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News, Blogs & Opinion
Defend Free Speech Campaign launched in ParliamentNews | Fri, 30th Oct 2015 A new campaign to oppose the Government's controversial plans for Extremism Disruption Orders (EDOs) has been officially launched in Parliament. Described as Britain's 'most unlikely campaign group', the Defend Free Speech Campaign group is supported by the National Secular Society, the Christian Institute, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, English PEN and other organisations who are concerned that legitimate freedom of expression could be criminalised under the Government's counter-extremism proposals. Speaking at the launch at the House of Commons on Monday Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society, said: "Free speech and defending it, is the most basic civil right". He said proposals to crack down on ideas the authorities regard as extreme could be used against those who "have not broken a single law" and "had to be resisted". The Christian Institute's Simon Calvert, campaign director of Defend Free Speech, said: "The complete absence of safeguards and any clear definition of what is deemed to be extreme will have a chilling effect on free speech and campaigners." He said the legislation was "badly conceived and will be bad for society." Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell commented: "Heavy-handed legal restrictions and sanctions on free speech undermine the democratic, liberal values that extremists oppose and that we cherish." He added: "Free speech is one of the most precious of all human rights and should be defended robustly. "It can only be legitimately restricted by the law when it involves harmful libels, harassment, menaces, threats and incitements to violence." Also speaking at the campaign's launch was David Davis MP who has criticised EDO's for "eroding basic principles of freedom without making us any safer". He said: "Restricting free speech, and forcing those who hold views inimical to our own out of public debate and into the shadows, is an authoritarian act that will only serve to further alienate those who are susceptible to extremist views. "Only by engaging with extremist views, opposing them and defeating them through debate can we hope to deal with the threat of extremism." He said he lesson of centuries of British history is that the "best defence of freedom is freedom itself". The campaign is also being supported by the Green Party's Caroline Lucas MP who warned: "This kind of draconian crackdown lacks a credible evidence basis, represents an infringement of basic rights, and may well actually be counterproductive." She said she would be taking "every opportunity to oppose Extremism Disruption Orders when the relevant legislation comes before the House of Commons". The Government is expected to introduce Extremism Disruption Orders as part of a new counter-terrorism bill which will be published later this year. The Defend Free Speech campaign reunites the same organisations that successfully campaigned together to remove the word "insulting" from Section 5 of the Public Order Act and to force the Government to scrap plans to outlaw "annoying and nuisance behaviour" in public. Stephen Evans, National Secular Society campaigns manager, said: "It's incredible that here we all are again trying to prevent the Government from restricting people's right to freely express themselves. Extremism poses a very real threat to British citizens but existing laws prohibiting threats and incitement of violence are sufficient. Bad ideas need to be countered by better ideas, not by legislation that could be used to criminalise ordinary people and silence inconvenient, unfashionable and unpopular opinions. "This campaign aims to ensure these ill-considered and dangerous proposals do not become law." | |
Turkish musician Fazıl Say awarded 2015 International Secularism PrizeNews | Thu, 29th Oct 2015 Turkey's most famous modern pianist, Fazıl Say has been awarded the 2015 International Secularism Prize (Prix de la Laïcité) by the France Committee of Secularism, two years after being convicted of blasphemy for a series of tweets. Mr Say used his acceptance speech to celebrate the role of secularism in the foundation on the Turkish republic and its justice system. Mr Say told guests, including the French Prime Minister, that secularism "has given freedom to a range of philosophical approaches ensuring equal rights to its people dispersed under different beliefs and ethnic origins, both to believers and non-believers". He also warned of the rising sectarianism and the perception that "secularism is about to disappear" in "a tragic change". Mr Say has been a vocal proponent of the role of the arts in challenging establishment power and a prominent critic of the AK party led by Turkey's then Prime Minister (now President) Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His 2012/13 trial for 'denigrating Islam' and 'inciting hatred' was widely viewed as politically motivated. His offending tweets had included a verse from a poem by 11th-century Persian poet Omar Khayyám which criticises pious hypocrisy – seen as a comment on Erdogan's use of religious