NSS Opinion
Faith schools: why reducing the harm isn’t enough
Posted: Mon, 23 Apr 2018 by Alastair Lichten
We can mitigate the harm caused by faith schools in plenty of ways. But after the launch of the No More Faith Schools campaign, Alastair Lichten says the long-term battle is over the fact faith groups run schools at all.
I spent a lot of Friday reading though... Read More »
The row over right of withdrawal highlights the need to reform RE
Posted: Fri, 13 Apr 2018 by Stephen Evans
Teachers from the ATL union have voted to demand a clampdown on parents selectively withdrawing their children from RE. But Stephen Evans says the right to withdraw should only be scrapped once the subject is reformed.
A teaching union warned recently that... Read More »
Bishops must be accountable – and not just to themselves
Posted: Fri, 23 Mar 2018 by Richard Scorer
Abridged version of the winding-up speech by lawyer Richard Scorer of Slater and Gordon, also an NSS vice president, at the IICSA inquiry's hearings into the handling of child sexual abuse in the diocese of Chichester.
This has been the first opportunity for... Read More »
What comes after The Silence of the Liberals?
Posted: Fri, 16 Mar 2018 by Chris Sloggett
Nick Cohen has skewered the hypocrisy of leftists who apologise for Islamic intolerance, says Chris Sloggett. To defeat it we must assert the value of free speech as the most precious right which citizens share.
"I'm as interested in what isn't said as what... Read More »
We can’t build a shared society around segregated schools
Posted: Thu, 15 Mar 2018 by Alastair Lichten
Our education and schools officer examines the education proposals in the Government's new integration strategy, arguing they should lead to a wider discussion of children's rights and facing up to the religious segregation rife in education.
When we talk about... Read More »
Church dysfunctionality laid bare by child sexual abuse inquiry
Posted: Sun, 11 Mar 2018 by Keith Porteous Wood
As the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse turns its attention to the Church of England, Keith Porteous Wood says it must act on evidence which has highlighted the desperate need to hold the C of E to account.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual... Read More »
What secularism means for African women’s rights and citizenship
Posted: Thu, 08 Mar 2018 by Dr Fatou Sow
In a long read for International Women's Day, Dr Fatou Sow says secularism is a feminist issue and reflects on its particular importance to women in Africa.
I join this conversation as an academic researcher in sociology and an activist, as the Director of... Read More »
Seven women who refused to be silenced by religious bullies
Posted: Thu, 08 Mar 2018 by Megan Manson
On International Women's Day, Megan Manson celebrates the stories of seven brave and determined women in the UK who religious hardliners have tried – and failed miserably – to bully over the past year.
Religion is one of the key obstructions to... Read More »
Male circumcision is an issue of religious freedom - and should be prohibited as such
Posted: Tue, 06 Mar 2018 by Dr Marika McAdam
Proponents of ritual genital cutting often claim a 'right' to religious freedom justifies their position. But individuals have rights, says Dr Marika McAdam – and for boys, they include the right to autonomy over their own foreskins.
In amending laws... Read More »
The C of E cannot be trusted to deal with safeguarding complaints in house
Posted: Mon, 05 Mar 2018 by Richard Scorer
On the first day of hearings into child sexual abuse in the Church of England, NSS vice-president Richard Scorer told an inquiry that protecting children requires independent oversight and mandatory reporting.
Earlier today I addressed the Independent Inquiry... Read More »
Religious freedom isn't a licence to violate others’ rights
Posted: Thu, 01 Mar 2018 by Stephen Evans
Increasing clashes between religious orthodoxy and secular liberalism highlight one of the most pressing challenges facing contemporary societies; how to manage the incredible religious and cultural diversity that exist within them. This throws up important... Read More »
Sturgeon’s praise for Catholic schools will exacerbate Scotland’s tribal divisions
Posted: Wed, 28 Feb 2018 by Neil Barber
Catholic schools are no remedy for a society facing ingrained sectarian division, writes Neil Barber. In praising them Scotland's first minister has shown a willingness to sacrifice social cohesion to reach a block vote.
Often referred to as "Scotland's shame",... Read More »
How cutting cultures deny dissenters their voice and identity
Posted: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 by Dr Antony Lempert
As Icelandic lawmakers consider whether to ban cutting infants' genitals for non-medical reasons, Dr Antony Lempert reflects on the ferocious backlash to the proposal in the UK.
