A ground-breaking case on the right to a pluralistic education in Northern Ireland is currently being considered by the High Court.
Full shownotes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2021/12/ep-63
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Should organisations be entitled to tax breaks and other privileges solely on the basis that they ‘advance religion’?
Full shownotes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2021/10/ep-59
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Rerelease of Ep 07. Check out the full shownotes, video and transcript for this episode: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2019/04/geoffrey-robertson-qc-exploring-religious-freedom-episode-07
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Emma Park speaks to Rachel Laser, to discuss the state of US secularism in the aftermath of their 2020 election, and the American Christian rights’ support for similar movements around the world.
Full shownotes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2020/12/ep-40
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Baroness Lynne Featherstone joins the podcast to discuss the tenth anniversary of the Equality Act 2010, the Act’s significance and the problems caused by continuing religious privilege, as covered in a recent NSS report.
Full show notes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2020/10/ep36
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Where do you draw the line between safeguarding people’s protected characteristics, and guarding their right to freedom of speech? The new Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill, introduced in April purports to protect groups defined by reference to protected characteristics, including ‘religion’ or ‘perceived religious affiliation’. But some have argued that the proposed legislation will chill free speech about religion.
In this episode, Emma Park is joined by Neil Barber, communications officer at the Edinburgh Secular Society, along with the NSS’s Stephen Evans, to give a detailed analysis of the language of the bill relating to offences of ‘stirring up hatred’. They argue the Bill is likely to make it all too easy to shut down valid debate about religion.
While the bill will abolish the common law offence of blasphemy against Christianity in Scotland, there are good reasons for thinking that the new statutory offences will simply be a multi-faith version of the former.
Follow Emma on Twitter: @DrEmmaPark
Browse all NSS podcasts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSlpdKk8m_g&feature=youtu.be
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
Help us protect free speech in Scotland: https://www.secularism.org.uk/free-expression/scottish-hate-crime-bill.html
Scotland’s new hate speech law will be too censorious: https://www.secularism.org.uk/opinion/2020/05/scotlands-new-hate-speech-law-will-be-too-censorious
Does Scotland’s justice minister realise the reach of his own hate crime bill? https://www.secularism.org.uk/opinion/2020/06/does-scotlands-justice-minister-realise-the-reach-of-his-own-hate-crime-bill
Minister to correct record on hate crime bill after NSS intervention: https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2020/06/minister-to-correct-record-on-hate-crime-bill-after-nss-intervention
Make a stand for freedom, fairness and human rights by adding your voice to the call for a secular democracy. Join the National Secular Society today https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
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In this episode, Emma Park speaks to Gita Sahgal, a human rights activist and Honorary Associate of the NSS, about secularism in India, and the threats it is facing from the Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) movement endorsed by Modi’s government. Modern India has been a secularist state since its foundation in 1947. But since the first election of Modi’s government in 2014, as Gita explains, Indian supporters of secularism, pluralism, and the rule of law have been targeted, silenced, and in some cases imprisoned or killed; and the coronavirus pandemic has been used as an opportunity to clamp down on them further.
Gita and Emma also consider how the ideology of Hindutva is bringing its version of Hinduism closer to a monotheistic religion, and how this reinforces its intolerant stance towards Indians who are not Hindus, in particular, the large Muslim minority. Finally, Gita discusses her current work with One Law For All, which is campaigning against Sharia law and other religious laws in the UK.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWXaP6g8QgA&feature=youtu.be
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
The Constitution of India
https://www.india.gov.in/sites/upload_files/npi/files/coi_part_full.pdf
How Hindu supremacists are tearing India apart – The Guardian, 20 February 2020
Gita Sahgal’s lecture highlights rise of Hindutva in India and Britain
One Law For All
Make a stand for freedom, fairness and human rights by adding your voice to the call for a secular democracy. Join the National Secular Society today https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
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This podcast gives an emergency update on the plight of Mubarak Bala, President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria (HAN). Bala was arrested in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, by the police on the 28th April, effectively for blasphemy against Islam. Although he has not yet been formally charged, he remains in custody, probably in Kano state, which is under Sharia law. He appears to be without access to a lawyer or contact with friends or family. Leo Igwe, founder of the HAN, speaks to Emma Park about what has happened to Bala, why his situation is so dangerous, and what the international community can do to support him. As this emergency podcast has been done at short notice, we apologise for any dip in quality.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEttRS-h2Vo&feature=youtu.be
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
Fears for safety of Nigerian Humanist leader after blasphemy arrest – 29th April 2020
How you can support Mubarak Bala
https://humanists.international/2020/04/action-alert-what-you-can-do-to-save-mubarak/
Mubarak Bala: Speak Out Against Religious Tyranny In Kano By Leo Igwe – Sahara Reporters, 5th May 2020
http://saharareporters.com/2020/05/05/mubarak-bala-speak-out-against-religious-tyranny-kano-leo-igwe
Make a stand for freedom, fairness, and human rights by adding your voice to the call for a secular democracy. Join the National Secular Society today https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
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In this week’s episode, Emma Park speaks to Josephine Macintosh, a solicitor and vice president of the National Secular Society, about her work representing the NSS at the United Nations.
Earlier this year, Josephine attended the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council at Geneva. She made submissions on behalf of the NSS on its objections to male circumcision, proposed reforms to Italian law to counter child abuse in the Catholic Church, and the need for the UK to legislate explicitly against caste discrimination.
She discusses the content of these submissions, the process of presenting them at the UN and lobbying for support, and why it’s vital for the NSS to be represented at international level. She also talks about the constraints that the coronavirus is likely to place on the UN’s human rights work.
Follow Emma on Twitter: @DrEmmaPark
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zdfQeKP8Tj8
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session43/Pages/43RegularSession.aspx
Protect all children from ritual genital cutting, NSS tells UN
NSS raises Italy’s response to child abuse in Catholic Church at UN
The Vatican Is Talking About Clerical Abuse, but Italy Isn’t – New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/world/europe/italy-catholic-church-pope-francis-abuse.html
Outlaw caste discrimination
https://www.secularism.org.uk/outlaw-caste-discrimination/
NSS urges UN to push government to pass law on caste discrimination
Make a stand for freedom, fairness and human rights by adding your voice to the call for a secular democracy. Join the National Secular Society today
https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
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This week, Emma Park is joined by Stephen Evans and Chris Sloggett for a general election special. During the campaign the NSS is calling on parties to adopt 11 secularist pledges on subjects such as education and free speech. But which of these are on the parties’ agendas? Will any of them make it onto the statute book any time soon? And is religion stifling political debate? Join Stephen, Chris and Emma for comment and analysis.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7mwTBwyy6Xo
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
Election 2019: a secularist manifesto
https://www.secularism.org.uk/election-2019.html
Don’t let religious sectarianism tear our democracy apart
The definition of ‘Islamophobia’ and its criticisms
Angela Rayner on Twitter: “I’ve never put our faith schools at risk and never will.”
https://twitter.com/AngelaRayner/status/1196856260186066944
Labour’s ‘race and faith manifesto’
https://action.labour.org.uk/page/-/party-documents/Race%20&%20Faith%20Manifesto%202017.pdf
Make a stand for freedom, fairness and human rights by adding your voice to the call for a secular democracy. Join the National Secular Society today https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
Support the podcast, share with a friend and leave a five star review everywhere you can.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download