Andrew Brown, editor of the Guardian’s Comment is free Belief section, says Osama bin Laden ‘will live on.’ It’s not surprising really. I mean his comparison of the vile Osama with the abolitionist John Brown and wonderful labour activist Joe Hill says more about him than anything else.
But of course nothing could be further from the truth.
Yes, even the vilest people may live on in some minds. There are still people celebrating Hitler, Stalin and Pinochet but that does not a Joe Hill make. Unfortunately for Andrew Brown (and thankfully for the rest of us), Osama won’t live on just because he and his pro-Islamist cohorts at the Guardian wish it to be so.
Brown quotes a folk song sung for Joe Hill: “And standing there, as big as life, and smiling with his eyes, said Joe what they could never kill went on to organise.”
What Brown doesn’t realise though is that the song is not about the likes of Osama but about the many rising up against oppression and the oppressor, including today against the Islamism Osama personifies. The unfolding revolutions in Iran and across the Middle East and North Africa clearly show the irrelevance of Islamism in people's lives and demands.
No, Osama won’t live on, particularly not when this masss movement of humanity - a third force against both Islamic terrorism and US-led state terrorism - brings Islamism to its knees.
And its time is coming.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Not a royal wedding
This UNICEF advert on child 'marriage' is absolutely brilliant. I’ve scanned it here so you can sign up to the campaign and support an end to what is effectively paedophilia:
Campaigning against Sharia law and for human rights
Dear Friend,
Our battle against Sharia law persists, but we continue to need your help. Since we last wrote to you, we held a very successful conference on Sharia Law, Women’s Rights, and Secularism (see conference report and video footage here). This was held to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and was our most well-attended conference yet. We continue to take part in debates around the world and to oppose sharia and other faith-based laws from a human rights perspective – the only organisation in Britain to do so exclusively.
An Appeal
In our last letter, we informed you that we would write to every MP in the House of Commons and every Peer in the House of Lords, and will send to each one a copy of our report ‘Sharia Law in Britain – A Threat to One Law for All and Equal Rights’. Also included with each letter and report will be an invitation to a debate in the House of Commons on 28 June 2011, which will question the practice of sharia law under the powers of the Arbitration Act 1996 given its anti-woman and anti-child agenda. Final preparations for this are being made as I write.
To make our debate in the Commons as successful as possible in highlighting the problems related to sharia, we are asking you to contact your MP to draw his/her attention to this debate, which will take place on 28 June. They will receive further detail by the end of May. Please inform your representative in Parliament that sharia law operates in a way which is not in the public interest as it discriminates against women and children as a matter of course. Examples you can cite include that under sharia, the testimony of a woman is worth only half of a man, and fathers get child custody rights regardless of the circumstances of the case. You may also highlight a growing campaign among sharia advocates to effectively decriminalise domestic violence for Muslims in Britain (see ‘MAT exposed as liars’).
The Future
One Law for All will continue to battle against religious laws and tribunals and stand up for human rights. In the coming weeks, my co-spokesperson Maryam Namazie and I will be speaking at events in Oxford, London, Birmingham, Lymington, Newcastle, Dublin, Ireland and Genoa, Italy. On 4 June, Maryam will be giving a talk on the Islamist Inquisition at HowTheLightGetsIn philosophy festival at Hay on Wye and debating Islam with Lauren Booth and Iain Edgar. She will also be in Australia for a two-week speaking tour in August. Further details of debates we will contribute to can be found on our website.
Later in the year, we will release a guidebook to highlight women’s rights in British law – with regard to divorce, child custody, domestic violence and other issues – and to inform vulnerable women that they do not have to abide by sharia law; we will provide detailed information to anyone who wishes to avoid these councils and tribunals. This will be accompanied by a video which will be posted on YouTube and similar websites. And please keep an eye out for our ‘Enemies Not Allies’ report which will be posted on our site soon.
I want to thank you once again for your donations and/or support. Please do continue to support our work – every penny makes a real difference to us. And nothing we do would be possible were it not for your help.
