rights for women, including equal rights to inheritance, witness, work, mobility, personal law, education, and employment. Men and women have equal rights in mosques, boards, leadership and all spheres of society. We reject sexism and misogyny."
