NSS Opinion
Religion and politics – the discrepancy at the heart of our schools
Posted: Tue, 12 Jun 2018 by Alastair Lichten
Schools are forbidden from promoting, showing favouritism to or discriminating on the grounds of partisan politics. Alastair Lichten asks why partisan religious beliefs are treated so differently.
Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 (applying to... Read More »
Just how equal is marriage now?
Posted: Sun, 10 Jun 2018 by Megan Manson
After the NSS revealed the extra hassle and expense involved in arranging same-sex and non-religious weddings in England and Wales, Megan Manson calls for marriage to be made a civil affair in the eyes of the law.
The institution of marriage has radically transformed.... Read More »
New guidance on the right to withdraw from RE in Wales – response
Posted: Wed, 06 Jun 2018 by Alastair Lichten
New guidance on managing parents' right to withdraw their children from religious education in Wales is largely common sense, says Alastair Lichten. But it downplays the confessional nature of some RE teaching.
The right to withdraw from RE is a difficult area... Read More »
It shouldn’t be normal for pubs to conform to blasphemy codes
Posted: Wed, 06 Jun 2018 by Chris Sloggett
The brewer Greene King has taken the Saudi Arabian flag down from its World Cup displays after complaints from some Muslims that an Islamic symbol shouldn't be in a place which serves alcohol. Chris Sloggett responds.
Do you find the Saudi Arabian flag offensive?... Read More »
Section 28 was a shameful piece of legislation prompted by fake news
Posted: Wed, 23 May 2018 by Terry Sanderson
Thirty years after the government banned local authorities from 'promoting' homosexuality, Terry Sanderson reflects on the hysteria that prompted Section 28, the fear it caused and the backing religious fanatics gave it.
The struggle for gay rights in this... Read More »
The government's U-turn shows the tide is turning against faith schools
Posted: Fri, 18 May 2018 by Stephen Evans
The decision not to allow more faith-based admissions to new free schools in England is a big win, says Stephen Evans. But the expansion of faith schools is the wrong response to Britain's growing religious diversity.
The government's U-turn on its manifesto... Read More »
How secularism cuts the Gordian knot in education
Posted: Fri, 18 May 2018 by Megan Manson
Faith schools' approach to admissions and sex education reminds us that religious groups' interests often conflict with those of society. Megan Manson says the only answer to this is to separate education from religion.
When we tie religion and state together,... Read More »
We’ll all suffer if we let religion dictate how public servants do their jobs
Posted: Tue, 01 May 2018 by Chris Sloggett
Politicians have hung a coroner who stood up to religious groups out to dry, says Chris Sloggett. And they've revealed how foolish we are to indulge individualistic demands for state services to accommodate religion.
When Mary Hassell isn't appearing in court,... Read More »
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 »