power to bolster the increasingly authoritarian regime. After his speech Mr Say dedicated a performance of his Kara Toprak (Black Earth) piece to victims of terrorism including the Charlie Hebdo attack and the suicide bomb attack on an Istanbul peace parade last month. Commenting on the award, Turkish MP and NSS honorary associate Şafak Pavey, said: "Fazil Say has resisted all threats and defamation of his character to tell the value of secularism and its vital importance to Turkey. "This esteemed award is a most-deserved recognition of his work, and gives strength to secularists' struggle of survival. "Unfortunately, ours is the last secularist struggle in the Middle East. Secularism has been all but defeated in the region and the odds are not in our favour in Turkey. "Fazil Say is a most precious symbol of our deep cultural conflict and struggle to exist. The outcome of this conflict will affect the entire world, to a far larger degree than anyone would like to think." Şafak Pavey was awarded the National Secular Society's Secularist of the Year prize in 2014. Also see: Turkish police storm opposition media offices as election looms | |
East Herts Councillor resigns following vote to retain prayers at council meetingsNews | Thu, 29th Oct 2015 A Local councillor has resigned after his motion to remove prayers from East Herts District Council meetings was defeated. The all Conservative council rejected the motion of Cllr Adrian McNeece on Wednesday night, by 42 votes to 5. Mr McNeece's motion argued that "meetings of East Herts District Council should be conducted in a manner equally welcoming to all attendees, regardless of their individual religious beliefs or lack of belief" and that therefore, "worship should therefore play no part in the formal or informal business of council meetings, on council premises." Mr McNeece sought to challenge the impression that the local authority "identifies with a particular religious belief" and to "ensure this council is more representative and inclusive". Mr McNeece told Herts and Essex Observer: "The separation of government and religion is essential. I think it's extremely important and I'm extremely saddened that such a huge number of councillors voted against the motion." In his speech, Mr McNeece argued that the inclusion of prayers undermined religious freedom by enabling a majority of councillors to impose their beliefs on others. "Whilst this may not seem like a great imposition to those who are involved with or enjoy the prayers, it can be for many others who do not believe, or who hold different faiths", he said. Cllr Gary Jones, a Christian and deputy leader of East Herts District council, received applause after opposing the motion, despite failing to address any of the concerns raised by Cllr McNeece. Following the vote, Mr McNeece told the NSS that he felt the tone of the debate and the defeat of the motion exposed a "pernicious link between the Conservative party and Christianity". "I worry that such triumphalism painted local government as out of touch and potentially put off a diverse range of candidates from standing because the link between Christianity and government in this country is arguably first encountered at constituency level when selecting candidates". Mr McNeece said he felt the defeat reflected "political expediency" on the part of Council's executive, who wished to "pander" to some Christians on the Council. In the meeting Mr Mr McNeece referred to the 75% of respondents to a Herts and Essex Observer online poll in support of ending prayers, as of 11am Thursday morning the figure was 92%. Stephen Evans, spokesperson for the National Secular Society, commented: "It's a terrible shame to see a public servant left feeling so alienated by a council's insistence on praying at meetings. "The simplest way to avoid this type of unnecessary division and distraction is for councillors who wish to pray to do so before entering the chamber and not seeking to impose their religious beliefs and rituals on others." In March 2015 the Local Government (Religious etc. Observances) Act gave a wide range of local authorities in England the power to conduct prayers and other religious functions as part of their official business. A 2012 High Court decision had previously ruled that local authorities had no power to do so. Since March 2015 a number of local authorities have voted to end the practice, which is becoming increasingly uncommon. A video of the East Herts District Council meeting is available here. | |
