News
Children uninterested in religion – but churches determined to bring them into the fold
An educational exam revision website has found that almost a quarter of seven to 16-year-olds do not know that Easter... Read More »
NSS welcomes European Court decision to refuse appeal to Christian activists
The National Secular Society has welcomed a decision by the European Court of Human Rights not to refer the cases... Read More »
Belgian city scraps headscarf ban
A Belgian city which introduced a ban on its civil servants wearing headscarves in 2007, has now voted to reverse... Read More »
Hull council latest to scrap free pupil transport to religious schools
Hull City Council is to cease discretionary funding transport for pupils attending "faith schools" from September... Read More »
Report into experiences of female converts to Islam
A ground-breaking report examining the experiences of nearly 50 British women of all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds... Read More »
Tribunal claims of religious discrimination test equality laws
A man described as "white British" has won more than £2,000 compensation from a halal meat firm after he complained... Read More »
Vermont approves doctor-assisted suicide
The Governor of Vermont this week signed into law a new bill legalising doctor-assisted suicide. This makes it the... Read More »
NSS condemns Flintshire Council's 'discriminatory' transport policy
The National Secular Society has criticised a decision by Flintshire Council to discriminate against people without... Read More »
Attempts to protect women’s rights in Afghanistan have been blocked by clerics in the parliament
The new laws proposed a minimum marriage age for girls, and women not being prosecuted for rapes committed against... Read More »
Economic crisis forcing Poland to reconsider its ban on ritual slaughter
The Polish parliament, which banned ritual slaughter of animals for the halal and kosher markets in January, is now... Read More »
Council prayers challenged in the United States
The US Supreme Court is to consider whether prayers can be offered as part of government meetings.
The case is being... Read More »
Statistics show massive loss of interest in Catholicism in England and Wales
Following the bad news for Christian leaders generally from the census figures, new research by the Latin Mass Society... Read More »
Census analysis shows Christianity in dramatic decline, and a youthful Muslim population on the rise
According to census data analysis published yesterday, the number of British-born Christians is falling significantly,... Read More »
As the country struggles with its finances, new tax perks for churches are brought in
A new deal between the Government and the Catholic Church will see millions more of taxpayers' money flowing into... Read More »
Plans to open Sikh faith school in Buckinghamshire village derailed
Controversial plans to open a Sikh free school in the Buckinghamshire village of Stoke Poges have been recommended... Read More »
Gove under pressure to give CofE more power over schools
The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, is to meet bishops from every Church of England diocese to discuss the "special... Read More »
Abortion reforms in Spain: government accused of return to Franco era
The Spanish Government is preparing a reform to the country's abortion law that, some have argued, will return Spain... Read More »
Human Rights First report says blasphemy law threatens Tunisia’s fledgling democracy
The American organisation Human Rights First has issued a new report (pdf) that details steps the United States and... Read More »
BBC stands by Panorama exposé of Sharia Councils
The BBC has rejected a complaint from the Islamic Sharia Council in Leyton East London after it was featured in the... Read More »
Icelandic humanist group first to get legal recognition as a “secular life stance organisation”
On Friday 3 May 2013, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association, Sidmennt, was registered as the first "secular life... Read More »
Impartiality of Scottish judiciary undermined by religious ceremonies, say NSS
The National Secular Society has written to Kenny MacAskill MSP, the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Justice... Read More »
Majority of Europeans favour separation of church and state, but Islam has an uphill battle for acceptance in Germany
A major new study of attitudes towards religion around the world has been conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation... Read More »
Author of American Government-sponsored religious freedom report says “very aggressive secularism” is rife in Western Europe
The US-Government sponsored Commission on International Religious Freedom has issued its latest report this week and... Read More »
Protests as Luton council cuts free transport to religious schools
Councillors walked out of a meeting at Luton Town Hall this week when observers in the public gallery began shouting... Read More »
Launch of student essay competition! Sharia: what’s going on?
One Law for All and the Lawyers' Secular Society (LSS) have today announced a student research competition on the... Read More »