Warmest wishes
Anne Marie Waters
Spokesperson
One Law for All
To donate to the crucial work of One Law for All, please either send a cheque made payable to One Law for All to BM Box 2387, London WC1N 3XX, UK or pay via Paypal.
We need regular support that we can rely on and are asking for supporters to commit to giving at least £5-10 a month via direct debit. You can find out more about how to join the 100 Club here.
The One Law for All Campaign was launched on 10 December 2008, International Human Rights Day, to call on the UK Government to recognise that Sharia and religious courts are arbitrary and discriminatory against women and children in particular and that citizenship and human rights are non-negotiable. To join the campaign, sign our petition.
For further information contact:
Anne Marie Waters and Maryam Namazie
Spokespersons
One Law for All
BM Box 2387
London WC1N 3XX, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 7719166731
onelawforall@gmail.com
www.onelawforall.org.uk
Our battle against Sharia law persists, but we continue to need your help. Since we last wrote to you, we held a very successful conference on Sharia Law, Women’s Rights, and Secularism (see conference report and video footage here). This was held to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and was our most well-attended conference yet. We continue to take part in debates around the world and to oppose sharia and other faith-based laws from a human rights perspective – the only organisation in Britain to do so exclusively.
An Appeal
In our last letter, we informed you that we would write to every MP in the House of Commons and every Peer in the House of Lords, and will send to each one a copy of our report ‘Sharia Law in Britain – A Threat to One Law for All and Equal Rights’. Also included with each letter and report will be an invitation to a debate in the House of Commons on 28 June 2011, which will question the practice of sharia law under the powers of the Arbitration Act 1996 given its anti-woman and anti-child agenda. Final preparations for this are being made as I write.
To make our debate in the Commons as successful as possible in highlighting the problems related to sharia, we are asking you to contact your MP to draw his/her attention to this debate, which will take place on 28 June. They will receive further detail by the end of May. Please inform your representative in Parliament that sharia law operates in a way which is not in the public interest as it discriminates against women and children as a matter of course. Examples you can cite include that under sharia, the testimony of a woman is worth only half of a man, and fathers get child custody rights regardless of the circumstances of the case. You may also highlight a growing campaign among sharia advocates to effectively decriminalise domestic violence for Muslims in Britain (see ‘MAT exposed as liars’).
The Future
One Law for All will continue to battle against religious laws and tribunals and stand up for human rights. In the coming weeks, my co-spokesperson Maryam Namazie and I will be speaking at events in Oxford, London, Birmingham, Lymington, Newcastle, Dublin, Ireland and Genoa, Italy. On 4 June, Maryam will be giving a talk on the Islamist Inquisition at HowTheLightGetsIn philosophy festival at Hay on Wye and debating Islam with Lauren Booth and Iain Edgar. She will also be in Australia for a two-week speaking tour in August. Further details of debates we will contribute to can be found on our website.
Later in the year, we will release a guidebook to highlight women’s rights in British law – with regard to divorce, child custody, domestic violence and other issues – and to inform vulnerable women that they do not have to abide by sharia law; we will provide detailed information to anyone who wishes to avoid these councils and tribunals. This will be accompanied by a video which will be posted on YouTube and similar websites. And please keep an eye out for our ‘Enemies Not Allies’ report which will be posted on our site soon.
I want to thank you once again for your donations and/or support. Please do continue to support our work – every penny makes a real difference to us. And nothing we do would be possible were it not for your help.
Warmest wishes
Anne Marie Waters
Spokesperson
One Law for All
To donate to the crucial work of One Law for All, please either send a cheque made payable to One Law for All to BM Box 2387, London WC1N 3XX, UK or pay via Paypal.
We need regular support that we can rely on and are asking for supporters to commit to giving at least £5-10 a month via direct debit. You can find out more about how to join the 100 Club here.
The One Law for All Campaign was launched on 10 December 2008, International Human Rights Day, to call on the UK Government to recognise that Sharia and religious courts are arbitrary and discriminatory against women and children in particular and that citizenship and human rights are non-negotiable. To join the campaign, sign our petition.