NSS: Church cannot escape blame for the failure to uncover truth about sex abuseNews | Thu, 29th Oct 2015 The National Secular Society has said that the Church of England cannot escape blame following the jailing of a retired Anglican priest for sexual offences committed against boys as young as 14. Vickery House, from West Sussex, was jailed for six and half years at the Old Bailey today after being found guilty of five charges of indecent assault. House had denied eight counts of indecent assault against six males aged 14 to 34 dating back to the 1970s and 1980s. The former Church of England priest was the "Right-hand man" of disgraced bishop Peter Ball who was jailed earlier this month for a string of offences against teenagers and young men. Three of House's victims were also abused by Ball around the time they took part in a Church of England scheme called Give A Year For Christ which was run by the clergymen. Speaking after the sentencing, National Secular Society executive director, Keith Porteous Wood, said: "House and Bishop Ball misused their Anglican religious order to attract and systematically abuse young men. Instead of exercising their duty of care, they ruthlessly exploited their religious and institutional power over the victims. "Such clerical abuse has been rife in the Anglican diocese of Chichester for many decades. Some of the diocese's former bishops have misled enquiries or have even been abusers. The current bishop maintained, when one of his predecessors was exposed recently, that 'it [fell] far short of a cover-up' - even though a complaint had been made to the diocese in the 1990's. The Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, needs to be much less defensive and more open. "The Church cannot escape blame for the failure of numerous inquiries to uncover the truth only now starting to become apparent. That failure has allowed perpetrators to continue abusing and evade justice, compounding the abuse of victims. "Given the appalling record in Chichester, I have no confidence in any country-wide enquiry conducted by the Church, however notionally independent, and I am calling for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, led by Hon. Lowell Goddard, to pay particular attention to Chichester." | |
House of Lords debates bill to outlaw gender discrimination in UK sharia ‘courts’News | Fri, 23rd Oct 2015 The Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill, proposed by Baroness Cox, has passed its second reading in the House of Lords and was met with support from peers across the political spectrum. The Bill would make it illegal for any arbitration tribunal to "do anything that constitutes discrimination, harassment or victimisation on grounds of sex" and several honorary associates of the NSS offered their support for the Bill. It would specifically prohibit those providing arbitration services from "treating the evidence of a man as worth more than the evidence of a woman" and from "proceeding on the assumption that a woman has fewer property rights than a man". Introducing her Bill, Baroness Cox said it was "strongly supported by many organisations concerned with the suffering of vulnerable women, including the Muslim Women's Advisory Council, Karma Nirvana, Passion for Freedom as well as by the National Secular Society." She quoted one Muslim woman who told her, "I feel betrayed by Britain. I came here to get away from this and the situation is worse here than in the country I escaped from". Baroness Flather, an honorary associate of the National Secular Society, said there should be no parallel legal system in the UK, and that while it was a "particular issue for women", it was not a "women's issue", but one of national importance for all. She said that gender discrimination was inbuilt to sharia, and that people who come to live in the UK have a "duty" to integrate – she warned that there was "no desire" to integrate among many Muslim communities, and warned that a "state within a state" would arise unless greater efforts were made. She said that she did not want the "culture of an Islamic country" practised in the UK. During the debate Baroness Donaghy said, "We cannot afford to go backwards" to a situation where women were not equal before the law. She added said that arbitration and mediation were being confused in sharia 'courts'. Baroness Eaton said there was increasing evidence that sharia law was being used as an alternative legal process. "Many women not born here, lacking language and education" are in a vulnerable position and are "often unaware" of their rights under UK law, she added, warning of tribunals pretending to have legal power. Baroness Eaton welcomed that the Bill would create an offence of pretending to be a court. The Baroness said that "many women and girls in the UK are suffering systematic, religiously-sanctioned gender discrimination." The Bill addresses the precarious position of women in unrecognised Islamic marriages, and would require public bodies to inform individuals of the need to "obtain an officially recognised marriage in order to have legal protection" and notify people "that a polygamous household may be without legal protection and a polygamous household may be unlawful." Lord Sheikh said that "Muslims were clear" that UK law prevailed, but defended the use of sharia councils. He said that there should be no "coercion" about the use of sharia councils, but other peers pointed out that women come under immense pressure from their families and communities to go to sharia 'courts' instead of availing themselves of their rights under UK law. He also claimed the Bill aimed to "demonise Muslims" – a point strongly rebutted by Lord Carlile who described the Bill an attempt to "demonise discrimination". Lord Sheikh was also challenged by Baroness Flather over whether gender discrimination was inherent within sharia law. Sheikh replied: "it depends what [you