NSS Opinion
Faith universities are an anachronism
Posted: Fri, 14 May 2021 by Keith Sharpe
Churches continue to manage and govern several universities in the UK, enabling discrimination and creating tension between universities' academic purpose and the interests of those who control them, says Keith Sharpe. Read More »
The drive for ‘religious literacy’ in the media would undermine press freedom
Posted: Wed, 12 May 2021 by Chris Sloggett
A parliamentary report has called for measures to promote 'religious literacy' in the media - including tighter regulation. Chris Sloggett says we should beware the risks of requiring journalists to tread on eggshells. Read More »
The DfE must show leadership when religious hardliners turn on schools
Posted: Thu, 06 May 2021 by Stephen Evans
The start of an investigation into the Batley Grammar affair raises questions over the government's willingness to ensure assertive religious voices don't dictate what happens in classrooms, says Stephen Evans. Read More »
Faith groups have no business inspecting schools
Posted: Fri, 30 Apr 2021 by Stephen Evans
Publicly funded school inspections which enable clerics to exert undue influence should have no place in a modern education system, argues Stephen Evans. Read More »
Regressive religious demands shouldn't hold sway over political decisions
Posted: Thu, 15 Apr 2021 by Stephen Evans
Much of a pre-election letter from Scotland's Catholic bishops highlights the risks of allowing religious dogma to dictate public policy, says Stephen Evans. Read More »
Women Leaving Islam: the rights of those who leave religion must be protected
Posted: Wed, 14 Apr 2021 by Helen Nicholls
The film Women Leaving Islam shows the risks facing those who stand up for the fundamental right to leave religion and the ongoing neglect of minorities within minorities in public life, says Helen Nicholls. Read More »
We must find the political will to end discriminatory school admissions
Posted: Mon, 12 Apr 2021 by Alastair Lichten
As families in England prepare to find out which primary schools their children will attend, Alastair Lichten says ending faith-based discrimination would make the admissions system fairer and simpler. Read More »
There is nothing new about cartoons which mock religion
Posted: Thu, 08 Apr 2021 by Bob Forder
Religious leaders have long feared irreverent drawings that could challenge their authority. We should remember that amid the latest effort to prevent the use of Muhammad cartoons, says Bob Forder. Read More »
If Scotland wants to uphold children’s rights, its schools need to change
Posted: Thu, 08 Apr 2021 by Megan Manson
After the Scottish parliament's decision to sign a charter for children's rights into law, Megan Manson says parties in the upcoming election should challenge religious groups' privileged influence over education policy. Read More »
Western liberals’ weakness on blasphemy is letting down Muslim dissenters
Posted: Wed, 31 Mar 2021 by Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
The hand-wringing in the face of a vicious campaign against a teacher sends a demoralising message to those fighting for free speech on religion globally and in British Muslim communities, says Kunwar Khuldune Shahid. Read More »
A lesson in blasphemy
Posted: Fri, 26 Mar 2021 by Stephen Evans
After a teacher was suspended for showing cartoons of Muhammad in class, NSS CEO Stephen Evans says we shouldn't accept a religious veto on critical enquiry in the classroom. Read More »
Women in NI should have the same abortion rights as other UK citizens
Posted: Wed, 24 Mar 2021 by Stephen Evans
Other people's religious beliefs shouldn't be allowed to continue to thwart women's access to safe and accessible abortion services in Northern Ireland, argues Stephen Evans. Read More »
Ending compulsory worship in schools should be next on the agenda for Wales
Posted: Tue, 16 Mar 2021 by Alastair Lichten
Following major curriculum reforms in Wales, Alastair Lichten argues that the Senedd should now turn its attention to ending the collective worship requirement in schools. Read More »
Any serious counter-extremism strategy should consider religious charities
Posted: Mon, 15 Mar 2021 by Megan Manson
As a commission calls for action to tackle hateful extremism, Megan Manson says changes in the charity sector – including legal reform – would be both helpful and compatible with fundamental liberal principles. Read More »
Faith-based school admissions pave the way for sexist and unreasonable demands. It’s time to end them
Posted: Fri, 05 Mar 2021 by Megan Manson
An adjudicator's ruling has exposed the outrageous requirements a state-funded faith school places on pupils and their families. This shows the need to end faith-based discrimination in admissions, says Megan Manson. Read More »
Joint campuses are a cop out in efforts to tackle sectarianism
Posted: Wed, 03 Mar 2021 by Neil Barber
As the Scottish government confirms funding for a new joint campus between a non-denominational school and a Catholic one, Neil Barber says ministers should instead seek a unified, secular education system. Read More »
NI’s education review is a golden chance to take a stand for inclusion
Posted: Thu, 25 Feb 2021 by Alastair Lichten
Alastair Lichten says a review of education provision in Northern Ireland must be willing to challenge entrenched religious interests to deliver on ambitions for a more efficient and inclusive system. Read More »
The evidence against faith schools is overwhelming
Posted: Tue, 23 Feb 2021 by Steven Kettell and Rebecca Vernon
A comprehensive new bank of academic research shows how shaky the main arguments for faith schools are, say its authors Steven Kettell and Rebecca Vernon. Read More »
Ireland's mother and baby homes scandal shows the necessity of separating church and state
Posted: Fri, 05 Feb 2021 by Keith Porteous Wood
The misery which women and children faced for decades highlights the damage that can be done when states leave religious authority unchecked, says NSS president Keith Porteous Wood. Read More »
Religious censorship is about ownership
Posted: Tue, 02 Feb 2021 by Megan Manson
Theocratic demands for censorship in India and Pakistan reflect attempts to grab power which undermine everyone's religious freedom, says Megan Manson. Read More »
Christian nationalism is a key part of Trump’s legacy
Posted: Thu, 21 Jan 2021 by Alastair Lichten
Alastair Lichten argues that understanding Christian nationalism is essential to understanding the presidency of Donald Trump and its consequences for the world. Read More »
Our school – and community – were severely disadvantaged by our C of E status
Posted: Wed, 20 Jan 2021 by John Mapperley
Former headteacher John Mapperley says the school he ran was given a vastly reduced range of options when considering academy status – and he believes the church puts its own interests above those of pupils. Read More »
Religious conversion isn’t a charitable endeavour
Posted: Thu, 14 Jan 2021 by Megan Manson
Some registered charities exist primarily to convert members of one religion to another. Megan Manson says such activity is harmful to community cohesion – and shouldn't be treated as a valid charitable purpose. Read More »
"Being offended is the price we pay for living in a free society": NSS CEO talks to Charlie Hebdo
Posted: Thu, 14 Jan 2021 by Charlie Hebdo
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans was interviewed in a recent edition of Charlie Hebdo which marked six years since the attack on its staff. The interview is reproduced here in English. Read More »
The lockdown exemption for communal worship represents a dangerous double standard
Posted: Tue, 05 Jan 2021 by Stephen Evans
With the country again plunged into a strict lockdown, Stephen Evans questions the rationale behind and wisdom of an exemption for religious worship in England. Read More »