For further information contact:
Anne Marie Waters and Maryam Namazie
Spokespersons
One Law for All
BM Box 2387
London WC1N 3XX, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 7719166731
onelawforall@gmail.com
www.onelawforall.org.uk
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
[Not] Forgetting May 1
Chicago is full of factories. There are even factories right in the centre of the city, around the world's tallest building. Chicago is full of factories. Chicago is full of workers.
Arriving in the Haymarket district I ask my friends to show me the place where the workers whom the whole world salutes every May 1 were hanged in 1886. ‘It must be around here,’ they tell me. But nobody knows where.
No statue has been erected in memory of the martyrs of Chicago in the city of Chicago. Not a statue, nor a monolith, not a bronze plaque. Nothing.
May 1 is the only truly universal day of all humanity, the only day when all histories and all geographies, all languages and religions and cultures of the world coincide. But in the United States, May 1 is a day like any other. On that day, people work normally and no one, or almost no one, remembers that the rights of the working class did not spring whole from the ear of a goat, or from the hand of God or the boss.
After my fruitless exploration of the Haymarket, my friends take me to the largest bookstore in the city. And there, poking around, just by accident, I discover an old poster that seems to be waiting for me, stuck among many movie and rock posters. The poster displays an African proverb: Until lions have their own historians, histories of the hunt will glorify the hunter.
- By Eduardo Galleano, the Book of Embraces
Arriving in the Haymarket district I ask my friends to show me the place where the workers whom the whole world salutes every May 1 were hanged in 1886. ‘It must be around here,’ they tell me. But nobody knows where.
No statue has been erected in memory of the martyrs of Chicago in the city of Chicago. Not a statue, nor a monolith, not a bronze plaque. Nothing.
May 1 is the only truly universal day of all humanity, the only day when all histories and all geographies, all languages and religions and cultures of the world coincide. But in the United States, May 1 is a day like any other. On that day, people work normally and no one, or almost no one, remembers that the rights of the working class did not spring whole from the ear of a goat, or from the hand of God or the boss.
After my fruitless exploration of the Haymarket, my friends take me to the largest bookstore in the city. And there, poking around, just by accident, I discover an old poster that seems to be waiting for me, stuck among many movie and rock posters. The poster displays an African proverb: Until lions have their own historians, histories of the hunt will glorify the hunter.
- By Eduardo Galleano, the Book of Embraces
Monday, May 02, 2011
One World, One Movement!
"One World, One Movement!" This is the theme of the May Day’s march of the workers in Vancouver this year. But is this not the true essence of every May Day gathering in Stockholm, Moscow, London, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing, Cairo, Tehran and every other corner of this world? For nearly two centuries we have known that together we are “one movement and one world.” We have known that this world is built on our shoulders, and the richer we make it, the lesser our share of the wealth we produce becomes. We have known this, and generation after generation has fought to change this upside-down world. But there is a different clang to the slogan "One World, One Movement" this year.
The campaigns we have witnessed in the past year in France, Britain, United States, and Greece, as well as the chain of revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia and the whole of North Africa and the Middle East region, open a different horizon in front of us. After nearly three decades of the most reactionary bourgeois forces being on the offensive, now a different discourse begins in the world. Since the 80s of the past century, the world’s political arena has been the scene of undisputed ravages of the "free market," the "New Right," the "New World Order," the "War on Terror" and capital’s undisputed attack on the achievements, livelihoods and rights of workers and deprived masses across the globe. This situation is now changing, and revolutions, the overthrowing of dictators by the force of revolutionary people, the mass involvement of millions to determine their own destiny are among those serious factors contending for influence in the global political arena . It is under these circumstances that the slogan of "One World, One Movement" in the workers' May Day march finds new meaning: This world needs a united global movement to free itself. The force that intends to lead and is capable of leading this movement to victory is the struggle and unity of the working class across the world.