mean] by discrimination". Baroness Massey, also an honorary associate of the National Secular Society, said that the "unequal division" of an estate between male and female children would not be enforceable under UK law, and added her voice to warnings from other peers about women being left unaware of their rights. She said that girls needed to be "better educated" to avoid religious gender discrimination later in life. Lord Kalms said that "religious fundamentalism is a system that will always be in conflict with Western liberal democracy" and that it is a system of "non-negotiable, theocratic edicts which run completely against our concepts of human rights and equality." "Intolerant religions always make unacceptable encroachments when they are in a minority", and cause "catastrophes where they dominate". Secular law must "always stand supreme," he said, praising the Bill. "Our laws are supreme over every religious 'court'", he continued, "one law for all applies, uncompromisingly; British law. If any woman in front of a sharia 'court' is not fully aware of her rights under the British law, any judgements must have no binding basis. All involved should be charged with what amounts to perversion of the course of justice." Lord Faulks, speaking for the Government, reiterated the Government's intention to conduct an independent review of Sharia Courts. The Minister of State for Justice said that the Government did not know how many sharia councils were in operation and he said it took concerns "very seriously" but questioned whether the Bill was the right way to deal with the problems that exist. Baroness Cox said she had "sincerely hoped" the Government would have been more sympathetic to her Bill and said that to the many organisations representing Muslim women and human rights groups these "modest" proposals would have been welcome. The full debate can be read here. | |
Bishops show why Church and State should splitOpinion | Wed, 28th Oct 2015 The Church of England is now widely regarded as irrelevant in the political and secular society that it seeks to minister and its bishops have no right to be part of our legislature, argues best-selling author and former Anglican priest GP Taylor. I am not sure what the Bishops of the Church of England are getting up to these days. As their churches are emptying faster than a holey bucket, they again decide to dabble in politics. Eighty-four of them signed a letter to David Cameron badgering him to take more refugees – something which is out of step with public opinion. However, many Bishops regard public opinion as something that doesn't apply to them. From my own experience as a priest, I know first-hand that some rule their bishoprics like tribal fiefdoms. Their grand pharisaic houses are not just offices but palatial apartments and a number of Bishops even have chauffeurs to take them to engagements. In some Dioceses it is as if the world of All Gas and Gaiters is alive and well. Far from the church living in the 21st century, a Victorian attitude of ecclesiastical superiority pervades. Nothing is clearer in this than the attempted rebuttal of criticism of the Bishops' letter written by Nick Baines in The Yorkshire Post last Thursday. With the Bishops accused of left wing bias, the Bishop of Leeds appears to throw his teddy out of the font in his clerical rant against the politicians and the media. Again this is a mammoth lack of understanding of the culture that the Bishop is called to serve. What the CoE has to understand is that it is now seen as being totally irrelevant in the political and secular society that it seeks to minister to. The actions of successive naughty vicars, faithless Bishops and loopy Archbishops only serve to make the Church a religious sideshow at best and a laughing stock at worse. The hard work of many parish priests who strive long hours to encourage a handful to persevere in faith is often undermined. I would dread the pompous Bishop whom I served coming to my church. It would usually take weeks of hard work to mend the damage one of his 10-minute sermons could do. Pay more quota, work harder and have less clergy were always spouted from his pulpit like a Thatcherite mantra wrapped up in a homily about something he had heard on Radio Four about global warming. Despite the Bishops' protestations that the letter to Cameron wasn't lecturing to anyone, it is a fine example of why the Church should stay out of politics. It must be understood that the role of the Church within the State is over. We live in a culture where Christian influence is dwindling and where secularism is ascending. There is no need for the CofE to be linked to the establishment any more. This medieval arrangement has to stop. Bishops should be kicked out of the House of Lords as they have no right to be part of a legislature. It is interesting that they plan their dabbling in politics in a very politically correct way. They seem to choose causes that make them seem warm and cuddly. Almost never do they publicly address those things on the hearts and minds of their parishioners. I have yet to hear a Bishop criticise Muslim fundamentalism or call for action over the slaughter of thousands of Christians by Isis. When