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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Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
NSS urges support for schools facing religious intimidation
Posted: Thu, 2 Mar 2023 11:46
The National Secular Society has urged the government to do more to support schools which face "intimidation and pressure" from religious fundamentalists.
In a letter to education secretary Gillian Keegan today, the NSS said recent events at a school where pupils were suspended over minor damage to a Quran "followed a familiar pattern of so-called community leaders whipping up tension and peddling misinformation".
Last week four pupils were suspended from Kettlethorpe High School in Wakefield after a pupil brought a Quran into school, where it was allegedly scuffed.
One local councillor, Usman Ali, described the incident on social media as "serious provocative action which needs to be dealt with urgently by all the authorities," including the police.
The child who brought the Quran into school reportedly suffered death threats.
The NSS highlighted other incidents in which "an inadequate response" from the government "emboldened fundamentalists seeking to exert pressure through intimidation".
This included Batley Grammar School, where in 2021 a religious education teacher was forced into hiding after showing a picture of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in class.
Additionally, in 2019 several primary schools in Birmingham faced protests and threats from religious activists over LGBT-inclusive education.
And in 2018, St Stephen's Primary School in east London was subjected to abusive and threatening messages to its staff and trustees, after the school asked parents not to make young children wear hijab or fast for Ramadan. The school was forced to reverse its policies, and leaders expressed frustration at the DfE's failure to support them.
A review of the government's counterextremism Prevent programme last month highlighted the "violence associated with accusations of blasphemy and apostasy" as an area of particular importance in challenging extremism. It said a strong pro-free speech narrative should be adopted in counter-narrative and community project work. The NSS urged the Department for Education to consider this recommendation "in the context of state schools, which are increasingly becoming a battlefield for religious fundamentalists".
The NSS also called for a "renewed emphasis" on citizenship education to "provide future citizens with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand, challenge and engage with democratic society".
NSS chief executive: Government must "take concrete steps to better protect and support schools"
Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society, said: "The government has a track record of failing to adequately support schools faced with disruptive interference from religious extremists.
"The latest incident in Wakefield appears to have followed a familiar pattern of so-called community leaders whipping up tension and peddling misinformation, leading to an overreaction to what should have been an internal school disciplinary issue.
"Without the support of the DfE, school leaders are left at the mercy of fundamentalist activists and online mobs. This allows extremists to control the situation and creates the impression that the protection of religious sensibilities is sacrosanct, to the detriment of important liberal principles.
"The government must therefore take concrete steps to better protect and support schools in such situations. In the short term, we trust the Department will ensure that the suspended pupils can return safely to school."
Image: Meeting at Jamia Masjid Swafia mosque following the incident at Kettlethorpe High School.
Prevent review calls for greater focus on ‘blasphemy’ accusations
Posted: Thu, 16 Feb 2023 17:12
A review of the UK's Prevent counter-terrorism programme has called for increased efforts to tackle "so-called blasphemy narratives".
The independent review, led by William Shawcross, highlighted the "violence associated with accusations of blasphemy and apostasy" as an area of particular importance in countering extremism.
An improved understanding of blasphemy and its role in the wider threat posed by Islamism was amongst the review's recommendations, all of which have been accepted by the government.
The review said it was "vital" that the ideological threat of blasphemy is "proactively" addressed, due to the "serious challenge it poses to our national culture of free speech" and to public safety.
The events in Batley, Yorkshire, where a teacher had to receive police protection after he showed his class a cartoon of Mohammed during a lesson on free speech, were raised by Shawcross as being of particular concern.
Shawcross said it was "thoroughly shameful" that a teacher in a "liberal democratic society" was subject to "threats and intimidation" as a result of "allegations of blasphemy".
Shawcross noted that five months before the events in Batley, French schoolteacher Samuel Paty was murdered after similar accusations.
The review criticised what was described by a "senior Prevent practitioner" as a "lack of leadership" in response to the incident, noting that the more "robust public responses" came from outside the government. The practitioner also highlighted the absence of "a co-ordinated and connected stance".
Shawcross expressed concern that "Prevent and its local partners did not play a vocal role in response to the protests", and that the events in Batley were "precisely the type of challenge" where Prevent should direct additional resources.
The NSS raised similar concerns over the handling of the Batley affair with the Department for Education.
The cases of Muslims who have been murdered in the UK by "those citing blasphemy or apostasy as justification" were also highlighted by Shawcross.
In March 2016 Asad Shah, an Ahmadiyya Muslim shopkeeper, was murdered in Glasgow. In the same year an Imam in Rochdale, Jalal Uddin, was also murdered. Both murders were celebrated and justified by extremists on the grounds of 'blasphemy'.
The review said Prevent should regard those who legitimise blasphemy narratives and refuse to condemn violence linked to blasphemy as "part of the problem".
Government funding of extremism
Shawcross also said the government should not fund or engage with groups or individuals linked to instances of extremism..
The report revealed the government had directly funded organisations which promoted extremist narratives.
One Islamist organisation linked to the Iranian regime, the Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust, received £10,000 of public money as support provided to local businesses during the pandemic.
The organisation is a registered UK charity.
The review also highlighted how other registered charities are listed as "terrorist groups by key international allies". These include Interpal, which despite being a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group in the United States enjoys charitable status in the UK.
The report said Interpal had held fundraising events with the Nottingham Islam Information Point (NIIP). NIIP has been endorsed by Asad Fazil, the CEO of an organisation funded by Prevent.
The report also recommended retaining the terminology currently used to describe Islamist and Far-Right ideology. It rejected the criticisms of groups such as the National Association of Muslim Police, who have argued terms such as 'Islamist' contribute towards 'Islamophobic' sentiments.
NSS: 'Greater attention on blasphemy accusations welcome'
Jack Rivington, campaigns officer at the National Secular Society, said: "The Shawcross review's recommendation for an increased focus on tackling 'blasphemy' narratives is welcome.
"As well as the risk they pose to wider society, such narratives are also utilised by fundamentalists to threaten members of their own religious communities.
"Disappointingly, all too often political and public figures have been complicit with the deliberate tactic of equating so-called 'blasphemy' with racism or 'Islamophobia'. This undermines free speech and the freedom of religious belief.
"A robust defence of free speech at the forefront of efforts to counter extremism, though overdue, is therefore a positive step".