Comrades, wherever in the world you are, unite! We can neutralize the bourgeoisie's dirty tactics - ethnicity, religion, color, gender, “national interest,” and so on - to create division in our ranks. We share the same destiny and need each others' help. We depend on your support for victory over the Islamic Republic and the establishment of freedom and equality in Iran. But our victory is definitely yours too. Join hands and unite ever more determined. Unite for the emancipation of the world and all humanity from the yoke of capital’s exploitation and dictatorship. Today, the world more than ever needs to respond to this call of the Communist Manifesto: “Proletariat of the world unite!"
Worker-communist Party of Iran
April 27, 2011
The campaigns we have witnessed in the past year in France, Britain, United States, and Greece, as well as the chain of revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia and the whole of North Africa and the Middle East region, open a different horizon in front of us. After nearly three decades of the most reactionary bourgeois forces being on the offensive, now a different discourse begins in the world. Since the 80s of the past century, the world’s political arena has been the scene of undisputed ravages of the "free market," the "New Right," the "New World Order," the "War on Terror" and capital’s undisputed attack on the achievements, livelihoods and rights of workers and deprived masses across the globe. This situation is now changing, and revolutions, the overthrowing of dictators by the force of revolutionary people, the mass involvement of millions to determine their own destiny are among those serious factors contending for influence in the global political arena . It is under these circumstances that the slogan of "One World, One Movement" in the workers' May Day march finds new meaning: This world needs a united global movement to free itself. The force that intends to lead and is capable of leading this movement to victory is the struggle and unity of the working class across the world.
Comrades, wherever in the world you are, unite! We can neutralize the bourgeoisie's dirty tactics - ethnicity, religion, color, gender, “national interest,” and so on - to create division in our ranks. We share the same destiny and need each others' help. We depend on your support for victory over the Islamic Republic and the establishment of freedom and equality in Iran. But our victory is definitely yours too. Join hands and unite ever more determined. Unite for the emancipation of the world and all humanity from the yoke of capital’s exploitation and dictatorship. Today, the world more than ever needs to respond to this call of the Communist Manifesto: “Proletariat of the world unite!"
Worker-communist Party of Iran
April 27, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
On Scotland and the veil
See my interview on the veil in the Scotland Herald here.
Whilst attacks on veiled women intolerable, the veil remains a tool for repression. Socially speaking it is never a choice for a vast majority of women. Islamists don't understand choice; they give none when in power.
Whilst attacks on veiled women intolerable, the veil remains a tool for repression. Socially speaking it is never a choice for a vast majority of women. Islamists don't understand choice; they give none when in power.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Do Not Deliver Mohammad Mehdi Maleki to the Fascist Government of Iran
Open Letter to the Swedish Migration Office
Mohammad Mehdi Maleki, Iranian asylum-seeker, born on 28 January 1985, case no. 10-983677
Maleki has been a student political activist against the Islamic Republic.
Mohammad Mehdi Maleki is among the activists who, using the internet and in various other ways has struggled against the regime in Iran until the moment of his detention. Mohammad Mehdi Maleki, as a result of his political activities in Iran, had been identified and persecuted by the security and judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic, and therefore, on 27 March 2008, sought political asylum from the Swedish government. Unfortunately, his application was rejected on the 3rd of December 2008 by the migration office. Maleki had been imprisoned for some time in Iran, but with the help of family and friends, was released on bail. Using that opportunity, he fled the country, entered Sweden, and asked for asylum.
Mohammad Mehdi Maleki, after entering Sweden and asking for asylum in this country, continued his struggle against the medieval rule of the Islamic Republic in Iran. Mohammad Mehdi is among the activists who, in connection to the campaign to save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani from a stoning execution, participated on numerous occasions in demonstrations. During those demonstrations, he protested the savagery of the Islamic regime, and called for overthrowing that regime. Despite this, his asylum application was rejected, and he, like all other refugees, lived in very dire circumstances. The Migration Office gave him permission to work as a trainee in a carwashing facility in Lindesburg.
