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Conference on the Religious-Right, Secularism and Civil Rights

When: 11 & 12th October 2014
Where: The Tower Hotel, St Katharine's Way, London E1W 1LD, UK

The global rise of the religious-Right, including but not limited to Islamic State (or ISIS), and their efforts to gain political power and control the state apparatus and public institutions has meant that the role of organised religions vis-a-vis the state - as well as that of secularism and the complete separation of religion from the state - have become critical political and civil rights matters.

At this historic conference, prominent women and men on the frontlines of opposing the religious-Right and defending secularism, including those of faith and none, will come together to discuss the religious-Right, its attacks on civil liberties and freedoms, and the role of secularism for 21st century humanity.

Speakers from countries or the Diaspora as diverse as Algeria, Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, France, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Senegal, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, UK, USA and Yemen will reflect on the struggle for secularism in both regional and thematic ways and will discuss the specific forms that attacks on secularism – and on secularists themselves – take in various parts of the world. They will also discuss how these attacks are linked to the rise of the religious-Right in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Far East and its confluence in countries of emigration such as Europe and North America. It will also urge elements of the Left to reconsider their indiscriminate support for all forms of Islam – good and bad.

The conference aims to highlight the voices of the many persecuted and exiled, address the challenges faced by activists, elaborate on the links between equality, democratic politics and secularism, promote secular and rights-based alternatives to the religious-Right, establish priorities for regional and international collective action and influence policy and practice locally, nationally, and internationally

National Secular Society President Terry Sanderson will also be speaking at the event, of which the NSS is a sponsor.

For full details of the conference, including on registration and obtaining tickets, visit the event's dedicated website or contact Conference Organising Committee: Amal Farah, Atoosa Khatiri, Eileen McFadden, Marieme Helie Lucas and Maryam Namazie at maryamnamazie@gmail.com.

Please also join the event's Facebook page and follow the conference on Twitter or Tweet #SecularConf

With best wishes
Alastair Lichten
NSS campaigns team

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