NSS Opinion
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 »
The Minister for Faith went on a tour of Anglican cathedrals and all we got was a lousy report
Posted: Thu, 04 Jan 2018 by Stephen Evans
Stephen Evans questions the point of a Minister for Faith and says his recent tour of all 42 of England's Anglican cathedrals was a waste of ministerial time and taxpayers' money.
I've often wondered what the point of a Minister for Faith is. What do they actually... Read More »
Case study: Difficulty exercising the right to withdraw from collective worship
Posted: Wed, 03 Jan 2018 by A Pupil
Thanks to campaigning by the NSS, sixth-formers have the right to withdraw themselves from collective worship. But faith schools often make this nigh-on-impossible, as this pupil's story from one academy shows.
My sixth form holds three assemblies a week based... Read More »
Yes, secularism is good for gender equality
Posted: Wed, 03 Jan 2018 by Megan Manson
Western academics who claim that secularism undermines women's rights are not merely wrong; their assertions are a slap in the face of women fighting for their rights under religious tyranny, says Megan Manson.
Of all the images that have emerged from mass... Read More »
It's time to disestablish the Church of England
Posted: Tue, 02 Jan 2018 by Prof. Steven Kettell
As the National Secular Society prepares to send a major report on the subject to MPs, Prof. Steven Kettell says the establishment of the Church of England is incongruous with the beliefs and attitudes of the people it affects.
In the past few decades the landscape... Read More »
Secularism is a challenge to religion’s political power and privilege, not people of faith
Posted: Fri, 22 Dec 2017 by Stephen Evans
Some Christians use the Christmas period to attack secularism for its challenge to their sense of entitlement. But Stephen Evans says the faithful have far more to fear from religious fanatics than secularists.
Buying a copy of the Christmas edition of the... Read More »
Only reform of the law can tackle the Church's temptation to cover up abuse
Posted: Fri, 15 Dec 2017 by Richard Scorer
Richard Scorer reflects on three weeks of damning evidence at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. He says mandatory reporting of institutional abuse is necessary to prevent churches from covering it up to protect their reputation.
For the past... Read More »
The Christian ‘legal army’ in hundreds of court battles worldwide
Posted: Thu, 14 Dec 2017 by Claire Provost & Ella Milburn
Women's rights advocates say the US legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom is "exporting extreme ideologies worldwide" against sexual and reproductive rights. Claire Provost and Ella Milburn investigate.
The international wing of a controversial US... Read More »
Pakistan’s capitulation to extremists sets a dangerous precedent
Posted: Thu, 07 Dec 2017 by Basit Mahmood
Pakistan's government, military and opposition parties have given in to the demands of a fundamentalist mob. Basit Mahmood says this is a blow to those who wish to remain true to the secular vision of Pakistan's founder.
"You are free; you are free to go to... Read More »