This week non-therapeutic childhood male circumcision has hit the UK headlines... Read More »
We can’t allow faith groups to hamper efforts to regulate supplementary schools
Posted: Mon, 12 Feb 2018 by Stephen Evans
As a trial reveals the brainwashing of boys during evening classes at a mosque in Barking, Stephen Evans says the Government should defy faith groups which resist the regulation of out-of-school educational settings.
Schools rightly have safeguarding responsibilities... Read More »
The Government should be wary of its review on sharia ‘law’
Posted: Wed, 07 Feb 2018 by Sadikur Rahman
Sadikur Rahman says implementing official recommendations on sharia 'courts' would entangle civil and religious law and undermine vulnerable women's rights. The Government should instead secularise the marriage laws.
Ten years ago today Rowan Williams suggested... Read More »
Schools and segregation: a lesson from France
Posted: Tue, 30 Jan 2018 by Keith Sharpe
The Government is preparing to extend religious selection in faith schools. Keith Sharpe contrasts its willingness to cause greater segregation with French efforts to encourage integration in the wake of terror attacks.
For secularists interested in education... Read More »
Why are journalists dancing to the Islamists’ tune over Sara Khan?
Posted: Thu, 25 Jan 2018 by Chris Sloggett
Islamists and their apologists have dominated coverage of the Government's appointment of Sara Khan, says Chris Sloggett. Journalists should stop indulging them just because they shout loudly.
'Controversial' is a word that means almost nothing while revealing... Read More »
Religious bullies are on a roll. It’s time we all stood up to them
Posted: Thu, 25 Jan 2018 by Stephen Evans
Amid a series of concessions to religious hardliners, Stephen Evans says those brave enough to resist their demands need much more support.
No sooner had Sara Khan been appointed the new Commissioner for Countering Extremism than the reactionaries were howling... Read More »
Faith School Admissions: Four Myths Busted
Posted: Mon, 22 Jan 2018 by Megan Manson
Megan Manson takes on common myths about the 50% cap on children admitted on religious grounds to faith schools.
It's unpleasant enough that any institution would turn away a child on the basis of their parents' beliefs. When it's a state-funded school, it's... Read More »
Book review: 'Persepolis'
Posted: Tue, 16 Jan 2018 by Megan Manson
In light of the recent protests in Iran, and the rise of Islamist extremism throughout the world, Megan Manson looks back at the graphic novel Persepolis, published nearly 20 years ago.
If there were ever a perfect time to read Persepolis, it would be now.... Read More »
Will Anglicanism reign supreme at the next coronation?
Posted: Fri, 12 Jan 2018 by Stephen Evans
As the BBC focuses on the Queen's coronation, Stephen Evans says the next initiation of the UK's head of state will be a major test of the monarchy's ability to evolve and reflect the nation it serves.
On Sunday the BBC will broadcast an hour-long film on the... Read More »
The David and Goliath battle in our schools: parents versus religion
Posted: Thu, 11 Jan 2018 by Megan Manson
As NSS research highlights a systemic bias against secular schooling, Megan Manson explores the tactics used by religion to infiltrate education – and how parents are fighting back.
In November, the National Secular Society got a call from a parent whose... Read More »
How to win (cathedral) friends and influence people
Posted: Wed, 10 Jan 2018 by Ed Moore
The Government is hailing the work done under a fund for the restoration of cathedrals. But NSS treasurer Ed Moore asks if it is really a taxpayer-funded opportunity for Church of England archbishops to grab power.
As Chancellor Osborne's 2014 First World War... Read More »
Fundamentalists feel the Force of Star Wars
Posted: Tue, 09 Jan 2018 by Megan Manson
Sabbatarians in Lewis claim a right to impose their beliefs on others, including by banning screenings of Star Wars on Sundays. Megan Manson asks if they would make these demands if Jediism was a recognised religion.
Obi-Wan has taught them well. When An Lanntair... Read More »
Let’s point out that the ‘Je ne suis pas Charlie’ brigade are helping the terrorists win
Posted: Sun, 07 Jan 2018 by Chris Sloggett
Three years after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, Chris Sloggett says it is a moral duty to push back against those who invent outrages to impugn the magazine's reputation.
Terrorism will never prevail. Terrorists will never change who we are. Terrorists will never... Read More »