About 2 months ago, the police visited that facility, but Maleki was not there. The owner of the facility called Mehdi and told him about the visit. As soon as he was informed, Mehdi called the police and left his contact information with the police over the phone. The following day, he reported to the police station, but they told him that although they appreciated his responsible diligence in reporting back to them, the police had no business with him. They told him that he may continue working and living as usual. Mehdi has been a law-abiding person during the time that he has lived in Sweden. Mohammad Mehdi Maleki reported to the Lindesburg Police on Tuesday, 29 of March for the last time and signed the usual papers without any incident. But on the 31st of March, only two days later, he was arrested at his apartment and detained. The police told Mehdi Maleki that the reason for the arrest was because he had sought to hide himself from the authorities. Mehdi, in response, told them that if he had been such a fugitive, he would not have reported to the police, left his contact information with the police, and would not have stayed in his apartment [knowing the police had inquired regarding his whereabouts].He categorically rejected the accusations made by the police.
The Federation knows Mohammad Mehdi Maleki very well and knows that he has been involved in political activities against the Islamic Republic in Örebro. The last protest that Mohammad Mehdi participated in took place on March 16 in the city of Örebro, in protest against the massacre of prisoners in Ghezal Hesar prison [in Iran]. Mehdi too, like many others, has left Islam as his religion and has accepted Christianity - he is considered an apostate. During the time that he has been in detention, he has been interviewed by a large number of Farsi-language media inside and outside of Sweden, and has emphasized his political activism and his apostasy. Only these are enough to put him in harm's way if he is returned by force to Iran. Specifically, the television station called " Andishe," in the United States, which broadcasts its programs into Iran, interviewed Mohammad Mehdi Maleki on the 7th of April and aired his story and his photograph. On the 14th of April, the Farsi-speaking radio called Radio HamsafarIran Emrooz in Gotenburg also interviewed him. On April 13th, Radio Voice of Refugees in Gotenburg interviewed Mehdi about his reasons for seeking asylum. In these interviews, Maleki, on numerous occasions, has repeated that he escaped from the Islamic Republic of Iran, but unfortunately, the Migration Office of Sweden rejected his reasons for seeking asylum
in Stockholm interviewed him on the same subject. On April 4th, another radio program called
Mohammad Mehdi Maleki has played a very active role against the Islamic Republic on Facebook, and has appeared there with his name and picture. Only one of the occasions in which Mohammad Mehdi Maleki participated in a protest against the stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani in the city of Örebro is enough to be indicted by the Islamic Republic for acting against national security and the Islamic Republic system.
For instance, the government of Norway deported an Iranian asylum-seeker by the name Rahim Rostami on February 9, 2011, who is now imprisoned in Evin and in harm's way. Last month, Mohseni Ejaei, the chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Iran, announced during a press conference that the system will treat those outside of Iran who act against the Islamic regime the same way that it treats those citizens inside Iran who act against the regime. Despite all of the above, despite the dangers awaiting Mehdi if he is returned, the migration office has decided to deport Mohammad Mehdi Maleki to the inferno of the Islamic Republic.
Considering the consequences and the dangers of refoulement, the International Federation of Iranian Refugees calls on all organizations and institutions defending refugee rights to intervene and demand Mehdi's release from detention by the Migration Office, cancellation of the deportation, and defense of his asylum rights.
Signature:
Abdollah Asadi,
Secretary of the Solidarity International Federation of Iranian Refugees
17 April 2011
Mohammad Mehdi Maleki, Iranian asylum-seeker, born on 28 January 1985, case no. 10-983677
Maleki has been a student political activist against the Islamic Republic.
Mohammad Mehdi Maleki is among the activists who, using the internet and in various other ways has struggled against the regime in Iran until the moment of his detention. Mohammad Mehdi Maleki, as a result of his political activities in Iran, had been identified and persecuted by the security and judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic, and therefore, on 27 March 2008, sought political asylum from the Swedish government. Unfortunately, his application was rejected on the 3rd of December 2008 by the migration office. Maleki had been imprisoned for some time in Iran, but with the help of family and friends, was released on bail. Using that opportunity, he fled the country, entered Sweden, and asked for asylum.
