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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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
MP says Government's silence over Louis Smith heralds "unwritten blasphemy law"
Posted: Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:53
Conservative MP Charles Walker has sharply criticised the media for unleashing "a torrent of venom" against Louis Smith, and said the Government was "nowhere to be seen" when it should have been defending free expression.
Mr Walker said the Government's silence over the hounding and death threats against Louis Smith "heralds, de facto, the reintroduction of an unwritten blasphemy law, enforced by threat and thuggery."
He said the episode "shamed our nation and its laws."
"In our liberal and open society, freedom of worship marches hand in hand with the freedom to lampoon religion. Quite simply, that is the deal."
Walker said after The Sun released the video of Smith lampooning Islamic prayers "sensationalist reporting of his actions in some sections of the media resulted in the gymnast's receiving multiple death threats."
Despite a "rich heritage of aiming both excoriating and gentle humour in the direction of Christianity", Walker said the BBC "placed itself firmly at the head of the mob."
He drew attention to a Radio 5 Live interview where the presenter defined as 'Islamophobic' as "sort of hateful or it can mean mimicking or it can be taking the mickey" and said Smith had been "very, very offensive" and "shameful".
In treating mockery of religion as "shameful" the presenter "placed a question mark over the motives and legacy of some of the UK's greatest deceased and living comedians," Walker said.
"Louis Smith is never going to be the world's greatest comedian, but we—and the BBC—should be blind to that fact, because the law applies as much to gymnasts as it does to joke-tellers."
He wrote to the BBC challenging why no condemnation of the death threats was made during the interview, despite the presenter finding time to condemn Smith, and warning that the "inquisitorial tone of the interview" heightened the "already significant threat to his wellbeing and safety."
In response the BBC said that the interview helped Smith, because it meant he could "appease" "people who might be angry with him."
Walker added that "the only person who is deserving of an apology is Louis Smith himself. He is owed an apology from the Muslim Council of Britain for its ridiculous overplaying of Muslim sensitivities towards their faith, for having toured the radio and television studios to be publicly humiliated and smeared, and for having missed his Olympic homecoming parade to visit mosques."
The MBC said that Smith's apology fell "well short of addressing the hurt caused against Muslims", which Walker described as "uncharitable nonsense from an organisation that strives to be taken seriously."
Walker also said that British Gymnastics should apologise to Smith for its "cowardly decision" to suspend him and that the BBC had treated Smith in a "callous and cruel" way" and behaved in a "wicked and irresponsible way".
The National Secular Society has strongly welcomed Mr Walker's comments, particularly his criticism of the Government to be proactive in defending freedom of expression.
Campaigns director Stephen Evans said: "The sensationalising of this private video by the media, and particularly The Sun, only contributed to a climate of censorship brought on by the unreasonable and reactionary views of some religious extremists. Too few spoke out for Louis Smith's right to freedom of expression, and the Prime Minister gave a troubling and weak answer when asked about the case at Prime Minister's Questions last month."
When Mr Walker asked the Prime Minister about Louis Smith in November, Theresa May said that there "is a balance we need to find" and that Smith, despite being threatened with death, had a "responsibility to recognise the importance of tolerance of others."
In early December Walker asked the Home Secretary why she had failed to give voice to the importance of defending free expression "during the manhunt and vilification of the gymnast Louis Smith".
Bangladeshi society being destroyed by Islamic fundamentalism, says exiled writer
Posted: Thu, 24 Nov 2016 10:38
Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who lives under constant protection, has told AFP that Islamic fundamentalism has destroyed Bangladeshi society.
Nasreen said that in the 1980s she "wrote about Islamic fundamentalists. I said that they should not go unopposed or they will destroy our society, that's exactly what's happened now.
"Islamisation started in Bangladesh in the 1980s and in the 80s I was very worried."
Several fatwas were issued calling for her death for secular writing, and Nasreen has not returned to Bangladesh in over twenty years.
There has been a spate of killings in Bangladesh, with secular writers targeted by Islamists and attacked with machetes.
Nasreen said that the current government had failed to respond strongly enough to the attacks. The father of one murdered writer said the government was showing "silent support" for the killings.
"I am very worried. Bangladesh was born as a secular state but now it's a kind of fundamentalist state," Nasreen said to AFP. But now "Islamic fundamentalists are very powerful, they can kill anyone if they want.
"And because those atheist bloggers criticise Islam ― they criticise other religions too ― but because they criticised Islam they were hacked to death and the government didn't take any action against those killers."
The writer said that she was used to living under guard with persistent death threats. "I think I've got used to it, you have to.
"You cannot think of death all the time, then it's not a living. If I think of death all the time then I would not have been able to write so many books.
"Of course every time a fatwa is issued I get shocked, I get sad, I get scared and then you know you have to live your everyday life."
Discussing Islamist attacks on secular writers and the attack on Charlie Hebdo, Nasreen said that "Freedom of expression cannot exist without the right to offend."
"Many of my books, people say they hurt their religious feelings.
"But I think that if we believe in freedom of expression then we should believe also that everybody should have the right to express their opinions and everybody has the right to offend others and nobody has the right to live their entire life without being offended."
Nasreen recently published In Exile: A Memoir
See also: 2015: A year of terror for Bangladesh's secularist writers
