Latest News

Hull council latest to scrap free pupil transport to religious schools

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:58:21 GMT

Hull City Council is to cease discretionary funding transport for pupils attending "faith schools" from September 2014. The change will save £339,000 in 2014-15 according to council figures.

Report into experiences of female converts to Islam

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:33:17 GMT

A ground-breaking report examining the experiences of nearly 50 British women of all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds and faiths (or no faith) – who have all converted to Islam - was launched in London yesterday by the University of Cambridge.

Tribunal claims of religious discrimination test equality laws

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:05:02 GMT

A man described as "white British" has won more than £2,000 compensation from a halal meat firm after he complained of racial and religious discrimination.

Vermont approves doctor-assisted suicide

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:59:16 GMT

The Governor of Vermont this week signed into law a new bill legalising doctor-assisted suicide. This makes it the third US state to approve such legislation.

NSS condemns Flintshire Council's 'discriminatory' transport policy

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:17:11 GMT

The National Secular Society has criticised a decision by Flintshire Council to discriminate against people without religious faith in its school transport arrangements.

Attempts to protect women’s rights in Afghanistan have been blocked by clerics in the parliament

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:27 GMT

Khalil Ahmad Shaheedzada, a conservative lawmaker for the Herat province, said parliament withdrew the legislation because of opposition from religious parties that considered the law un-Islamic.

Economic crisis forcing Poland to reconsider its ban on ritual slaughter

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:17:11 GMT

The Polish parliament, which banned ritual slaughter of animals for the halal and kosher markets in January, is now considering revoking the law because of economic pressures.

Council prayers challenged in the United States

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:25:14 GMT

The US Supreme Court is to consider whether prayers can be offered as part of government meetings.

Statistics show massive loss of interest in Catholicism in England and Wales

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:47:22 GMT

Following the bad news for Christian leaders generally from the census figures, new research by the Latin Mass Society illustrates a catastrophic decline in Catholicism in Britain.

Census analysis shows Christianity in dramatic decline, and a youthful Muslim population on the rise

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:06:49 GMT

According to census data analysis published yesterday, the number of British-born Christians is falling significantly, whilst the number of young Muslims is on the rise.

As the country struggles with its finances, new tax perks for churches are brought in

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:34:56 GMT

Catholic parish churches will be able to claim from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) an extra 20% for each donation of up to £20 without requiring the giver to complete a form.

Plans to open Sikh faith school in Buckinghamshire village derailed

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:52:49 GMT

Controversial plans to open a Sikh free school in the Buckinghamshire village of Stoke Poges have been recommended for refusal by South Bucks District Council planning officers.

Gove under pressure to give CofE more power over schools

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:44:16 GMT

The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, is to meet bishops from every Church of England diocese to discuss the "special relationship" the Government has with the Church over its participation in education.

Abortion reforms in Spain: government accused of return to Franco era

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:28:48 GMT

The Spanish Government is preparing a reform to the country's abortion law that, some have argued, will return Spain to a situation similar to the one that existed under General Franco's dictatorship.

Human Rights First report says blasphemy law threatens Tunisia’s fledgling democracy

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:26:47 GMT

The American organisation Human Rights First has issued a new report that details steps the United States and Tunisian governments should take to protect freedom of expression to support Tunisia's peaceful transition to democracy.

BBC stands by Panorama exposé of Sharia Councils

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:46:15 GMT

The BBC has rejected a complaint from the Islamic Sharia Council in Leyton East London after it was featured in the Panorama programme about the treatment of women in sharia arbitration bodies.

Icelandic humanist group first to get legal recognition as a “secular life stance organisation”

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:25:24 GMT

In a progressive move, the Icelandic government has just officially registered the Ethical and Humanist Association, Sidmennt, as the first "secular life stance organization" in Iceland.

Impartiality of Scottish judiciary undermined by religious ceremonies, say NSS

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:33:25 GMT

The National Secular Society has written to Kenny MacAskill MSP, the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Justice to draw his attention to a possible undermining of the impartiality, integrity and independence of the Scottish judiciary.

Majority of Europeans favour separation of church and state, but Islam has an uphill battle for acceptance in Germany

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:11:56 GMT

A major new study of attitudes towards religion around the world has been conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation – and finds that the majority of people in all the 13 nations surveyed favour a clear separation between religion and the state.

Author of American Government-sponsored religious freedom report says “very aggressive secularism” is rife in Western Europe

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:24:32 GMT

The US-Government sponsored Commission on International Religious Freedom has issued its latest report this week and has come to the conclusion that "aggressive secularism" is rife in Western Europe.