Mohammad Mehdi Maleki, after entering Sweden and asking for asylum in this country, continued his struggle against the medieval rule of the Islamic Republic in Iran. Mohammad Mehdi is among the activists who, in connection to the campaign to save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani from a stoning execution, participated on numerous occasions in demonstrations. During those demonstrations, he protested the savagery of the Islamic regime, and called for overthrowing that regime. Despite this, his asylum application was rejected, and he, like all other refugees, lived in very dire circumstances. The Migration Office gave him permission to work as a trainee in a carwashing facility in Lindesburg.
About 2 months ago, the police visited that facility, but Maleki was not there. The owner of the facility called Mehdi and told him about the visit. As soon as he was informed, Mehdi called the police and left his contact information with the police over the phone. The following day, he reported to the police station, but they told him that although they appreciated his responsible diligence in reporting back to them, the police had no business with him. They told him that he may continue working and living as usual. Mehdi has been a law-abiding person during the time that he has lived in Sweden. Mohammad Mehdi Maleki reported to the Lindesburg Police on Tuesday, 29 of March for the last time and signed the usual papers without any incident. But on the 31st of March, only two days later, he was arrested at his apartment and detained. The police told Mehdi Maleki that the reason for the arrest was because he had sought to hide himself from the authorities. Mehdi, in response, told them that if he had been such a fugitive, he would not have reported to the police, left his contact information with the police, and would not have stayed in his apartment [knowing the police had inquired regarding his whereabouts].He categorically rejected the accusations made by the police.
The Federation knows Mohammad Mehdi Maleki very well and knows that he has been involved in political activities against the Islamic Republic in Örebro. The last protest that Mohammad Mehdi participated in took place on March 16 in the city of Örebro, in protest against the massacre of prisoners in Ghezal Hesar prison [in Iran]. Mehdi too, like many others, has left Islam as his religion and has accepted Christianity - he is considered an apostate. During the time that he has been in detention, he has been interviewed by a large number of Farsi-language media inside and outside of Sweden, and has emphasized his political activism and his apostasy. Only these are enough to put him in harm's way if he is returned by force to Iran. Specifically, the television station called " Andishe," in the United States, which broadcasts its programs into Iran, interviewed Mohammad Mehdi Maleki on the 7th of April and aired his story and his photograph. On the 14th of April, the Farsi-speaking radio called Radio HamsafarIran Emrooz in Gotenburg also interviewed him. On April 13th, Radio Voice of Refugees in Gotenburg interviewed Mehdi about his reasons for seeking asylum. In these interviews, Maleki, on numerous occasions, has repeated that he escaped from the Islamic Republic of Iran, but unfortunately, the Migration Office of Sweden rejected his reasons for seeking asylum
in Stockholm interviewed him on the same subject. On April 4th, another radio program called
Mohammad Mehdi Maleki has played a very active role against the Islamic Republic on Facebook, and has appeared there with his name and picture. Only one of the occasions in which Mohammad Mehdi Maleki participated in a protest against the stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani in the city of Örebro is enough to be indicted by the Islamic Republic for acting against national security and the Islamic Republic system.
For instance, the government of Norway deported an Iranian asylum-seeker by the name Rahim Rostami on February 9, 2011, who is now imprisoned in Evin and in harm's way. Last month, Mohseni Ejaei, the chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Iran, announced during a press conference that the system will treat those outside of Iran who act against the Islamic regime the same way that it treats those citizens inside Iran who act against the regime. Despite all of the above, despite the dangers awaiting Mehdi if he is returned, the migration office has decided to deport Mohammad Mehdi Maleki to the inferno of the Islamic Republic.
Considering the consequences and the dangers of refoulement, the International Federation of Iranian Refugees calls on all organizations and institutions defending refugee rights to intervene and demand Mehdi's release from detention by the Migration Office, cancellation of the deportation, and defense of his asylum rights.
Signature:
Abdollah Asadi,
Secretary of the Solidarity International Federation of Iranian Refugees
17 April 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Away until 3 May
I will be away until 3 May so will most likely not be making many entries on my blog. See you when I get back.
