Author: Chris Sloggett

Michael Higgins

Heads of state shouldn’t have to swear religious oaths

A challenge to Ireland's religious presidential oath should be supported – and prompt questions across the Irish... Read More »

Naz Shah MP

Naz Shah’s argument on blasphemy should be rejected

The Labour MP has effectively called for a blasphemy law as she highlighted the "emotional harm" caused by depictions... Read More »

Welcome to Batley

The ugly Batley and Spen campaign showed the risks of indulging religious identity politics

Voters and politicians who value social cohesion and basic democratic principles should reject the trend of pandering... Read More »

Newspapers

The drive for ‘religious literacy’ in the media would undermine press freedom

A parliamentary report has called for measures to promote 'religious literacy' in the media - including tighter regulation.... Read More »

France flag burning

The onus should be on theocrats, not liberal democracies, to change

Liberal equivocation on whether to stand up to jihadist murder and Islamist intimidation is morally wrong, misguided... Read More »

Charlie Hebdo front page 2020

The continued effort to silence Charlie Hebdo is shameful

It is outrageous to try to force this small magazine to give the 2015 killers what they wanted, says Chris Sloggett.... Read More »

Humza Yousaf

Does Scotland’s justice minister realise the reach of his own hate crime bill?

Humza Yousaf has claimed a bill he's proposing isn't a threat to free speech because it sets a high threshold for... Read More »

Scottish parliament

Scotland’s new hate speech law will be too censorious

A new offence of 'stirring up hatred' on religious grounds is too restrictive of free speech, says Chris Sloggett.... Read More »

Church closed during coronavirus outbreak

Secular attitudes and laws are assets against coronavirus

Religious fanaticism is hindering the fight against coronavirus across much of the world. But in Britain claims to... Read More »

Trevor Phillips

Trevor Phillips’s suspension is another blow to robust public debate

You don't need to agree with everything Trevor Phillips has said about Muslims or Islam to be concerned at the attempt... Read More »

Divorce

Don’t let religious interests make divorce any harder than it needs to be

The Church of England and its supporters are opposing plans to make it easier for couples to divorce without assigning... Read More »

BBC Big Questions debate on Islamophobia

Don’t let religious advocates define the boundaries of acceptable thought

A BBC debate on defining 'Islamophobia' was a reminder of the risks of giving too much ground to religious identity... Read More »

Charlie Hebdo cover

Five years after the Charlie Hebdo murders, free expression on religion still needs promoting

Half a decade after the Islamist attack on cartoonists in France, Chris Sloggett says we owe it to the victims and... Read More »

Parliament

Don’t let religious sectarianism tear our democracy apart

Chris Sloggett says the major parties in the current election campaign are indulging Britain's division into religious... Read More »

People

We should expect the religious to follow the same laws as everyone else

In response to a targeted criticism of the NSS for campaigning to end non-stun slaughter, Chris Sloggett says the... Read More »

Sarah Mullally

Don’t take lessons on democracy from Church of England bishops

The bishop of London has lamented the state of British democracy while delivering a sermon at the annual judges' service.... Read More »

Ephraim Mirvis

The chief rabbi has made an anti-democratic attempt to shut down criticism

The chief rabbi has asked secularists to stop campaigning against practices such as faith schools and infant circumcision.... Read More »

Ballot box

Beware moving election dates for religious reasons

The proposed date for a general election has moved to accommodate a Jewish festival. Chris Sloggett asks whether the... Read More »

Justin Welby

Don't expect the Church of England to unify the country

The archbishop of Canterbury has been asked to help unify the country during Brexit. Chris Sloggett warns left-leaning... Read More »

Islamophobia defined

The gatekeepers of public debate can’t patronise away anti-Muslim bigotry

Adopting a proposed definition of 'Islamophobia' would restrict legitimate speech on Islam and embed a failing approach... Read More »

Repeal blasphemy laws

Why won’t the government condemn the existence of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws?

Ministers keep condemning the "misuse" of Pakistan's blasphemy laws in response to parliamentary questions. But the... Read More »

Newspapers

Blasphemy culture mustn’t undermine freedom of the press

The press regulator is consulting on guidelines which will inform the way stories about Islam and Muslims are reported.... Read More »

Prince William

Equality for LGBT people requires a secular head of state

Prince William's comments on supporting his children if they are gay should be treated with much less significance... Read More »

Child

Protecting children means challenging religious privilege

A report on child abuse in religious settings should prompt us to reconsider our relationship with religious institutions... Read More »

Advertising Standards Authority logo

The advertising regulator is pandering to religious offence-taking

As a regulator issues patronising advice to advertisers in the run-up to Easter, Chris Sloggett takes a look at its... Read More »