do they speak out about arranged marriages, female genital mutilation or the oppression and murder of gay people and women in some countries around the world? What are their views on the plight of their parishioners forced out of jobs and homes by low cost economic migrants? Why aren't they protesting about the cruelty of ritually slaughtered animals? Speaking out on issues such as these would show the world that they had a spine. After all wasn't it Jesus who took on the Bankers in the Temple, beat them up and threw them out? Surely, it was Christ who was the founder of the direct action, Occupy movement? Despite what some Bishops might think, it really is the job of a Bishop to get their own house in order before criticising the one next door. A Bishop is called to be a Shepherd of his flock to look after his people and clergy as a chief pastor. They are tasked with being spiritual mentors and protecting the church from heresy. Sadly, so often I hear from fellow clergy who are in need and have little or no support from those appointed to care for them. One friend has repeatedly asked to see his Bishop and is constantly fobbed off. It is clear to see that once a priest is elected to high office they see it as a divine right to put their noses into places where they are no longer seen as relevant. The only way to stop the Church interfering in the matters of State is to cut the cord that binds them together. A secular country does not need the interference of a spiritual club. It is the role of the Church to make disciples of all people and bring them to faith, not to tell David Cameron what his foreign policy should be. GP Taylor is a writer, broadcaster and former Anglican Priest. This article first appeared in the Yorkshire Post and is reproduced here with the kind permission of the author. The views expressed in our blogs are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the NSS. | |
BBC continues to reduce its unpopular religious programmingNews | Thu, 29th Oct 2015 The BBC's latest annual report indicates a general reduction in the hours the Corporation devotes to religious broadcasting. The only increase was on BBC1 which devoted 86 hours to religious programmes in the 2014/15 period while in the previous year it was 80 hours. BBC2 reduced its religious output from 69 hours to 50 hours while BBC4 had 21 hours of religion – the same as last year. The amount of religious output on BBC Radio reduced from 611 hours last year to 592 hours this year. The BBC Trust says it is clear that the BBC must do all it can "to stay relevant to all audiences across the UK" and that here is more to do to address audience perceptions as to whether the BBC "fairly represents all the UK's nations and regions, religions and ethnicities." Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, commented: "The BBC seems to be gradually getting the message that very few of its licence-payers are interested in directly religious programmes. We accept that religion cannot be ignored in the modern world – its malign influence is apparent in almost every news bulletin – but there is little evidence that the directly proselytising output is being reduced. We still have a Daily Service and Prayer for the Day as well as discriminatory slots like Thought for the Day and Pause for Thought, which are reserved entirely for religious contributors." Mr Sanderson said that in an increasingly diverse society it was unrealistic to devote so much time to Christianity. "The BBC shouldn't allow its publicly-funded airways to be used to evangelise for a particular religion, which is basically what these daily church services do." |
Read Elsewhere
 | Raif Badawi wins EU's Sakharov human rights prizeRaif Badawi, the Saudi blogger and activist sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam, has won the EU's Sakharov prize for human rights. Sadly this week Ensaf Haidar reported that her husband's lashings are to resume. |
Quotes of the Week
"Once we get into the way of thinking that the best way to deal with extreme views is to suppress them, we get into very dangerous territory indeed. And unfortunately I think that is the way the government is trying to lead."
Vince Cable, speech to the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
"When the Government refused to give statutory status to PSHE and rejected or brushed over all our other recommendations, I was at a loss to understand why it should have taken it so long for it to publish such a feeble response."
Neil Carmichael MP, Chair of the Education Select Committee, Pink News
Essays of the Week
Sara Khan: 'It's up to us to stop these Muslim girls making the worst mistake of their lives'
Alex Preston, the Guardian
Why we should defend the right to be offensive
Roger Scruton, BBC Point of View
India, France and Secularism
Sylvie Kauffmann, New York Times
NSS Speaks Out
Executive director Keith Porteous Wood was quoted in the Telegraph and Brighton Argus (twice) and interviewed by BBC South East Today, about Church of England cover-ups and the third Sussex priest in three weeks to be sentenced for child sex abuse.
Campaigns manager Stephen Evans was quoted in the Economist on the launch of the Defend Free Speech campaign.