Friday, April 08, 2011
Report on Women's Rights, Sharia Law and Secularism Conference
To mark and celebrate 100 years of International Women’s Day, a one day conference was held on 12 March 2011 to discuss the impact of religion on the lives of women. The conference was organised by One Law for All and the International Committee against Stoning, Iran Solidarity, and Equal Rights Now.
The day started with an opening address by renowned philosopher A C Grayling which was followed by a hugely successful conference with speakers from across the world creating a vibrant and very important debate.
Issues explored included the impact of religion on women’s rights - and whether religion is compatible with women’s rights - and whether it should be curtailed in the interests of the rights and equality of women. A discussion on religion and secularism looked at the relationship between religion and secularism and whether these are interdependent, complimentary or contradictory. It followed with a discussion on religion and the law –looking at religion’s influence on law and law makers, and on the importance of secularism and a closing address by Maryam Namazie.
Speakers included: Ahlam Akram, Executive Committee member of the Arab Jewish Forum and Joint Action for Israeli Palestinian Peace (UK), Helle Merete Brix, Writer and Commentator on free speech and the rise of political Islam (Denmark), Philipp Bekaert, Member of Réseau d'Actions pour la Promotion d'un Etat Laïque (Belgium), Julie Bindel, Journalist and Campaigner to end violence against women and children (UK), Patty Debonitas, Spokesperson of Iran Solidarity (UK), Nadia Geerts, Co-founder of Réseau d’Action pour la Promotion d’un Etat laïque (Belgium), Maria Hagberg, Chairperson of the Network Against Honour-Related Violence (Sweden), Anne-marie Lizin, Honorary Speaker of the Belgian Senate and Coordinator of the Association against Honour Crimes and Forced Marriages (Belgium), Maryam Namazie, Spokesperson of One Law for All, Equal Rights Now and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (UK), Elizabeth O’Casey, Vice-President of the National Secular Society (UK), David Pollock, President of the European Humanist Federation (UK), Fariborz Pooya, Director of Iranian Secular Society (UK), Yasmin Rehman Campaigner against violence against women and for community cohesion (UK), Gita Sahgal, Writer, Journalist and Women's Rights Activist (UK), Nina Sankari, President of the European Feminist Initiative (Poland), Sohaila Sharifi, Women’s Rights Activist (UK), Annie Sugier, Cofounder of the League of Women’s International Rights (France), Michèle Vianès, President of Regards de Femmes (France), and Anne Marie Waters, Spokesperson of One Law for All (UK).
There was also a reading of Ghazi Rabihavi’s play ‘Stoning’ – ‘A very strong and powerful piece of work, beautifully constructed’ as described by Harold Pinter.
Video footage of the conference follows:
Opening Address by Philosopher AC Grayling
Panel discussion on Religion’s Impact on Women’s Rights chaired by Helle Merete Brix with panellists Patty Debonitas, Maria Hagberg, Anne-Marie Lizin, Yasmin Rehman, and Michèle Vianès:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Religion and Women's Rights Questions and Answers, Part 1
Religion and Women's Rights Q&A, Part 2
Panel discussion on Religion and Secularism chaired by Fariborz Pooya with panellists Ahlam Akram, Julie Bindel, Nadia Geerts/ Philipp Bekaert, Maryam Namazie, and Annie Sugier:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Religion and Secularism Q&A, Part 1
Religion and Secularism Q&A, Part 2
Religion and Secularism Q&A, Part 3
David Pollock on Alliance for Secular Europe
Panel discussion on Religion and the Law chaired by Elizabeth O'Casey with panellists Gita Sahgal, Nina Sankari, Sohaila Sharifi, and Anne Marie Waters:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Religion and the Law Q&A, Part 1
Religion and the Law Q&A, Part 2
Closing Address by Maryam Namazie
Video footage of individual statements below:
Patty Debonitas
Anne-Marie Lizin
Michele Vianes
Maria Hagberg
Yasmin Rehman
Julie Bindel
Annie Sugier/Ahlam Akram
Maryam Namazie
Nadia Geerts/Phillip Bekaert
Sohaila Sharifi
Gita Sahgal
Nina Sankari
Anne Marie Waters
The day started with an opening address by renowned philosopher A C Grayling which was followed by a hugely successful conference with speakers from across the world creating a vibrant and very important debate.
