The National Secular Society works for the separation of religion and state and equal respect for everyone's human rights so that no one is either advantaged or disadvantaged on account of their beliefs.
Make a stand for freedom, fairness and human rights by adding your voice to the call for a secular democracy.
Latest News
Posted: Mon, 10 Dec 2018
Report highlights religious threat to global human rights
Blasphemy laws, supremacist ideologies, sectarianism, 'caste' systems and exclusionary laws are among the ways religion restricts human rights...
Posted: Sun, 09 Dec 2018
Home secretary urged not to adopt definition of ‘Islamophobia'
The NSS has urged the home secretary to resist calls to adopt a formal definition of 'Islamophobia' which have been put forward by a parliamentary...
Posted: Sat, 08 Dec 2018
Faith schools significantly limit choice for many parents, NSS finds
Almost three in ten families in England live in areas where most or all of the local primary schools are faith-based, new National Secular...
Posted: Thu, 06 Dec 2018
NSS asks Google to remove Indonesian app for reporting blasphemy
The NSS has asked Google to remove an app which enables Indonesians to report people they suspect of 'heresy' to the authorities.
Posted: Wed, 05 Dec 2018
Framing religion as intrinsically positive harms education, study warns
"Well-intentioned" RE teachers are undermining the subject by framing religion as intrinsically positive, academics have warned.
Opinion
We often hear that faith schools improve choice. But an NSS report shows that this narrative mischaracterises the challenges facing families and public education's role in a diverse society, says Alastair Lichten.
Unravelling the choice delusion
Posted: Mon, 10 Dec 2018
A parliamentary group's proposal that the government define 'Islamophobia' is a misguided power grab, says Chris Sloggett. If we want to end anti-Muslim bigotry, we should stop telling people what to think about Islam.
The gatekeepers of public debate can’t patronise away anti-Muslim bigotry
Posted: Wed, 28 Nov 2018
The film Peterloo is a reminder of the close links between the campaign for church-state separation and the push for a truly democratic society in the 19th century and beyond, writes Bob Forder.
Mike Leigh's keenly anticipated,...
Peterloo’s heroes represented the finest traditions of secular democracy
Posted: Fri, 23 Nov 2018
This week's developments on ritual genital cutting in the US and Denmark highlight the need to adopt a consistent application of human rights principles for everybody, regardless of gender, argues Dr Antony Lempert.
International...
Genital cutting and the laws of unintended consequences
Posted: Thu, 22 Nov 2018
For Interfaith Week 2018, campaigns officer Megan Manson explains how the National Secular Society's work protects those who are religious as well as those who are not.
One of the most common misconceptions about the National...
How secularism protects people who have religious faith
Posted: Wed, 14 Nov 2018