Leicester SECULARIST Journal of the Leicester Secular Society February 2014 no 59 NAs aE haWte ca mRpaEignL isI dGirecOtedU agaSin stC a EmoNderSateO MuRslimS, Hwe sIePe a Since 2005, the cartoon strip Jesus WHAT SHOULD WE DO? and Mo has been appearing on the net. When Essex born Maajid Although the Blasphemy Nawaz tweeted a picture of a t- Laws are dead in Britain, in shirt of a 'Jesus and Mo' cartoon, reality the perceived threat of he received death threats. v i o l e n c e b y M u s l i m Led by Liberal Democrat party fundamentalists makes such a law unnecessary. member Mohammed Shafiq, Islamists and political opponents The Secularist has not mounted a campaign against published any of the Jesus and Nawaz and 20,000 people signed a Mo cartoons. Should we do so? Let us know what you petition to deselect him as a Lib Channel 4's censored image of Mo. think. Please write in with Dem parliamentary candidate. According to the cartoon’s author this Jesus & Mo at the LSE your views. You can find more was: “betraying the principles of information at this website: journalism...and providing fuel for A t-shirt, featuring a print of the www.jesusandmo.net. comic strip was at the centre of a true anti-Muslim bigots.” similar row last year, when the Liberal party, Maajid Nawaz and Liberals in Leicester London School of Economics Mohammed Shafiq have issued a banned two students for wearing In 2003, the support given by the rather strange joint statement in it, then apologised. Jesus and Mo Mosques to the Liberal Democrats which they: recognise that there are has caused fury amongst those over Iraq was crucial to the many Muslims who have taken who believe images of the prophet Liberals and Tories taking control offence, and we assert that images of Muhammed are forbidden. As a of the Leicester City Council. the spiritual leaders of all religions result, no conventional news Although freedom of expression is should be deemed to be respectful .. organisation has published any of a core value of the Liberal Whilst making the gesture to the the cartoons. When Jeremy Democratic party, local Liberals principle of freedom of speech, Paxman interviewed the author of are keen to appeal to both the they found the need to: understand the cartoons last month on devout Muslims of Highfields as the importance of respect for others’ Newsnight, he was careful not well as the middle classes of views and of moderation of language. show any images. In turn, Channel Knighton. They can be forgiven for Meanwhile, the Liberal Baron, 4 censored the image of ‘Mo.’ hoping that this issue will quietly Hasty Compromise Dick Taverne, quoting Lord Justice be forgotten by the time of next Sedley wrote: Freedom to speak year’s local elections. Under pressure from the national inoffensively is not worth having. Inside: 5.3 Billion are Victims of Discrimination - Religion in our Schools - 2014: The Year of Religion in Football W H AT ’ S O N Your Subscription at the S e c u l a r H a l l Is Due Dear Member, As another year comes Sunday 9th February, 6.30pm around, subscriptions fall Darwin Day Lecture. What Genetics Tells Us About Evolution. Prof due. Please can you pay Mark Jobling of Leicester University presents the latest genetic these promptly. We need the evidence on adaptation and, amongst other things, our relationship funds to continued to both with the Neanderthals. Free campaign for Secularism Sunday 16th February 6.30pm and maintain our home in The News at Kate, My Professional Opinion. The Leicester Comedy the Secular Hall. Festival comes to the Secular Hall. Kate Smurthwaite is outspoken on Please consider making an religion, politics and just about everything else. Must book! £7.50, concessions £6. Book with Mike on 0116 2703335 or via the Comedy additional donation Festival Office 0116 2423595. The subs for 2014 are being Sunday 23rd February 6.30pm frozen at the same level as 2013. They are: The New Atheism - What’s So New? Chris Street of Atheism UK compares the writings of Dawkins, Hitchens, Dennett and Harris Individuals £21 with their forerunners in anti-religion movements of the past. Free Low income £7 Household (multiple Sunday 2nd March 6.30pm members) £28 What Can We Do About Female Genital Mutilation In The UK? A Please send your cheques, made joint event with the Leicestershire Fawcett Group to mark UN payable to Leicester Secular International Women’s Day. Speakers TBA Free Society, to: Sunday 9th March, 6.30pm John Catt An Official Opening! The official opening of the newly 32 Bramcote Road modernised ground floor. Free Loughborough LE11 2 SA Sunday 16th March, 6.30pm If