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
1. Share your story
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
‘Blasphemy’ accusation after academic calls for separation of religion and politics
Posted: Mon, 18 Apr 2016 14:47
A Kuwaiti philosopher was questioned over blasphemy charges after she said that religion and politics should be separate and that placing the Koran above the constitution was "undoing" democracy.
In an interview on Kuwaiti TV in March 2016, Dr Sheikha Al-Jassem said that "The constitution stipulates that the Kuwaiti regime is democratic" rather than a religious state, and she warned that putting the Koran above the constitution was "the undoing of our democratic regime."
She went on to clarify her remarks on the Koran by explaining that in her view "you cannot compare" the Koran and the constitution of Kuwait because they each had a distinct role.
"We are trying to run a state. Are we supposed to do it with the Koran?" she asked.
The academic also said that "every religion gets hijacked at some point by the politicians" and argued that political religion was just used as "a tool for oppressing people."
At one point towards the end of the interview Al-Jassem said there was no freedom of speech in Kuwait and that she had to speak in "code."
The host argued that she was free to "say whatever you want," to which Dr Al-Jassem replied, "No, I can't." She said that she was "aware of the things that I am allowed and not allowed to say."
The discussion also touched on a wide-range of other issues, including gender segregation at universities. Dr Al-Jassem said this was "totally unnecessary" and that "the purpose of … segregation was to impose control over society", as the niqab was.
As a result of her comments in the interview calls were made for her dismissal from Kuwait University and she told the BBC that she received "terrifying" abuse from Islamists in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
If charges are pressed Dr Al-Jassem could face a year in prison and/or a fine equivalent to more than £2000.
The End Blasphemy Laws campaign said that the Kuwaiti government has been "actively enforcing" blasphemy and anti-apostasy laws and that recent years have "seen a notable crack-down on freedom of expression in the country."
46% in England support legal limits on free speech where religion is concerned, poll finds
Posted: Tue, 15 Mar 2016 16:30
A new report on identity and immigration has found that nearly half of England's population support legal limits on free speech when religion is concerned, and that support for freedom of expression has fallen significantly since 2011.
A poll of 4,015 people conducted by Populus for the Fear and HOPE 2016 report found that only 54% agreed people should be "allowed" to say what they believe about religion. 46% said there "some things" that you should "not be able to say about religion". Participants were asked to signal which of two statements on free speech and religion they agreed with "the most".
In 2011 just 40% agreed that some statements about religion were off-limits, compared with 60% who agreed that "people should be allowed to say what they believe about religion".
The report, on English attitudes towards identity, multiculturalism, religion and immigration, and written by Professor Robert Ford of Manchester University and Nick Lowles of Hope Not Hate, found that the marked increase since 2011 in those who agree that there should be "some things that people should not be able to say about religion" was being driven by the young and those most supportive of multiculturalism.
The research broke society down into different groups depending on their attitude to multiculturalism and diversity. Those who were considered to be "mainstream liberals" were the most likely of all groups to support restrictions on free speech. 58% of this group agreed that "if necessary" people "should be prosecuted" for saying certain things about religion.
The authors of the report found that "support for limiting free speech to respect multicultural sensitivities had grown over the past five years".
Limiting free speech is most popular among "the young" and among those most "confident" with multiculturalism. 58% of under 25s "back similar limits on religion" as exist for policing racial hate.
Stephen Evans, National Secular Society campaigns manager, said the report made for "grim reading".
"This report demonstrates how the concept of offense, and the violence that sometimes accompanies it, has created a chilling effect on freedom of expression in the UK. Whilst bigotry of all kinds should be robustly challenged, now is not the time to start sacrificing fundamental freedoms in order to protect 'religious sentiments'. Restricting free speech will do nothing to improve social cohesion – and once satisfied, demands to 'respect' religion will only lead to yet further demands.
"Stringent penalties are in place for religiously-aggravated crimes but the law is not there to prevent us from feeling offended. Free speech is the cornerstone of democratic life any new legal restrictions would be counterproductive, only serving to stifle debate and erode hard-won civil liberties."
The report explored attitudes to a wide range of issues related to immigration, identity and social cohesion, and found clear majorities in support of the "close monitoring of faith schools". 71% of England's population support the "close monitoring of faith schools, including Muslim faith schools", and 50% of Muslims polled agreed with the proposition.
Islam was regarded as a uniquely problematic minority faith by many, with 59% believing "Islam poses a serious threat to Western civilisation". 17% of Muslims polled by Populus for the report agreed with this statement.
43% of English respondents said that Muslims were "completely different" to them – and 59% "believe they cause problems in the world". Despite this, the authors note, "concern about problems caused by Muslims and other religious groups is much lower to now than it was in 2011." 78% of English people agreed that "it would be wrong to blame an entire religion for the actions of a few extremists".
The National Secular Society is supporting #Right2Debate, the student campaign to reclaim freedom of speech on campuses.