Issues explored included the impact of religion on women’s rights - and whether religion is compatible with women’s rights - and whether it should be curtailed in the interests of the rights and equality of women. A discussion on religion and secularism looked at the relationship between religion and secularism and whether these are interdependent, complimentary or contradictory. It followed with a discussion on religion and the law –looking at religion’s influence on law and law makers, and on the importance of secularism and a closing address by Maryam Namazie.
Speakers included: Ahlam Akram, Executive Committee member of the Arab Jewish Forum and Joint Action for Israeli Palestinian Peace (UK), Helle Merete Brix, Writer and Commentator on free speech and the rise of political Islam (Denmark), Philipp Bekaert, Member of Réseau d'Actions pour la Promotion d'un Etat Laïque (Belgium), Julie Bindel, Journalist and Campaigner to end violence against women and children (UK), Patty Debonitas, Spokesperson of Iran Solidarity (UK), Nadia Geerts, Co-founder of Réseau d’Action pour la Promotion d’un Etat laïque (Belgium), Maria Hagberg, Chairperson of the Network Against Honour-Related Violence (Sweden), Anne-marie Lizin, Honorary Speaker of the Belgian Senate and Coordinator of the Association against Honour Crimes and Forced Marriages (Belgium), Maryam Namazie, Spokesperson of One Law for All, Equal Rights Now and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (UK), Elizabeth O’Casey, Vice-President of the National Secular Society (UK), David Pollock, President of the European Humanist Federation (UK), Fariborz Pooya, Director of Iranian Secular Society (UK), Yasmin Rehman Campaigner against violence against women and for community cohesion (UK), Gita Sahgal, Writer, Journalist and Women's Rights Activist (UK), Nina Sankari, President of the European Feminist Initiative (Poland), Sohaila Sharifi, Women’s Rights Activist (UK), Annie Sugier, Cofounder of the League of Women’s International Rights (France), Michèle Vianès, President of Regards de Femmes (France), and Anne Marie Waters, Spokesperson of One Law for All (UK).
There was also a reading of Ghazi Rabihavi’s play ‘Stoning’ – ‘A very strong and powerful piece of work, beautifully constructed’ as described by Harold Pinter.
Video footage of the conference follows:
Opening Address by Philosopher AC Grayling
Panel discussion on Religion’s Impact on Women’s Rights chaired by Helle Merete Brix with panellists Patty Debonitas, Maria Hagberg, Anne-Marie Lizin, Yasmin Rehman, and Michèle Vianès:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Religion and Women's Rights Questions and Answers, Part 1
Religion and Women's Rights Q&A, Part 2
Panel discussion on Religion and Secularism chaired by Fariborz Pooya with panellists Ahlam Akram, Julie Bindel, Nadia Geerts/ Philipp Bekaert, Maryam Namazie, and Annie Sugier:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Religion and Secularism Q&A, Part 1
Religion and Secularism Q&A, Part 2
Religion and Secularism Q&A, Part 3
David Pollock on Alliance for Secular Europe
Panel discussion on Religion and the Law chaired by Elizabeth O'Casey with panellists Gita Sahgal, Nina Sankari, Sohaila Sharifi, and Anne Marie Waters:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Religion and the Law Q&A, Part 1
Religion and the Law Q&A, Part 2
Closing Address by Maryam Namazie
Video footage of individual statements below:
Patty Debonitas
Anne-Marie Lizin
Michele Vianes
Maria Hagberg
Yasmin Rehman
Julie Bindel
Annie Sugier/Ahlam Akram
Maryam Namazie
Nadia Geerts/Phillip Bekaert
Sohaila Sharifi
Gita Sahgal
Nina Sankari
Anne Marie Waters
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Maryam will be speaking at Bradford University tomorrow
I'll be speaking at an event organised by the Atheist and Humanist Society at the University of Bradford about the perverse influence of religion and in defence of secularism on Monday 4 April 2011 at 5pm.
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