you use internet banking, you Secularism in Derby. Mike Lake, long-time campaigner can credit the Society’s bank forsecularism in Derby, talks about his work and the saga of the Al account as follows Madhani Muslim free school. Free ACCOUNT NO 20195380 Sunday 23rd March, 6.30pm SORT CODE 08 60 01 Annie Williamson and Hamish Whiteley entertain. Top-quality Please confirm such transfers folksong and witty poetry and stories from this acclaimed pair of with an email to: local artistes. £5 on the door (£4 concessions). [email protected] Sunday 30th March, 6.30pm If you prefer to pay by cash, you Can You Be Good Without God? Member Peter Thompson reviews can hand this to any Board the fiction of George Eliot and Iris Murdoch for a demonstration of member. the ways in which people create morality in their everyday lives. Thank you Sunday 6th April, 6.30pm John Catt Jihadism: Then and Now. Ghaffar Hussain, senior researcher at the Membership Sec/Treasurer Quilliam Foundation, reviews the history and evolution of Islamic jihadism. 2 Leicester Secularist THE SUNDAY ASSEMBLY IS HERE from the But Why Does Leicester Need One? editor The Sunday Assembly is a godless congregation for people who Those local Secularists who work want to get together to celebrate life, to live better, help often, and with asylum seekers are only too wonder more. Only started last year, it is now a worldwide aware of the human misery caused phenomenon in England, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Dublin, Silicon by the Home Office’s failure to Valley, Melbourne, and now HERE. recognise genuine refugees. Over Our launch Assembly is at 11am on Sunday 9th March at the Secular the last ten years, the treatment of Hall. We are lucky this event will be hosted by founders Sanderson and asylum seekers by the Home Office Pippa! has been labelled as inept, incompetent and inhumane. There will be singing, clapping and dancing (all optional), readings, Huge efforts have been made to try inspirational words of wisdom, and a great deal of fun. We plan to and stop the deportations of people have a music group and the lyrics to songs will be projected onto a who should have qualified as screen for all to join in. refugees. Such injustices are not But it is really what we make it and so we're giving this launch surprising when we learn that Home Assembly a Leicester twist. We know food really matters; those that Office staff are offered cash eat together stay together. So following your spiritual nourishment at incentives to meet deportation the Sunday Assembly we'll be providing some bodily nourishment targets. (lunch) for everyone. (Free of charge but donations welcomed). However, there has been one small It is important to book your (free) tickets at the www.eventbrite.co.uk chink of light in this gloomy saga. An website (search for Sunday Assembly Leicester) so we can plan the Afghan citizen has been granted asylum in the UK because he is an catering. In case you don't have internet access please contact: atheist. The man fled to the UK from Amarjeet on 07973 796622, or Harry on 07795 097635 a conflict involving his family in This is open to all ages, and will be great family fun. Really looking Afghanistan in 2007, aged 16. He forward to seeing you there! Amarjeet, and the rest of the Sunday was allowed to stay in the UK until Assembly Team. For further information or to volunteer to help please 2013. He was brought up a Muslim, contact: [email protected] but during his time in the UK became an atheist. If he returned to Afghanistan, it is likely that he 133rd Anniversary Celebration would face persecution and possibly a death sentence. In the last issue of the Secularist, we On March 9th, the Secular highlighted the 13 countries in which Hall celebrates its 133rd the penalty for blasphemy and anniversary. It will also be apostasy is death. Is so called back the ‘official’ re-opening of door diplomacy going to encourage the refurbished hall. To these intolerant governments (and cultures) to respect the rights to free mark the occasion there expression? Is it not time for more w i l l b e a s p e c i a l l y explicit response to these medieval researched re-enactment regimes? If they are allowed to of the Hall’s original continue there will just be more people opening in 1881. forced to flee. Although the failure of the heavy hand It is hoped that Mssrs, of military intervention has failed to G i m s o n , B r a d l a u g h , secure a fair and just society in Holyoake and Mrs Law Afghanistan, is not time for the and Besant will be in Government to do something more than just hand wringing .